If You Only Knew
by TakaiWolf
Summary: InuYasha is a hanyou, out of place in the modern world; hunted for being what he is. After being shot and blinded, he meets a human girl willing to aid him, unaware that their friendship will change him forever. Working together to survive, they must overcome impossible odds to save themselves and others like them from a shadowy organization bent on weaponizing youkai.: AU semiOOC:
1. Prologue: Running

Prologue: Running…

A gunshot rang out through the peacefulness of the night; a lone figure ran through the woods at an unnatural speed, his long, silver-white hair billowing out behind him.

The bullet caught him in the shoulder, and the impact knocked him sideways, almost causing him to lose his footing in the dew-covered grass. He kept running. He tried to ignore the pain searing through his arm, a pain so intense that he was afraid it would make him sick.

"Dammit," he cursed, blood oozing from the bullet hole, standing out clearly through his white t-shirt.

He didn't slow; he could smell his pursuers' scents all around him, as if trying to smother him with their rank stench of gunpowder and sweat.

"Surround him," came a quiet voice from his left.

Perhaps the officer had thought he wouldn't have been able to hear him. Instead of continuing both straight and blindly through the forest, he leapt high into the sky. The hat perched on his head flew off in the wind, revealing two dog-ears poking out of his hair.

"There! Hanyou! Get him!" came the call, and over a dozen gunshots rang out.

Twirling in the air, he easily dodged all the bullets but one. It hit him hard in the leg. The hanyou roared in pain as he fell to the ground. Things became a swirling mess to his vision as he plummeted into the dirt.

"God damn…" he muttered, trying to stand, though his leg wouldn't yet support his weight.

It buckled underneath him and he fell face first into the mud.

"Get him!"

He suddenly felt the weight of a dozen bodies pressing in around him, crushing him. He growled and lashed out fiercely with the long claws at the ends of his fingers, and kicked out at the offenders. Four of them grabbed his arms and began to drag him backwards.

"Bastards! Let me go!" he hollered, but his cries went unheeded.

He pulled his good leg forward, and then kicked back, hitting one of the four in the chest and sending him flying, but the hanyou still could not free himself. Another two humans ran to take the other's place.

"Keep him down, men!"

x

He suddenly found himself facedown on cold iron. The inside of a truck. He had been here before. Memories flashed.

"LET ME GO, DAMMIT!" he roared, though a heavy object connected with the back of his head.

He crumpled onto the metal. His face was forced down as someone stood on the back of his head. He could hardly breath. Someone twisted his arms cruelly behind his back. He snarled, his heart starting to beat furiously with absolute panic. He had been here before. He had felt all this before. A pinprick in the back of his neck, and all of a sudden, his vision blurred. Everything went black, though he was still conscious.

"Arg!" he growled, trying to rise. "What the hell'd you do to me?"

No answer.

x

Someone kicked him, hard, and in his disorientation, he was thrown up against the wall of the truck with an echoing bang over. Someone else pulled his shirt off of him. Before he knew what was happening, one of his opponents was bludgeoning him with something heavy and metal. He groaned in agony, unable to fight back. The metal connected with his bare skin. He felt a rib crack. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He slumped down onto the ground and was finally released. He felt someone tie his hands behind his back. He didn't move at all, however, and tried not even to breath yet; he felt as if playing dead was the best solution here. After a moment, he heard them open the door to the truck, heard them leave, heard the truck's engine start. He lay panting on the ground. He could taste the blood inside of his mouth.

"Shit," he groaned.

He rolled over, blinking. He could see nothing but darkness despite the fact his eyes were wide open. Blinded. The pain throbbing through his body was almost unbearable, but he took a deep breath to try to calm himself. His panic was unceasing though, he knew he had to get free, but he couldn't rush it. He lay still, conserving his strength.

x

After about half an hour, he managed to heave himself into a sitting position, and then to a squat. With extreme difficulty he lowered his hands behind his heels and he pulled one of his legs through the loop his arms made behind his back. He then did the other. As soon as his hands were in front of him, he raised them to his mouth and chewed carefully through the rope with his fangs. Once he was free, he rubbed his bare arms, trying to get the blood to circulate through his wrists once more.

x

He stood slowly, testing out the strength in his leg. It was better; he could walk on it, though he wouldn't be able to run away anymore for a while. He placed his hand on one of the walls of the truck, and both felt and sniffed his way to the lifting door. He found the handle. Though it had been locked, and he felt sore, and weak, with just a few tries, he broke the lock in the back completely and pushed the sliding door up only to be met with a burst of cold, night wind. He frowned and tried to quell his worry, but it was to no avail. He had no way of knowing where he was. He didn't even know if he was still in Tokyo. The wind from the moving truck blew his hair into his face and he brushed it back in annoyance.

What does it even matter anymore? he thought bitterly, and then, without a second thought leapt from the back of the moving vehicle.

x

The hanyou hit grass, and then rolled down a hill.

This definitely can't be too good for me, he thought.

The rolling soon stopped and he found himself face-up in cool grass. He was still incredibly sore, but he reveled in brief elation at his at least temporary escape. He then sat up and lifted his nose to the wind. There was the smell of water, newly mowed grass, and few humans around him. The human scent was lingering; there wasn't anyone there now. In the distance there was the scent of exhaust, more humans and various types of food. The hanyou moved up the hill, following his nose towards the city scent, but then froze.

"I can't go walking around like this," he muttered to himself.

He pressed his ears as close to his head as he could and mussed up his hair a little in an attempt to cover them at least a little. Hopefully, it was still dark, and no one would notice him as anyone different. He was hesitant to go into the city now. He made his way to the very edge of it, and sniffed around for a place that sold clothes. He didn't want to resort to stealing.

"Oh god, those creeps had better not've taken my money," he hissed, and shuffled around in the pockets of his faded jeans.

His hand landed on a roll of bills, and he sighed in relief.

x

He soon caught the scent of clothing materials, and ended up outside what seemed to be a clothing store. He heard a jingle as someone opened the door and walked out. Judging by the smell, it was a human female.

"Uh, excuse me?" he said as politely as he could.

"Oh, yes?" the woman answered him.

"Sorry to bug you but I… see, I was playing football and a bunch of girls stole my shirt. I need to get a new one. But I... I can't see. If I were to give you money, would you go in there and get me a… a sweatshirt or something?"

He hoped the football lie would explain the bruises that must've been all over his body. The woman didn't answer. Luckily she didn't ask why he had been playing football if he was blind.

"I know this sounds really weird," he said. "But, I'm uh, kinda desperate."

He smiled weakly. The woman considered it.

"Okay, sure why not? A good deed every day, right?" she said.

The hanyou sighed in relief.

"Oh god, thank you so much."

He reached into his jeans pocket and handed the roll of bills to the woman.

I can't believe I have to put my complete faith in a stranger, he thought.

It wasn't something he was normally comfortable with, but what other choice did he have?

"Stay right here," the female said to him, and he heard her re-enter the store.

He waited impatiently outside. Soon enough, those humans would find out he was gone. They would come back for him. He heard the bell as the door opened again, and the female came out.

"Here" she said, handing the remainder of his money back to him.

"You have a bit over 200,000 yen left," she told him, and then handed him his clothes.

It felt much heavier than just a sweatshirt. The female must've seen the puzzled look on his face.

"You look cold," she explained, "so I got you a white t-shirt and a black hat as well as a sweatshirt. It's red by the way… Do you know colours?"

"Yeah," he said, "I haven't been blind all my life."

Only for the last hour, he added silently.

"All right, honey, be careful," she said, and then pressed forward and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You'd better put that hat on as soon as you can, sweetie."

The hanyou was stunned, and he froze, knowing immediately what she mean, but she had pulled away and headed off before he could ask any questions at all.

She knew. Oh god, she knew.

"Thank you very much!" he called after her, though he heard no reply, and then he hurried back towards the park.

oOoOoOoO

In the park, the hanyou skulked around until he managed to find a bench, and he plopped down onto it gratefully. His whole body ached. He care fully pulled the t-shirt and then the sweatshirt over his head. He then fixed the hat over his ears so that they were invisible. It only barely muffled his hearing, which was good. His life would probably depend on the only senses that he had left. He sighed.

Very suddenly, a faint beeping caught his attention, almost causing him to jump. It was coming from the back of his neck. He moved his hand onto it, and then cried out in alarm as an electrical shock passed through his body. He recognized the beep from a previous incident in his life.

"A… A tracking device?" he said in alarm, and then was shocked again.

It burned him; hurt like hell.

"Those bastards! They're trying to track me!"

He was rewarded with another shock. He groaned in agony, and had to resist the urge to clap a hand to the back of his neck.

Great, he thought. I can't even talk about it without this thing trying to kill me! How am I supposed to get help?

He sighed, and then set off back into the city, not heading anywhere in particular, but away.


	2. First Day

A/N:** Parts of this chapter have been rewritten so it sucks a little less than when I first uploaded it.**

* * *

Disclaimer, I don't own "Inu-Yasha" or any characters associated with the original story, obviously.

Anyway, this story, like all of mine, is AU and OOC (not total OCC, however, or else what would be the point of writing fanfiction, amiright?). Don't like it? Then umm… I guess that's unfortunate, and you'll have to find something else to kill some time reading.

Oh yeah, and the first few chapters kinda suck… so… bear with me, this is kinda old… Now that I look back on it, some of it seems really odd to me. In fact, most of it seems pretty stupid. XD But once it's past chapter… 15-ish? I think, it actually starts making more sense. In fact, I'm probably going to rewrite most of this old junk when I have time.

Now onto the story! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 1: First Day

* * *

The phone rang six times. No one picked it up. The answering machine beeped.

"Hello, Kagome? Sweetheart? It's mom," a crackly voice from the machine said.

"I thought I should call, seeing as tomorrow is your first day at your new high school. I wanted to wish you good luck. Your grandpa and I were in town last night, I'm sorry we didn't come to visit, but we had to leave again. How are you doing? I hope your dad's been treating you okay."

A wave of static swamped the voice on the answering machine.

"I have to go, dear. I'm getting too much static. Say hi to Sota for us, and take care of Buyo."

There was a _click_ and the line went dead.

x

Kagome leaned against the kitchen wall and sighed. She tapped the toe of her heavy black boot against the ground and fingered the silver chain necklace around her neck. The girl was garbed in a black t-shirt and dark jeans with ripped knees, some of her preferred clothing for comfort's sake. Though she often dressed like that in public too, people, or rather the other teenagers at schools, often called her an Emo, or a wanna-be Goth, though she despised the titles. Emo implied that she was trying to make herself stand out as a monotone, "Life sucks, so lets go cut ourselves", suicidal type person. Kagome may have had it rough, but she would much rather get rid of the cause of it than herself.

x

She tapped her long fingernails on the wall absently. She had grown each of them out a little, filed them to points, and used a nail-hardening solution on them. They were her only means of self-defence. Or, at least, her most accessible one. She didn't really like having her nails out that long for fear of breaking them (it had happened more than once), but they had been of more use to her than a hindrance.

"Hey girl, who was that on the phone?"

The gruff voice of Kagome's father boomed through the house as he lay on the sofa, undoubtedly with a bottle of beer in his hand. Kagome grimaced. Her father seemed to have some disability that prevented him from calling her by name.

"It wasn't for you, so why the hell do you care?" she yelled back.

She got silence as a reply. Kagome frowned, pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. From the other end of the kitchen, a chubby, calico cat wandered into the room and looked up at Kagome with wide yellow eyes. She cast him a weak smile and, with a small brrt sound, the cat leapt onto her lap and licked her fingertips.

"Hey Buyo," she cooed.

She rubbed his ears, still frowning.

_I still can't believe mom'd do this to me_, she thought.

x

Over five months ago, Kagome and her younger brother, Sota, had been left in the care of their good-for-nothing, mostly unemployed and aggressive father as their mother and grandpa had to travel. It hadn't been by choice, for the most part, there was just no one else: they had no other family in the country, and her mother travelled so much that she didn't have any local friends, either. Sometimes they went far out of the area; sometimes they went out of the country. Kagome had never been told why.

x

She sighed in frustration, and Buyo's ears perked in alarm and he jumped down from her lap.

"Girl, I thought I asked you who was on the phone."

Kagome's father slowly walked into the kitchen and Buyo darted out around his ankles. He was a large man, both horizontally and vertically. His hair was greying and he wore an old grey sweatshirt and slacks. Kagome couldn't see how she was even related to him at all. In fact, he looked like some sort of troll. Kagome looked up at the man, fear beating with her heart, but she held her ground, her frown deepening.

"I told you, it wasn't for you, it was for me. Why do you care?"

Kagome's tone was laced with venom. She clenched her fist and frowned up at him.

Her father glowered down at her.

"Don't you use that disrespectful tone with me-"

"And why the hell not?" Kagome demanded, standing quickly, "Why should I be _respectful_ of someone like you?"

She didn't trust her old man at all, and she wanted to keep as much space between him and herself as she could. She moved so that her back was to the only other way out of the kitchen. Her father glared at her.

"You should watch your tongue," he said in a soft, menacing tone.

Kagome knew that whenever her father used that tone, she was in for hell. She looked daggers at him, clenching her fists angrily.

"You gonna come at me? You just try it," she growled, "I'm not afraid of you."

_Not…_ Kagome thought.

She felt her mouth go dry with nervousness and an uncomfortable heat rushed through her body. Then, suddenly, her father had her by the arm and twisted. She cried out, and he nearly hefted her into the air, twisting her arm so much she was afraid it would be wrenched clear from its socket. He hit her across the face with a triumphant grunt.

"Bastard!" Kagome screamed into his face, and spat in his eye.

She lifted her other arm into the air and grabbed a hold on his, digging her nails into his skin. He shouted in pain and alarm as blood began to seep from the clawing, and Kagome dropped to the ground. She clumsily kicked him in the legs, aiming for his groin as she tried to roll to her feet and dodged out of the room as he gasped in pain. She assumed she must have hit her target.

"Get your ass back here, Kagome!" he shouted, using her name for the first time in over a week.

He staggered through the doorway into the living room where he had been situated earlier and cast around for Kagome. She ducked behind the sofa, praying that he was too drunk to rationally think of where she could be hiding. She began to creep towards the door, when the toe of her boot hit a discarded beer bottle. It made a hollow clink and the remaining alcohol sloshed inside. He turned in an instant to her.

"Get back here, girlie!" he roared.

"Screw you!" she yelled, and hurled the closest object, the bottle, at his head in panic.

It connected with his temple, and he fell to the floor with a grunt. Kagome let out a victorious and frightened laugh, and then ran up the stairs to her younger brother, Sota's room. She nearly tripped over an old rug outside of his door. She kicked it open.

x

Sota, a small boy with black hair, big brown eyes, and garbed in a baggy sweatshirt and jeans, lay on his bed reading a comic book that looked much too violent for him to be seeing.

"Hey kid, get your ass up!" Kagome yelled at him as she barged through the door.

She grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and heaved him upright.

"Aak!" he said, choking, "Kagome, what're you doing?"

Kagome grabbed a bag and rummaged through Sota's drawers. She threw some clothes into the bag, and then shoved it into his arms. The boy stared at her blankly, confused as she ducked into his closet. She tossed out some miscellaneous socks and other articles of clothing over her shoulders until she produced a rolled, green sleeping bag.

"Kagome?" he said a little dumbly.

The girl whirled on him and shoved the sleeping bag at him as well.

"Get out of here," she told him.

"What?" her little brother asked in shock.

"Listen Sota," she said, kneeling to him and looking him in the face, "It's not safe here for anyone if dad's gonna run around drunk. See this?"

She pointed to her cheek where a new bruise was forming.

"He did this, so get out of here, go stay with a friend or something until mom and grandpa come back."

"But Sis…" he said.

"No 'buts', Sota, just get out of here, quickly."

Sota looked for a long time at his big sister, and then nodded reluctantly. He began to head out of his room.

"No," Kagome said, "don't go that way. Use the window."

"But Kagome, mom said-"

"Mom isn't here," she pointed out, "And call me tomorrow night, okay?"

Sota sighed.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Sure," the girl replied, forcing a confidant grin onto her face, "I've been dealing with this for a while. I can handle myself."

The boy stared at her again. They both knew it was a lie. Sota shook his head and hugged the girl carefully before he turned to his windowsill. He reluctantly climbed out his window into the branches of the large, dead tree that stood with surprising sturdiness beside the house. Kagome watched him ease his way down through the branches and then land on the ground. With a lingering look behind him, Sota ran away down the street.

x

Kagome sighed as she stared out the window after Sota.

_I wish I had someplace else to go,_ she thought, cringing.

Now, Kagome felt more alone than ever. No matter how annoying she found her brother, she still felt a little lonesome without him around to bother her. She smiled a little. Who was she kidding? Since her mother left, Sota was all she had, but she would much rather have him elsewhere and safe than in this house keeping her company.

"KAGOME!" Her father roared up at her suddenly.

Kagome scowled, and she slammed the door to Sota's room and propped his desk chair up against it. She heard her father lumber up the stairs. He pounded his heavy fists on the door.

"You'd better open this door, little girl!" He shouted at her.

_Ugh, what is this guy's problem?_ She wondered.

Kagome didn't answer. She followed her brother's lead and crept outside, using the dead tree and slid into her own window. She closed her door slowly and quietly so that her drunken father wouldn't notice. She looked at her clock. It said 8'o clock. The sky was already fairly dark. Summer was becoming fall, now, and Kagome thought it was sort of a pity.

x

Tomorrow was to be the first day at a new school in this area. She had previously been attending one farther away, but as things got worse at home, and he father denied her funds, she had had to stay home more and more often until she may as well have dropped out. Once her mother found out, she had set her up at a more local school. Kagome was fairly grateful; being at such a distance from her scarce few friends, school had been her only escape from the house, even though she didn't like it there very much either.

x

Kagome quickly packed her sketchpad, a notebook and a few pencils into her backpack for the next day so she wouldn't have to come back into the house. She hefted it onto her shoulder, took the cover off her bed, and climbed out the window again. She tossed the blanket down to the ground and then carefully clambered down herself. She gathered her blanket up again and, with a cautious, backwards glance, she headed off towards the trees behind the house and ran until she was just off of her father's property. She was lucky; he lived at the edge of a forest on one side.

x

She then found the tree. Her tree. It was the biggest around, and she usually slept in it, especially when her father was riled and drunk. It was unorthodox, but the branches were thick and the leaves were broad. Even as a little girl, Kagome had felt relatively at home in nature. She climbed the tree's branches quickly, like she had done a hundred times before. She made it up about halfway before she stopped, and hefted herself onto a large, partially flat-topped branch. Kagome slowly eased herself into a sitting position on the tree branch. She tenderly rubbed the darkening bruise on her cheek.

"Bastard," she whispered grumpily.

She watched through the house's windows. Her father eventually began to give up on Sota's door. He heard him shout at her a few times. He disappeared from view for a minute and then reappeared downstairs, slumping down slovenly onto the couch. Kagome sighed and leaned back against the tree, flexing her arm. She cringed and made an unwilling hiss of pain.

"Why the hell'd he have to twist my arm?" she asked no one in particular.

x

Kagome sat in the tree for about an hour. At 9:00, she snuck back into the house, grabbed a light jacket, four packages of cup noodles, and two thermoses full of boiling water. Pulling the jacket on, she ran back outside and shoved three of the four packages and one thermos into her backpack, and then left it at the base of the tree so that she wouldn't have to pull it along any longer. She climbed back onto her branch, though she was getting very tired now, and emptied a third of the other thermos into her cup noodles and ate them hungrily; she hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday.

x

She sighed, still a little hungry, though she decided to save the rest of the noodles, and then sat back against the tree trunk, getting ready to sleep as she pulled her cover over herself. It may have been the end of summer, but the night air was starting to develop a chill already. Her eyelids drooped and the girl yawned quietly.

x

Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched chattering noise. Jolting, Kagome's eyes shot open and she looked up to address the sound. To her surprise found herself staring into the dark brown eyes of a raccoon. She let out an involuntary yelp, but when the animal didn't cringe or run, Kagome relaxed a little.

"Oh, hi," she said, and the raccoon made a pleased chirp at being recognised.

Kagome smiled a little. It was almost a cat-ish thing for him to have done.

_Cute_, she thought.

"Sorry dude, this branch is taken," she told the raccoon, who cocked his head.

The raccoon made his raccoon noise again and edged down from the branch above Kagome's head to stand in front of her. He stared at her curiously.

"Wow, pretty tame, aren't you?" Kagome commented.

The raccoon opened his mouth as if he was laughing, and then climbed into Kagome's lap, growling contentedly. Kagome was surprised, and then laughed.

"Okay, you can sleep here, that's cool. You'd just better not have rabies is all I'm saying," she told the raccoon.

The raccoon chirruped and rolled over, exposing his belly. Kagome began to rub him, and he looked as if he was grinning at her.

"Dude, okay, you are way too tame. What's up with that?" Kagome asked.

Of course the raccoon didn't answer, but he soon fell asleep in Kagome's lap. The girl sat awake for a while, merely starting at the creature.

_Maybe he was someone's pet,_ she thought, _Maybe someone raised him with people or something, and then had to release him? I guess that would make sense._

She pondered over nothings for a while, but as darkness took the forest, Kagome fell asleep too, with her hand on the raccoon's head.

x

Kagome woke up the next day when sunlight shone into her eyes, making them water. She yawned and stretched, and then looked down in her lap. The raccoon was still there. Kagome laughed quietly to herself, and picked him up gently. He hardly stirred. Kagome pulled off her jacket and made a small nest out of it, and then laid the sleeping raccoon down in it. She smiled at him fondly.

_Yep, definitely someone's pet._

She carefully climbed back down the tree, and shouldered her backpack. Kagome then went back to the house and stole a glance into the window. She looked at the clock. It was eight-fifteen. School started at eight-forty. She saw her father, passed out and drooling on the couch. Kagome scoffed in disgust, and then headed towards the street.

x

Kagome knew where the school was. She had walked passed it a few times in the last few weeks to make sure she wouldn't get lost. She didn't like having to rely on anybody.

x

It was a large building made with mostly red brick and white stucco. It had a large schoolyard, though it was mostly fenced in and the only living thing on it was a single tree near the place where the fence split to allow access to the school. Kagome had never actually been inside the school, but she had been told that it housed grade fives and all grades above that.

x

She had also been told, by her pen pal, Max, who already attended the school, that almost everyone there was preppy, perky and clueless. The teachers wouldn't know personal tragedy if it bit them on the ass. In fact, most of them denied the existence of that at all. It was like a living Disney film, and Kagome was told that it was a little spooky.

They were also very strict on protocol and rules. Last time he had e-mailed her, Max had told her that she was lucky; there would be no uniforms this year because, at the last minute, their yearly order had been stuck in the building for fumigation a few months ago and they had scrapped the rule for the year.

x

Kagome grinned a little at the thought. She found it pretty amusing, if she was honest, and she wasn't a huge fan of the uniform anyway. Kagome continued down the street slowly; she was in no hurry what so ever. When she came to the school, she found no one in the yard.

"Holy crap! Am I early?" She wondered aloud.

Then Kagome looked through some of the windows, and saw that most people were inside the school already. She sighed.

"God damn, nerds," she mumbled half-jokingly, pushing open the door to the school and walking inside.

x

As soon as she did, Kagome's head reeled. The whole inside hall near the foyer was a sickly green and pink design. It wasn't even that she didn't like green and pink. The combination of the two, however, of those particular shades, reminded her somewhat of vomit.

"Aw man…" she muttered. "I hate this place already."

x

She averted her eyes from the walls as best as she could and went into the office. She leaned against the counter, drumming her fingers impatiently, making a soft clicking noise with her long nails. The secretary, who was on the phone, paused to stare at her nails in horror, and then continued with her conversation. It was not a professional one either.

She hung the phone up after five minutes. Kagome scowled.

"Took your sweet time, didn't you?" she said haughtily, "Talkin' to your boyfriend?"

The secretary looked a little scared of Kagome.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome, I've come for my locker number," Kagome said.

"Oh, um, of course," the secretary said, and shuffled through some sheet of paper.

"You're number, uh, C1316, Higurashi Kagome"

"Thanks," Kagome said dryly, and left quickly.

x

After wandering around the hallways, now in an even fouler mood than before, she found her locker after a couple of minutes. She opened it, taped a picture of her cat to the door, and then closed it again, not really needing the space yet, but it was always good to be sure that the guy from the year before hadn't left him sandwich in the locker. She bent over, fishing her lock from her bag, but as she stood up again, she noticed three boys a little ways away staring at her in a disconcerting manner. Kagome felt a pang of anger and embarrassment rush through her, and she snapped her lock on her door and whirled on the boys,

x

"Hey, you wanna stop checking out my ass? Or do I have to kick yours?" Kagome said, scowling.

"Whoa, no need to get violent, bitch," one guy said behind his hand, as the others laughed

"Hey, you come say that to my face if you're not a coward," Kagome hissed.

"Oh, someone's getting mad," a second guy said with a snicker.

Kagome sighed and gave them the finger.

"If you're gonna diss me, then do it to my face, loser," she said, "Or are you afraid that I'll kick your ass so bad that you won't be able to take a dump properly for a week?"

"Hey, no girlie's gonna beat me," the first guy said, moving closer to her, "You know, you're real pretty bitch, why don't you be a good little girl and-"

x

He stopped in mid-sentence as Kagome hammered him in the jaw with her fist. The boy tried to regain his footing, but Kagome pulled back and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying into his friends. One of them rushed her and tried to grab her arm, the one that her dad had brutally twisted. Kagome grabbed his arm first, digging her nails into his flesh and grinning as he reeled back in horror as blood pricked in the wound. She punched him in the face and he backed up considerably. The last boy tried vainly to punch her in the face, but she avoided him easily, tripped him. He got up, and all three of them backed off slightly.

"We can settle this now, or you can run," Kagome offered, folding her arms to her chest.

"Hold crap, you freak," one of them said, and they walked away down the hall, nursing their beaten prides.

x

Kagome couldn't help smiling in triumph. She liked being able to take care of herself, at least at school; being called names was a small price to pay. She wiped her nails on the hem of her shirt; she had actually sunken them into that guy pretty deeply. She felt bad for an instant. But then again, they had started it. Kagome took a deep, shaking breath as the adrenaline rush began to wear off. She felt a strained feeling in her gut. Today was not a good day.

x

Kagome stood in the hall, feeling rather brain-dead, until the bell rang for the start of first period. Only then did she pull a crumpled schedule out of her pocket to see what she had first. It was art, room 109.

x

The system for this school was different than any other she had been to. It had class rotations where the students were expected to change classrooms, as opposed to staying in one. It was part of some sort of experimental learning program Kagome didn't fully understand, nor did she really care about. It was, however, the school that an old penpal of hers had been going to. She was a bit eager to see if she could find him at some point. He was an American, named Max, who she had been in contact with as part of an assignment when she was much younger. However, when things had gotten dire, writing to him had been something that took her mind off her predicament. They hadn't talked in a few months, though.

x

Kagome headed to the room and took a seat at the very back of the class, not wanting to stand out. Most of the students were in the room already, but not very many of them sat at the back. A few of them gave her stray looks, though no one seemed to care much that she was there. For that, she was grateful. Some girls clad mostly in pink came and sat at Kagome's table after all the other seats were taken. Kagome groaned mentally; she liked sitting alone. She didn't like the feeling that people were watching her. Kagome was a little surprised when she realized recognised one of the girls as someone she had known from her grade four class quiet a while ago, by the name of Cho. Though Kagome had known her, they hadn't been friends. Kagome and that girl had hated each other's guts. Kagome still held some resentment; that girl had made her life a living hell. She vaguely hoped that the girl wouldn't remember her.

x

Within a few moments, the art teacher entered the classroom, and began to talk. She zoned in and out as the teacher talked, examining her nails absently and tapping them on the table. Kagome only half started to pay attention when the teacher told them about a project they would be doing, one where they had to draw scenes or images they thought described them. Kagome was incredibly relieved that she wasn't called up to the front to introduce herself.

x

After the teacher passed out some blank paper. Then, the teacher pointed to Kagome and her heart sunk.

"Ah, and, before I forget, we have a new student: Higurashi Kagome," the teacher said.

Kagome slunk down in her seat.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, dear?" the teacher said, "Tell us something about yourself."

As all eyes turned on Kagome, she looked around a bit nervously and then sat up a bit straighter

"I'm Higurashi Kagome," Kagome said. "I…"

She paused, thinking.

"I like… my guitar and… my cat. And I don't really like attention, so..."

Kagome shrugged slumped again, and said nothing else.

x

Seeming satisfied, the teacher told them it was time to get started. Kagome began to do a light sketch on her paper; she knew exactly what she wanted. When the class was about halfway through, Kagome was already completing her drawing. It was a large, black dragon with vicious fangs and claws and large demonic wings protruding from its shoulder blades. It had its paw on top of a man that looked suspiciously like Kagome's father. Its claws were sinking deeply into the man's chest, and pencil-shaded blood was leaking from his body. Kagome couldn't help an evil grin looking at her creation. It was sadistic, sure, but she was having a shitty day. Then she looked up at the ones that other people at her table were drawing. The girl called Cho was drawing a picture of a kitten playing with a butterfly, though it looked as if it had been drawn by a slightly artistic five-year-old. Kagome Rolled her eyes a little. Another girl with just about as much talent as Cho was drawing a fluffy rabbit.

_Oh my God, I think the cutesy's gonna kill me,_ Kagome thought.

The last girl at the table was drawing a rose. It was good, Kagome thought, but cliché. Then the teacher walked by, complementing all the drawings at their table, until she saw Kagome's.

"Oh my," she said, looking horrified.

Kagome honestly didn't care what the teacher thought of it.

"No, no, no," she said, shaking her head. "This isn't right, I'm afraid. This is horrible, you'll have to start over."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. She knew she wasn't great at drawing, she didn't think it was that bad. She almost felt hurt. She sorta liked her picture. The teacher placed her hand on Kagome's drawing, about to crumple it up. Kagome's hand slammed down on top of hers as an automatic reaction, accidentally digging her nails in a little as she tried to rescue her picture.

x

The teacher muffled a yell as blood began to run from where Kagome's nails were jabbing her. She jerked her hand away, only tearing her own skin more on Kagome's nails. She ran out of the room with yelp almost immidiatly. The whole class stared at Kagome in shocked silence. Kagome too, was quite shocked. She hadn't meant to hurt the woman. She just didn't like people trying to take her things. Her heart racing, mortified, Kagome picked up her slightly damaged picture, scooped up her books, put them into her bag and walked out of the room.

x

Kagome rushed down the hallway, away from the art room and huddled against a wall, her heart pounding. She felt bad that she had hurt the woman, she really hadn't meant too, and now she would probably be in horrible trouble. She took a few deep breaths and wasn't sure what to do.

x

Kagome wandered aimlessly down the hallways for fifteen minutes, and then leaned against a wall again. From her pocket, she produced a cheap MP3 player and a small pair of earphones. As she was unsure of what to do with herself in this situation, she began to listen to the few songs that she had, which were mostly pop songs and some American music. As she closed her eyes and began to zone out. suddenly, there was a tap on her shoulder.

"Kagome?"

She turned quickly and found herself facing a boy about her age with spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and garbed in what looked like gym clothes. She recognized him immediately.

"Holy crap, Max?" she asked.

"Yeah, hey Kagome," Max said. "I didn't think you'd be here 'till next week… But then I saw a guy in my science class with a mauled up arm and a teacher with a bloodied hand, and I thought 'Hey! Kagome must be here!'"

Kagome laughed nervously, unable to keep a shameful blush off her face, and then shrugged.

"Ehh…" she said. "Well, it's good to see a non-hyperactive girly face."

"Tell me about it," he said, "We haven't even been here three hours and I'm already going nuts. Again."

"Same here," Kagome said.

"You skipping already?" Max asked.

"Yep," Kagome said. "I'm skipping my math class too. I hate math…."

"Nice," Max said, "I'm skipping too."

"Oh yeah? Skipping what?"

"Gym."

Kagome laughed a little bit and leaned her head back against the wall.

"I thought so."

x

Kagome and Max walked aimlessly around the school, catching up a little, until first period was over. The two weren't terribly close, but Kagome felt more comfortable around him than anybody else in the school, and she enjoyed talking to him. She could only imagine that he felt in a similar way.

x

They then went outside and found some picnic tables that were located in front of the school. Kagome sat on the table rather than the bench and leaned back against the fence. They compared their timetables, though nothing on them was the same. They both sighed heavily.

"I'm starting music tomorrow," Max said, "and my lunch is being switched to fourth. Are you in music Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Nah, they wouldn't let me play guitar so… Only woodwinds or whatever and I suck at those."

"You play guitar?" Max asked, surprised, "What kind?"

"Both," Kagome said, "or at least I did until my dad smashed my electric guitar."

Max looked at her in horror.

"He smashed it? He _smashed_ it?"

She nodded sadly.

"Yeah. That thing was expensive too."

"I can imagine," Max said, gawking, "He smashed it? Really?"

"Yeah, quite a feat," the girl agreed.

x

Kagome suddenly felt an odd twinge in her stomach, as if she subconsciously knew something bad was happening. She didn't understand it and frowned, confused. Her eyes wandered past the fence surrounding the schoolyard and across the street where there was a small park that went around the corner. She saw a small animal, what looked like a pale, yellow furred cat, running from someone. It was a man in a beige jacket and jeans.

He had his hair slicked back with grease and wore dark sunglasses and was carrying what Kagome almost immediately recognized as a gun.

"What the hell?" she muttered, turning around on the table and staring more intensely at the scene.

"What?" Max asked. "What is it?"

x

Kagome didn't answer, but her mouth dropped open in shock as she saw the cat and the man with the gun round the corner and vanish. She could feel the sense of foreboding growing within her.

"Hey Max?"

"What?"

"Keep me covered, okay?" Kagome said, leaping off the table and running towards the street.

"Covered with what?" he called after her, his eyes wide.

She didn't answer, her mind barely even registered his words. She took off quickly after the man and the cat, turning the corner to see him still chasing it. Kagome bit her lip, considering any option she had.

x

Across the street, to the right there was a man, a plumber, with a large white van in a driveway, pulling tools and materials out of the back. Kagome couldn't think of anything better, so she rushed across the street, looking to the man pleadingly.

"Excuse me," she said, pointing at a long thin pipe, "Can I borrow that? I'll bring it right back, I promise."

"Uh, sure," the man said, baffled.

"Thanks," Kagome said, grabbing the pipe and running after the man with the gun.

It was stupid. She knew it was stupid. The man had a gun. But she couldn't help herself. Kagome couldn't let the little yellow cat die. She watched them turn another sharp corner, into a small park that was rimmed with bushes. Kagome sucked in a deep breath of air and increased her speed as much as she could.

x

Skidding in her shoes, she entered the park and turned the corner. She saw the man. He had the cat in the air by its tail. Kagome could swear it was screaming.

"Goodbye neko youkai," the man said with a deranged smirk, and moved to pull the trigger on his gun.

"No!" Kagome shrieked, and without thinking she slammed the metal pipe down on the back of the man's head.

He fell to the ground with a yell, letting the cat go. Kagome hit him in the back with the pipe.

"What the hell's your problem?" she demanded shrilly, her heart thudding painfully against her ribs, placing her foot on the man's back and pressing down.

"That's just a freaking cat! You have no right to just shoot it!"

"It's not a normal cat!" the man yelled.

Kagome jabbed her heal into the man's shoulder and glowered down at him. Then, the man reached up and grabbed her leg. Kagome cried out in alarm and hit the man with the pipe again. He collapsed in an unconscious heap. Kagome stared at the man, shocked. Her mouth had gone dry again and she felt her heart stutter. How many times had she hurt people today? It was getting dangerous, and ridiculous.

_There is something really wrong with me, isn't there?_

x

Sighing shakily, she turned to the cat. It hadn't run away. It just sat there, staring at her with its large red eyes. Kagome was taken aback for a moment by the cat's appearance, but she couldn't help but be relieved that it was safe. It felt very right.

"Hey kitty, come here," Kagome said softly to the cat, squatting to the ground. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

The cat cocked its head, and then ran mewing to Kagome. It brushed up against her leg, purring.

"That's more like it," Kagome said with a smile.

She played her fingers along the cat's ears. The cat shifted a little, and as Kagome looked at it, she gasped. The cat had two tails.

"Holy crap," Kagome said in surprise. "Two tails? Are you some sort… some sort of mutant kitty?"

The cat looked up at her and mewed.

"Oh, who cares?" Kagome said, picking the cat up.

It curled up in her arms, purring happily. Its two tails waved back and forth.

"Got a name kitty?" Kagome asked.

The two-tailed cat looked up at Kagome and puffed its neck fur proudly, showing off a silver chain around it. Engraved in it was the name 'Kirara'.

"Kirara?" Kagome said, looking at the chain. "Is that what you're called?"

She tilted her head and smiled at Kirara.

"It's almost like you can understand me," she laughed tiredly.

She hugged the small animal close and, walking a little stiffly, she left the park and the unconscious, cat-hating man.

x

Kagome carried Kirara back onto the school grounds, returning the slightly bent metal pipe to the baffled plumber on the way. Max stared at her in confusion.

"Where the heck'd you go?" he asked.

"Oh, I was off doing my part for the animal rights movement," Kagome said absently, showing him the cat Kirara. "Some guy was about to shoot her."

"What?" he exclaimed, "Okay, I admit I'm not a huge cat lover but that…that's just wrong, dude."

"Yeah, I think it's because of this…"

Kagome lifted Kirara up and Max gasped and fell off the bench.

"Holy shit! She's got two tails!" he exclaimed loudly.

Kagome nodded, and cuddled Kirara in her arms.

"Crazy eh? I'm going to bring her into the school with me; I need to go back in, 'cause if my dad finds out I been skipping classes today, guess what?"

"More of that?" Max asked, pointing to the bruise on Kagome's cheek.

"Yep."

Kagome nodded and sighed deeply.

"I don't get you," he said, "Why don't you call the police or someone?"

"Because," Kagome said, "I want to make his life a living hell. I want to get him."

She looked a little disheartened for a moment, however, but then smiled a little.

"Doesn't mean I don't ever want to call the police. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Oh, ah… sure," Max replied.

He fished inside the pocket of his shorts and then passed the girl his black and slightly battered cell phone. As he did, however, his eyes landed on his watch and he looked a little surprised.

"I'd better go," he said just as Kagome had switched his phone on.

"Oh, but-" Kagome started, but the boy smiled at her,

"Just put it in my locker later. It's G1209. I'll leave it open."

"Thanks Max," Kagome said, smiling gratefully at the boy as he stood up and left her sitting on the table.

Kagome sighed, took a deep breath, and then dialled 110 for the police.

x

Kagome re-entered the school after calling the police and leaving an anonymous tip about a man in the park who was unconscious, but who had been trying to shoot a cat. Kagome now carried the aforementioned cat in her arms, close to her chest for the comfort of both of them. Kagome was starting to feel sick to her stomach. Some people in the halls began to shoot her dirty looks; she should have known better to bring an animal inside the school. Kagome really didn't know why everyone else was so hostile. Cats were adorable. How could they all be so mad about a cat?

x

Kagome tried to ignore them and proceeded to the gym, only because that was her next class. At the gym, she was shocked and horrified to realize it was an all girls class, and that the girl named Cho was in that class too. Kagome sighed, and the cat named Kirara mewed comfortingly and licked her cheek.

"You awesome little cat," Kagome whispered, and then put Kirara down on the bench in the gym.

"Stay there," she ordered, and to her surprise, the cat listened.

Kagome left and went to join in with the other girls standing in front of the teacher. The teacher was starting to explain what they were going to do in class that day; fitness testing.

"Good to see you could join us," the teacher said a little sarcastically. "Higurashi Kagome, I presume?"

Kagome shrugged.

"Yeah. Um… sorry…"

"Oh, Miss?" someone said loudly in a whiny voice. "Miss, Kagome brought a cat in here!"

x

Kagome sighed, and then had to make up a long-winded excuse on why she had brought Kirara in the building. She was sent to the office, bringing Kirara with her, in fear that her father would be called and that Kirara would be taken away from her, Kagome neglected to go to the office, and then skipped the rest of the day after leaving Max's phone in his locker.

x

Kagome slowly made her way home at 3:30, still carrying Kirara. When she reached her house, she put the cat down on the ground.

"I'm sorry Kirara, but you'd better leave," she said reluctantly. "My dad's a drunkard, and he might hurt you. I'll leave food out for you though, if you come by again."

Kirara mewed, inclining her head as she looked up at Kagome with her large red eyes. It was almost disturbingly adorable. Kagome sighed and ruffled the cat's ears.

"C'mon now, scoot," she said, waving her hands at the cat as if to fan her away.

Kirara suddenly donned a very strange expression, one of what Kagome could have sworn was sympathy. The cat meowed, licked Kagome's hand reassuringly, and then turned and dashed off towards the woods. Kagome watched her go, marvelling at her strange double-tails flowing behind her until she disappeared into a bush an was gone. Kagome let out a disheartened sigh and put a hand to her brow as briefly shut her eyes tiredly.

"Damn, I liked that cat," she said.

x

Kagome sighed again and opened the door to her house, but as soon as she did she was struck hard in the face by something. She fell backwards out the door, dazed. She was yanked harshly upright and pulled inside the house. Unclear of what was happening, the girl put up no resistance as she was hurled violently against a wall. She groaned.

"So, you thought you could just skip your classes today?" Kagome's father said.

Kagome groaned as an answer. She felt like her ribs were broken.

"Answer me!" he roared, kicking her. "I got the phone call! I know what you did!"

"There was something more important!" Kagome yelled.

He father slapped her across the face.

"I don't care! You will not do that again."

Kagome spat at him, but weakly. She was too tired for this…

"Oh, go crack your head open, you damn drunk !" she shouted, and he slapped her again.

Kagome closed her eyes and growled softly.

"What the hell do you think you are, an animal?" her father demanded. "Stop that fucking growling!"

Kagome glared at him, and then Buyo the cat entered the kitchen. Kagome's father glared at the cat and drew his foot back to kick him. Kagome's eyes suddenly widened and she rushed to grab the cat. She hefted Buyo into the air right before her dad's foot hit him and it hit the wall instead. Kagome picked up a chair with her other hand and threw it in the way of her father, who stumbled awkwardly against it.

"Okay, you can beat me as much as you want; it's almost stopped hurting, but god dammit, leave the cat out of this!" she yelled, and ran into another room, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

x

Kagome slumped down onto the ground, cuddling Buyo in her lap. The tears of pain that she had held in began to flow down her face into the cat's fur. He mewed and licked her face.

"God dammit," she muttered, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

She rubbed Buyo's ears, and he began to sniff at her hands curiously.

"Oh, you're smelling that other cat," Kagome said, "Her name was Kirara."

Buyo snuggled himself into Kagome, and just as they were both getting comfortable the phone rang. Kagome sighed and reached up onto the table to get it.

"Hello?" she said, though her voice sounded a little choked up.

"Kagome? Is that you?" Sota asked.

"Hey, little nerd. 'Sup?" she asked.

"Oh, well not much," Sota said. "You just told me to call you, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Kagome said. "Listen, can you come pick up Buyo? I think dad's gonna start abusing him soon."

"Uh oh. Did he try to?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, "He nearly kicked him. You gonna come or what?"

"Yes, I'll come," Sota answered. "I'll be there in five minutes. Can you get him ready?"

"Yeah, sure. See ya," Kagome said, and then hung up.

x

Quickly, she gathered Buyo's food dishes and cat food and then shoved them into a grocery bag. When Sota arrived, he got a drive from whomever it was he was staying with. Kagome didn't say anything to him; she shoved Buyo and his stuff into her brother's arms and reentered the house via a tree. Kagome then packed up all the things she would need for the next day and ran back out of the house to her tree. She climbed it again, and promptly fell asleep.

_Damn, I guess… maybe I was wrong… Maybe this place really isn't getting any better,_ was her last thought before she fell asleep.


	3. Enter InuYasha

* * *

A/N: **Parts of this chapter have been rewritten so it sucks a little less than when I first uploaded it.

* * *

**

Chapter 2: Enter Inu-Yasha

* * *

The next morning, as the sun crept over the edge of the house to set its course in the sky, Kagome, in the tree, slowly forced her eyes open as the light pricked the back of her eyelids. She blinked groggily for a few moments before she was forced to squint a little. Yawning widely, Kagome stretched, only to feel a sharp jolt of pain through the arm that had been injured the day prior. Cringing, she swiftly clutched it close, eyeing the now prominent bruising along her skin with contempt.

-

She glanced back at the house, wondering if she had time to grab a long-sleeved shirt to mask her wounds; she could see her father's drunken silhouette through a window as he lurched around the living room. The girl wasn't surprised, but still, she couldn't help but think,

_Drunk, at what? Seven? Jeez._

She decided against going back into the house, probably, she thought, for the better. Kagome winced and stood, climbing slowly down the tree's branches until she was close enough to the ground to feel that she could let go. She allowed herself to drop back down to earth with barely a stumble as she landed. She grabbed her boots from her bag and pulled them on quickly. She shouldered her bag across her good arm and then began down the street towards her school.

_Wow, going to school before the bell rings on purpose,_ Kagome thought, and then shrugged.

"I guess there's a first time for everything."

-

After a slow, groggy walk for a few blocks, Kagome arrived at the school grounds. She squinted around the blacktopped yard in the increasing sunlight. There were more people there than she had expected to see so early in the morning, bunches of people standing around and chatting.

"Seriously?" she said aloud, looking a little cynical.

Kagome gazed around a little blankly until she picked out the single tree in the yard. Wanting its shade so that she could finally see straight, Kagome gratefully headed towards it and stood against the trunk, the branches above her finally letting her open her eyes all the way. The girl was rather pleased with this, and she finally brought herself to clean the sleep out of her eyes. She also tried to smooth her hair down just a bit with her hands. She knew that she was probably a mild mess.

-

After a few moments, with nothing better to do, Kagome reached into her backpack for some books. Perhaps the school had given her something interesting to read? She glanced through her textbooks, bored, and wondered why she hadn't brought along a novel of her own. The school had only really given her a book of math problems and a grammar handbook. Both of these items were about as useful to her right now as pants would be on a rhinoceros. Letting out a disheartened and tired sigh, the girl clutched her books to her chest and closed her eyes tiredly.

-

The girl's rest was short-lived, however. After only a few seconds, she was jolted by the impact of something against her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she stumbled, her books toppling from her arms and landing with a sharp slapping sound on the ground. Kagome's gaze automatically darted to the back of a rather tall person who was a few steps away from her.

"Hey jerk, watch where you're going!" she shouted after him, flustered.

The person stalled a little, and then turned to her, revealing a rather flustered looking boy. He was about a head taller than Kagome, and looked around the age of seventeen or eighteen. He had long white-silver hair that she had noticed from behind had gone to about the middle of his back, and wore a red sweatshirt, a backwards black hat and faded blue jeans, though, oddly, he had no shoes.

His eyes astounded her. They were golden, and the pupil of his eye looked just plain _different_, almost slitted, like an animal's. No light reflected from his eyes, almost as if they were dead.

"Oh, ah… I… I'm sorry," he said with a slight, embarrassed stutter, "Did you drop your things?"

"Uh, yes," she answered, but the harshness and sarcasm were slowly creeping out of her voice.

There was something wrong with him; Kagome could feel it, and it made her feel strange, almost drawn to him. She bit her lip. She was starting to feel a strangely familiar, foreboding sensation in her gut. She watched with wide eyes as the boy reached down and fumbled for her books.

"It's okay, I got them," she said hurriedly.

"No… no, it's okay."

He hooked his fingers around her things and picked it up off the ground. He handed them to her carefully, not wanting to have them drop again.

"Sorry," he said again, and turned to walk away.

She stared after him. Maybe she was just imagining things, but she thought he looked desperate, as if he was running from someone. The feeling inside her was getting worse. It was just like with the cat from the day before. She cringed, a look of anxiety passing over her face, and she took a step after the boy.

"Wait!" Kagome called.

She dropped her books and her bag.

"Please, wait!"

She was surprised by the desperation in her voice. The strange looking boy turned back to her, his eyes wide as if he was surprised too.

"Er, what? I didn't drop your stuff in water, did I?" he asked blankly.

"No… no," Kagome said, shaking her head.

She stared at him, feeling almost desperate. She wasn't sure why yet.

"But… Uh, do you need help? Is there something wrong… with you?" she asked him softly.

To her surprise, Kagome saw his body stiffen, almost as if he were scared.

"Y… Uh, no…" he said, with a look of pain crossing his face.

He looked almost ashamed, but he stared at Kagome as if silently asking her for help.

"There is," she pressed.

Kagome couldn't quite figure out why she cared so much.

"C'mon, I can see it all over your face, buddy, what's going on?" she asked.

A look of remorse passed over the boy's face and he shook his head a little, his hand raising to finger the back of his neck.

"I… I can't, I… can't…" he murmured, though his expression drew her in closer.

_He does need help,_ Kagome decided.

He locked eyes with her and his gaze drew her even closer. She watched as he, deliberately, touched the back of his neck. His face went a little pale and he winced, letting out a hiss of pain. Kagome's eyes grew wide again and she edged ever closer to him.

"Let me help you," Kagome said, "Why can't you tell me what's wrong with you?"

"It's, um…" the boy said, smiling a little ruefully, "It's triggered by certain words and… yeah."

The girl felt her heart stall a little and she cast a suspicious glance around them. Something inside her was telling her to hurry.

"Serious?" she asked, and when the boy nodded again, Kagome stepped in closer and edged around his side, "Okay, um… let me… see…"

Before he could respond, Kagome edged around back of him. Standing up a little taller, she began to brush his silver hair aside.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Shut up and hold still," Kagome told him, "You were asking for help, weren't you?"

She didn't see it, but the boy smiled a little triumphantly and complied with her wishes. As she moved his hair away, she stalled, shocked by what she saw. There seemed to be a small, silver circle attached to the back of his neck. The girl leaned in closer and saw that the object had little prongs along its edges that were stuck into the boy's skin, and that the flesh around the object looked a little burnt. The girl took in a breath, trying to steady herself, and she darted around to look the boy in the face

"Is this what's hurting you?" she asked him, "It must be, right?"

He bit his lip and didn't answer, but the look in his strangely coloured eyes said, "Hell yes." Kagome nodded.

"I'll get it off for you, okay?" she said confidently.

The boy's eyes widened.

"Wait-" he began, but it was too late.

Kagome tried to fix one of her nails under the metal circle, preparing to rip it away from him, but the object sparked and hissed, sending an electric shock through both Kagome and the boy she was attempting to help.

"Gah!" Kagome cried, yanking her had back away from the metal circle.

The boy, on the other hand, fell to his knees, panting, taking the full force of the shock. Kagome's eyes widened and she ignored the pain in her own body. She knelt to the boy, grabbing his shoulder.

"Oh my God, sorry!" Kagome said, alarmed.

"…Not… your fault…" he managed to choke out, cringing.

"Are you okay?" she demanded.

The boy took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

Kagome nodded but then she scowled, confused and frustrated.

"What the hell is with that thing?"

"Don't know… Think it's a tracking bug," the guy said, and cringed as he was hit with another electric shock.

He lurched forward a little, but Kagome automatically caught him and propped him back up.

"Oh god!" Kagome yelped.

The boy smirked at her a little despite the pained expression on his face.

"Thought you should know," he explained.

She looked at him with an exasperated look on her face.

"Just be more careful!" she said shrilly.

The boy couldn't help a small laugh. Kagome rolled her eyes and, after being sure he was steady by himself, she darted around behind him. This time, she wasn't going to stop until she had freed him.

"I'm getting it off, you ready?"

The boy looked back at her, a little surprised, but then his face hardened and he nodded.

"'Kay," Kagome said, taking a deep breath.

She quickly put one of her nails underneath of the disk, and grasped the top with a fingertip, and then ripped it from his neck. He yelped with pain and lurched forward onto his hands and knees while Kagome cried out in dismay. She collapsed backwards as a burning sensation ran through her body. The small silver disk rolled from her fingers and the pain subsided. Almost immediately, the girl was on her feet. She chased the rolling monstrosity and venomously stomped on it as she caught up with it.

"God damn!" Kagome cried.

It cracked and then shattered, hissing and sparking under the sole of her boot. Cautiously, Kagome moved her foot and, sure enough, the metal device lay in several shattered pieces on the ground. With a sigh of relief, Kagome turned back to the panting boy. She knelt down, reaching out to the boy and patting his back reassuringly. He quickly caught his breath and looked at her with squinted, watery eyes.  
"Is…? Is it gone?" he asked her finally.

Kagome gulped and nodded quickly.

"Yeah," she said, "Yeah, I smashed it."

Relief passed across the boy's face and he let out a deep sigh as he sat back on his knees. His hand went to the wound on his neck and he rubbed it tenderly.

"Thank you," he said.

Kagome nodded at him again and patted his shoulder. She dropped back onto her rear and took a deep breath. Her heart was racing.

"So, what the hell what that?" she asked nervously.

"You're happier not knowing," the boy replied, putting a hand to his brow.

He looked exhausted. Kagome inclined her head curiously and then reached forward and poked the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, I just saved you, don't you think you could clue me in a little?"

The boy looked a little disheartened his gaze flitting to the ground. He shook his head and leaned back a little, putting a hand to his brow.

"It's too crazy…"

"But you owe me," the girl insisted.

The boy smiled weakly.

"I guess so," he admitted, "But… I mean, no offence, but how can I know I can trust you?"

Kagome was a little taken aback. She leaned towards him, wide-eyed and slammed her hands down on her knees.

"Seriously? But… I just saved you, and…! And…!"

Kagome fell silent as she realized how odd she must sound. But she couldn't help it.

_I feel like I'm supposed to help him_, she thought, _It… must be the right thing to do…_

She looked to the ground, embarrassed, but before her, the boy let out a small laugh and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Then again…" he said, "You're right, you _did_ help me out quite a bit…"

He put his hand to his chin as if considering it and then nodded.

"Okay, but… it's private, okay?" he said.

Kagome perked up immediately and nodded vigorously.

"Of course!" she said, leaning in closer.

The boy smiled a little, but the tiredness she had noticed before was returning. He let out a sigh and then rubbed his temple.

"This is going to sound really insane," he told her.

"Whatever, I don't care. Just tell me what's going on," she insisted.

The boy stared at her briefly, and then leaned forward, his head in his hands.

"Alright," he said with a sigh, "First off, something you should probably know about me… I'm blind."

Kagome felt her heart stall and she had to keep her mouth from dropping open with surprise. He had kept such good eye contact that she would never have known any different.

"Blind? …I'm sorry," Kagome said.

_That must be why his eyes look so weird,_ she thought a little guiltily.

"But I haven't always been blind," he continued, "Only for a couple of days actually."

"What?" Kagome said, aghast. "How is that possible?"

"These guys… people who are work for some sort of government program I think… they're after me. I don't know why, but they're after me. They did this to me."

He pointed to his eyes.

"Injected me with something. I'm hoping it's gonna wear off."

Kagome stared at the boy with shock.

"No… No way…" she breathed.

The boy looked disheartened and his gaze dropped to the ground.

"I know, it's… crazy, I don't expect you to-"

"No, no," Kagome insisted, "Don't… I mean…"

She shook her head and bit her lip.

"Please, keep going!"

He looked stunned, his eyes darting back up to her face hopefully. He nodded at her and then he reached down and pulled up his sweatshirt, revealing part of his torso to her.

"Oh hell…" Kagome gasped.

He was extremely dark in most spots with bruises, and in others, there were long gashes, some of which looked like they had just stopped bleeding. He lowered his shirt and smiled grimly.

"Second time they've caught me," he said. "I'm afraid that they'll kill me next time. First time was a hell of a lot worse though."

He looked bleak.

"What'd you _do_?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing," he said, and his face fell.

_All I did was be who I am,_ he thought sadly, baring his fangs a little in a grimace.

"They… they took me from the west side of Tokyo. I jumped out of their truck, and now I don't even know where I am now," he told her.

"You're on the east side now," she told him.

_Good news,_ he thought, a little relieved, _though I'm happy just knowing I'm still in Japan._

"Okay…" he said, "But I have no idea what to do about this situation. If you could, maybe… point me in the direction of a cheap hotel or something, that'd be great."

He gave her a weak smile that Kagome could tell was incredibly forced. She felt completely baffled, though. The boy's story was ridiculous, obviously, but she somehow felt as if it were very true. Kagome had always had what her mother had called a "natural talent" for sniffing out deceit, but this boy wasn't setting off any alarms for her.

_So either he's really good at lying, or he's telling the truth_, Kagome thought, _And I've never met anyone that good…_

Though the reason was unclear to her, she trusted his words.

-

Starting to feel a little anxious now, Kagome slumped a bit and put a hand to the top of her head.

"This is insane…" she said.

"I know," the boy replied, sounding a little sad, "it sounds completely insane, but I swear it's true. Actually, I didn't really expect you to believe me anyhow… thanks for listening though… I… I appreciate it…"

His blank eyes looked down unhappily.

"Not believe you!" Kagome said in surprise, straightening again and perking up as she leaned in towards the boy and grabbed his shoulder, "No! What's insane is… is all this! These people kidnapping you, beating you half to death, making you _blind_? Even the government doesn't have the authority to do that! It's insane! It's inhuman!"

The boy's eyes widened and his gaze slowly shifted back to the girl. His heart began to pound.

"W-what?"

"Listen, if these guys are after you for your life, and you haven't done anything, that's crazy! It's wrong!"

Kagome paused.

"I'm gonna help you," she told him confidently.

"What? Now who's nuts?" he barked, but though he wasn't quite sure why, he was very glad she believed him, "You don't wanna be helping me out any more than you have. People who do that usually end up getting hurt."

"Do I care?" she said, frustrated. "I won't let you just sit here and get caught! And then killed! Hell, you want me to do nothing after you just told me all this stuff?"

"But-"

"I'm not gonna hear it. I'm helping you," she said, cutting him off as she pointed a finger under his nose.

He blinked at her blankly and drooped a bit.

"It's better for me to just get out of people's hair," he muttered.

"Screw that!" Kagome insisted, "C'mon buddy, you don't know your way around, and you need help getting home and stuff. You need a place to hide, stuff to eat. I can _help _you."

The boy was silent for a moment.

"Thank you," he said finally, "…but… Why'd you believe me?"

"I can always tell a liar," Kagome said, grinning, "And I don't think you are one."

He smiled.

"Lucky me," he said.

"Now that that's settled," Kagome said, her face brightening "What's you're name? I'm Higurashi Kagome."

She held out her hand to him, but then remembered that he couldn't see. She grasped his hand in hers and shook it firmly.

"Inu-Yasha," he said, grasping her hand tightly and shaking back, "T… umm. Taishio Inu-Yasha."

"You don't seem to sure," Kagome laughed.

Inu-Yasha looked away shyly as he released the girl's hand.

"Got a strange history," he explained, "It… isn't really a real surname, if you get my meaning."

"Not really," she snickered, "Kinda strange but whatever."

Kagome shrugged.

"Inu-Yasha… I like that name," she said, "Never heard it before."

"I wouldn't have thought so," Inu-Yasha said, and then added, "Kagome's a nice name too."

Kagome smiled a little and she stood up from the ground, brushing her jeans off as she went before she grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand and pulled him upright with her.

"So… you'll have to come with me to school then," Kagome told him.

"Oh, yeah… you think they'll let me?" he asked.

"They'd better," she growled.

He laughed.

"No seriously, they give us any trouble there, and I swear I'll knock someone's fricking teeth out."

"Vicious," Inu-Yasha commented with a chuckle.

"It's been a rough couple of days," she muttered, but then looked almost ashamed and gave the boy a nervous grin, "Sorry. I bet you've had it worse though."

The boy said nothing and Kagome felt a twinge of shame through her chest. She coughed absently and then looked to Inu-Yasha curiously.

"So am I to assume that you have nowhere to live right now?" she asked him.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so, why?" he asked.

Kagome winced, but then got an idea.

"You could…uh, stay with me?"

"Really?" Inu-Yasha asked.

He was shocked, but he felt a spark of hope within him. Anywhere off the streets was safe.

"My father's a jerkass alcoholic, but he was drunk this morning and probably won't be in the house for another week after he goes out for another drink. If my mom were there, she'd let you stay," the girl explained, "And now that, I know that… you know, you've nearly been murdered recently, are newly _blind, _ and I freed you from some device that probably violates several human rights laws, I feel that I'm sort of responsible for your well-being."

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Thanks a lot Kagome."

_She's doing this for a complete stranger,_ he thought. _I wonder if she would still help me if she really knew what I am?_

Inu-Yasha shook his head to clear his brain.

_It's better not to think like that._

_-_

Kagome grabbed her backpack and heaved it onto her shoulder, then grabbed Inu-Yasha's wrist.

"We should go in then," Kagome told him, "It can't be too safe for you here."

He nodded. Kagome continued to hold Inu-Yasha by the wrist, and led him to the school doors. Inside the school foyer was still as ugly as ever to Kagome, the light pinks and greens of the walls very nearly burning her eyes. Inu-Yasha could feel her annoyance through her hand.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, the wall colours are hideous is all," she told him, "Now's a time to be glad you can't see. Damn, who designed this place?"

He laughed.

"Guess so."

Kagome laughed weakly.

"It looks like puke, seriously, not a good colour combo," she said, "Sorry. I've only been here one day and I can't get over it."

She looked to Inu-Yasha who actually looked vaguely interested in what she was saying, which surprised her.

"And just to tell you," Kagome said, "This is an extremely annoying place. The teachers are kinda prudish and the majority of the girls here are those kind that… yeah… And the guys are the kind that… you know…"

Despite the vagueness of the comment, Inu-Yasha felt that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I find it best to just ignore people unless they really get in your face," she explained.

"Will do," he replied with a laugh.

-

Kagome led him down the hallway to one of the larger classrooms, the same art room from the day prior. She had been dreading coming back a little.

"I've got art first, but we're pretty early," Kagome said.

"Art… uh oh," Inu-Yasha said. "Can you do art if you can't see?"

"Probably not," Kagome said, and then pulled him into the class, "Don't sweat it."

-

Inside, there were three other students all ready sitting around various tables around the room. The teacher sat at the desk in the front of the room, in front of a whiteboard. She looked up as the two teens entered the room.

"Higurashi, you're early," she said in surprise.

She seemed to have completely forgotten yesterday's 'claw' incident. Kagome hadn't, though, and a jolt of guilt shot through her.

"Um, yeah," Kagome replied awkwardly, unsure as to why the teacher wanted to address her personally, "About yesterday, um-"

"And who is this?" the woman asked brightly, cutting Kagome off as she looked at Inu-Yasha.

"This is Tachisuji Inu-Yasha, my best friend. He just moved into the area. He has to stay with me for a little while, but he can't do any work because some pollen he's allergic to blew into his eyes, and now he can't see."

"Kagome," Inu-Yasha said quietly in surprise.

_Good thing she came up with a backstory, my mind is blank,_ he thought.

"Okay, Tachisuji Inu-Yasha," she said, as she added his name to the attendance list.

She looked him over again.

"Tachisuji Inu-Yasha, where are your shoes?"

Inu-Yasha stiffened. He hadn't been wearing them at all, even before he was caught. Kagome shot him a nervous glance.

"I, uh, walked through this puddle of mud on the way here, but they got stuck so I left them," he lied.

Kagome's uncanny knack for detecting lies set off, but she had to hold in a laugh. He really wasn't a very good liar, was he?

"And what's that bruise on your face?" the teacher asked him.

She sounded surprisingly concerned. Inu-Yasha didn't know what to say.

"Uh-" he started, but Kagome laughed shyly and patted his shoulder.

"Oh, this dope's been walking into things all week. He'll be fine. Now, c'mon Inu-Yasha, we don't wanna _bother_ the teacher " she said, putting on a fake smile, and before the teacher could ask any more questions, Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha's wrist again and pulled him to the hexagonal table at the back of the class where she sat.

She helped to guide him to a chair and she sat directly beside him.

"Let me do he lying for both of us, okay Inu-Yasha?" Kagome said.

"You could tell?" He asked in surprise.

"Yeah," she said, and then let out a laugh, "You kind of suck at it."

"Oh…"

_I wonder why she didn't question me about not having shoes?_ Inu-Yasha thought puzzledly.

"Careful," Kagome warned him, "We're surrounded by some pretty _unpleasant _ people here, but I'm not giving up this great spot."

She leaned back on her chair with only two legs on the floor and put her feet up on the table. Inu-Yasha laughed.

"C'mon Inu-Yasha, kick back!" Kagome said.

"Nah," he responded, "My balance is horrible; I'll fall over."

"You're pretty perceptive for being blind," Kagome commented.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I'm good at recognizing sounds," he explained.

Kagome pushed her chair back onto the ground and looked at him thoughtfully.

_Poor guy,_ she thought.

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah?"

"You… You just lied for me. Why?"

Kagome sighed.

"Because you said those guys that are after you were from a governmental agency, right?" She said in a quiet voice.

"Right…so?"

"Well, then, I was thinking, they have access to a lot of information, right? And if they even know a little of who you are, we have to set them off the trail," she explained.

She put her hands behind her head.

"That's why I made up a surname for you. "

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh hell, I'd never thought of that."

"Huh," Kagome said. "We've gotta be careful."

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"And Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know," Kagome said, "even though we just met... you can trust me, okay? We can be friends. I won't leave you. You have my word."

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Thanks."

Inu-Yasha knew very well that Kagome could have been lying. She could have already taken him somewhere that was dangerous for him. But, there was something about her that Inu-Yasha trusted.

He had a gut feeling, a feeling of pure instinct, that she wouldn't betray him.

OoOoOoOo

Soon the classroom began to fill up. Another girl, wearing a pink shirt that said 'I don't need to work 'cause I've got guys to do it for me' and tight jeans, came and sat at the table with Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

"Hello Higurashi-chan," the girl said with an over-perky smile.

"Don't call me that," Kagome said, annoyance perking in her voice.

The girl seemed to ignore Kagome's ferocity, though she sat at the other side of the table. She eyed Inu-Yasha with interest. She made a noise as if she were clearing her throat.

"Well," she said. "Kagome, don't you think you should introduce me to your friend?"

"No," Kagome said at a growl.

Inu-Yasha tried not to laugh. The girl looked offended, made a huffing noise, and went to join some of her own friends at the door.

"Nice one," Inu-Yasha commented.

Kagome snorted.

"Those damn boy-crazy wackos. I can't believe them," she said, shaking her head.

"What?" he said in surprise, "She was looking at me? Like, _looking_?"

"Oh yeah, just like a freaking black widow spider."

Inu-Yasha shuddered.

"Who was that anyhow?"

"Uh, what's-her-name… uh… Cho something. You're really lucky you can't see her. Almost all guys who do seem to fall under her evil enchantments for all eternity."

Kagome made a face and a spooky gurgle to emphasize her words, and Inu-Yasha smiled amusedly, but then looked puzzled.

"Why?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I honestly don't know. She's a skank, a backstabber and a fricking… Oh I don't know, I've run out of bad words. I guess people think she's pretty, and she's quote-unquote _'popular'_," Kagome said.

"Hmm," Inu-Yasha said with a sniff, unable to shake the feeling that his new friend had some sort of history with this girl, "Oh, well I don't like her, she smells weird."

Inu-Yasha quickly shut his mouth before he let something else slip. He thought he'd said too much, but Kagome began to laugh.

"Oh yeah, her perfume drives me insane too."

Inu-Yasha sighed in relief. He hadn't been talking about perfume.

"Careful, I think she likes you Inu-Yasha," Kagome said, elbowing him lightly.

His eyes widened.

"Oh, hell no…" he said.

-

Just then, as if on cue, Cho and her posse of friends came over from the other side of the room, strutting almost comically, and sat at the table. Kagome scowled. Inu-Yasha kept his mouth shut, but bit his lip anxiously.

These females didn't give him the same aura of trust that Kagome did. Not at all.

"You're new," one of the girls commented, talking to Inu-Yasha.

He didn't respond.

"Hey, we _were_ kind of having a conversation here," Kagome growled.

The girls ignored her.

"So where're you from?" Another girl asked Inu-Yasha sweetly.

"Uh, not around here," Inu-Yasha responded quickly, edging his chair closer to Kagome.

The rest of them started to ask Inu-Yasha a bunch of meaningless questions, asking him if he had a girlfriend and where he lived and what he liked. Inu-Yasha didn't answer, and pushed his chair as far back away from them as he could before hitting the wall. They began to swarm closer towards him, still flirting shamelessly.

"Uh… K-Kagome?" he said, looking flustered, "A little help?"

Kagome stood, her temple throbbing angrily.

"I'd leave him alone if I were you," Kagome said venomously, folding her arms in frustration.

"Why? He can't possibly be your boyfriend, freak," Cho laughed snidely.

The others joined in with their hyena-like cackle and Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I like her way better than any of you," Inu-Yasha remarked.

Cho and the others looked as if he had just punched them in the stomach and then told them their eyeliner was messed up, and Kagome too, looked surprised. He glared at them through blind eyes.

"You can't be serious!" Cho sneered.

"I'm dead serious, now screw off. I can tell just by your voices that you're ugly as hell anyway."

Cho raised one of her well-groomed eyebrows. She and the others moved away. Kagome sighed and slumped back down in her chair. Inu-Yasha pulled his up beside her again. He slid his hand under the table and squeezed hers, giving her a don't-you-dare-leave-me- alone-with-these-lunatics look.

-

"Okay, now settle down class, take your seats," the teacher said, standing up in front of the classroom.

Cho and three other members of her clique sat down again at Kagome and Inu-Yasha's table. Kagome glowered at them across the table. Cho smirked, as if she was hiding something, but said nothing more to them.

"We have a new student today," the teacher said, and Inu-Yasha stiffened. "Stand up, won't you dear?"

"Um… No," Inu-Yasha said nervously.

He didn't really want to draw too much attention to himself. The teacher looked puzzled.

"Well at least tell the class you're name then."

"Uh, Tachisuji Inu-Yasha," Inu-Yasha mumbled, remembering the family name Kagome had made up for him.

The teacher smiled.

"Now everyone remember, Inu-Yasha is blind, so mind yourself around him."

Many of the people looked shocked, and shot glances at Inu-Yasha, some of them sympathetic, some of them almost mocking. Inu-Yasha could almost feel all the eyes staring at him. He bit his lip again.

"Oh yeah, you just tell the whole world why don't you?" Kagome muttered in irritation.

The teacher tried desperately to keep a straight face and ignored her again. She clapped her hands together.

"Now back to work on our project from yesterday. That's when you draw things and scenes that describe you. Off to work, and you can chit-chat if you want."

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Chit-chat? What the hell kind of word is that?" Inu-Yasha whispered to Kagome, who snickered quietly.

The teacher glanced around the room at the majority of the blank-eyed teenagers and then gave a smile.

"I'm… going to get some coffee, I'll be back in a minute," she said, and exited the classroom quickly.

-

Kagome and Inu-Yasha burst out laughing as soon as people around them began to talk.

"Chit-chat totally is a stupid word," Kagome said. "Good call man."

She laughed again and then shook her head.

"Oh, I shouldn't find that this funny," she admitted, "I need more sleep."

"We can tell," One of Cho's cronies sneered.

"Fly away, buzzard," Kagome said absently, waving her hand in the air as if to shoo something away. "And where do you get off listening to my conversations?"

The girl frowned, and then turned and whispered amongst her own friends. Kagome shook her head and then pulled out her sketchpad.

"Inu-Yasha, wanna try to draw something? I'll lend you stuff."

He smiled.

"Sure, it's better than doing nothing. Maybe I can manage abstract."

-

Kagome tore a piece of paper out of the sketchpad and handed it to him as well as a pencil, then got her own. She began a sketch on her paper, which started to look like some sort of Komodo dragon with oddly long legs.

When she glanced over at Inu-Yasha's paper after a few minutes had passed, she couldn't help a gasp. A picture was forming, almost perfectly. It was astounding to watch him draw. He drew a line, pressing hard and then felt along it with his finger, finding out where it was and the shape. It took a while, but soon an image of a large striped cat with an interesting, bushy tail was taking shape.

"Hey Kagome?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah?" She said.

"Does this look like anything?"

He pointed to the picture.

"Yeah," she said, "it's amazing. I can't believe you can draw so well if you're blind."

"Er, what's it look like?" He asked.

"A wild cat, one that I don't really know, but whatever," Kagome said, "like I said, it's really good."

Inu-Yasha grinned and sighed in relief.

"Okay, good, that's what I was trying to draw. What's yours?"

"A big… lizard or something, I dunno," Kagome said, "I'm just having a good time, I don't really care what I'm drawing at this point.

"Sweet," Inu-Yasha said.

OoOoOoOo

Art class was soon over, and Kagome and Inu-Yasha proceeded to math. The class went by, mostly without incident, though Kagome had to make up something saying why she hadn't been in class the previous day and again Inu-Yasha was asked to introduce himself to everyone and refused. He was once again swarmed by girls, though they weren't as rude as the first ones and left him alone mostly.

-

After math, Kagome began to lead Inu-Yasha to the cafeteria for lunch.

"How come all these people, like, attack me when I walk into a class?" he asked Kagome.

"I dunno, maybe they find you attractive?" she answered.

He stiffened and sighed.

"That's really annoying though…"

"Not fond of attention?" Kagome said.

"No, not particularly," Inu-Yasha answered. "I never had this problem at my old school. I like to be left alone, mostly."

Kagome laughed.

"Cool, same here."

"People bug you?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah, but now most guys who partially know me think I'm a freak and leave me alone," she said. "Actually, almost everyone thinks I'm a freak, but hey."

"A freak?" asked Inu-Yasha, "Why?"

"'Cause I've chosen not to be a slut and try to flirt with people all the time, like the other girls here," she stated, "I'm more into like, mythology, and playing music and whatever. Reading a book once and a while?"

She smiled a little forlornly and looked to Inu-Yasha and shrugged.

"Like, I say things that freak people out sometimes. Most people wish they hadn't met me."

She laughed bitterly.

"Well… I'm glad I met you Kagome," Inu-Yasha said honestly, "I trust you. Like you said, we could be friends, okay? "

Kagome stalled in mid-step and looked at Inu-Yasha with a gawking expression.

"Really?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Sure," Inu-Yasha said with a grin, "Tons of people think I'm a freak too."

"Awesome, so maybe we can freak people out together," Kagome said with a laugh.

"Yes, we definitely could."

Inu-Yasha wasn't go to say anything, but he really enjoyed Kagome's company after being on his own for so long with little friends. She seemed surprisingly compatible.

Secretly, Kagome thought the same thing.

-

As they began walking again, Inu-Yasha kept his shoulder against Kagome's so that he wouldn't lose her amongst the other people as they passed close to the washrooms. She noticed this and felt her heart jolt for an instant. She began to raise a hand to brush some hair from her face, only to realize, somehow, she had something sparkly on her skin. She looked surprised and then turned to Inu-Yasha.

"Dude, I'm gonna go wash my hands, okay? Got glitter stuff all over 'em somehow. Wait here," Kagome told him, positioning him on the wall outside of the girl's washroom.

"Sure, just… hurry okay?" Inu-Yasha said.

He didn't trust the other people in the school.

"I'll try," Kagome said, and went into the washroom.

-

Inu-Yasha felt weird being alone. He shifted uneasily at his spot on the wall. All of a sudden, he smelt a wave of over-strong perfume waft towards him.

"Oh damn…"

He cringed as high-heeled footsteps rushed to him and he suddenly felt the warm breath of a girl near his face. He edged away a little unconsciously.

"Inu-Yasha, that is your name, right?" a female voice said.

Inu-Yasha recognized it as Cho, the annoying girl from the art room.

"Depends who's asking and what you want," Inu-Yasha stated.

Cho ignored his comment.

"I've known your so-called 'friend' Kagome since grade four, and there's some things you should know about her before you get too close," Cho said.

"Really," Inu-Yasha said blankly, trying to make it clear that he wasn't at all interested what some random girl had to say.

"Well first, she's like, totally violent," Cho said.

"Hmmm," Inu-Yasha said, not caring even a little.

_Good for her,_ he though, _at least she can stick up for herself._

"Like, there was this one time when she pummeled this guy, just for throwing stuff at a dog. A _dog_. Can you believe it?" Cho said, sounding shocked that anyone should show remorse for something other than her.

"A dog, eh?" Inu-Yasha said.

He wasn't sure what Cho was trying to do, but that comment just made him like Kagome more.

"And she's all, like, totally _Emo_, and she's never had a boyfriend. She, like, doesn't care about her appearance at all."

"And I care because?" Inu-Yasha said.

He wished he could see this Cho person, just so he could give her a good hard flick between the eyes.

"Hey, Inu-Yasha I'm back-" he heard Kagome say.

-

Kagome saw Cho standing near to Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha looked like he was trying to keep himself from punching her in the head.

"Hey, Cho, what the hell'd you not understand about 'leave him alone' earlier?" Kagome demanded, though Cho gave her a triumphant smirk.

Kagome went a little pale.

"Oh hell, Inu-Yasha what'd she tell you?"

He shrugged.

"Well, she said you beat some kid up for hurting a dog. Is that true?"

"…Yeah," Kagome said a little reluctantly.

Girls usually didn't just beat people up, that was more of a guy thing. It was something that usually pushed people away from Kagome. Cho must've remembered this from their younger school years.

_Strange, what some people hold on to…_

Cho smirked again.

"Well, gotta say," Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Pretty brave of you Kagome. I'm glad to hear it."

Cho's jaw dropped in astonishment.

"What?" she and Kagome said at once.

"Well, I mean, you stood up for an animal, that's awesome. Not enough people do that," Inu-Yasha said.

"Well, animals usually are a lot nicer than most people are," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement.

"Agreed."

"Humans sorta suck," Kagome said, rubbing her head.

Inu-Yasha looked surprised and Kagome shut her mouth swiftly, a look of shame passing over her face.

_Oh great, Kagome, you just had to say it,_ she thought, reddening.

That one view of hers was what drove most people away from her. It was rather forward and strange.

"I agree," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome was so surprised that she nearly fell over.

"Really?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Well, I mean, most humans. I don't like the whole killing the planet thing. You know."

Kagome stared in astonishment at Inu-Yasha. He thought exactly the same thing that she did.

"Yes! Someone finally understands! Thank you!" she said to Inu-Yasha with a grin. "I'd hug you, if I knew you better."

Cho still looked awestruck.

"What? But you are a human!" she said shrilly.

"Wish I wasn't," Kagome snapped.

Inu-Yasha had to resist the urge to say something like _'Well, I'm not totally human, so…'_ He just grinned at Kagome. Cho made a huffing noise.

"No! It's not fair, he shouldn't like you! You're such a freak! Why does he even talk to you?" She said, pointing accusingly at Kagome, and then she stormed away.

Kagome shot a glance at Inu-Yasha. They both burst out laughing.

"That moron," Kagome laughed.

"Was she trying to get me to not like you?" Inu-Yasha asked. "'Cause, wow, did that ever not work."

Kagome brushed a tear of mirth from her eye.

"Oh, that was funny," she said.

"Yes, yes it was," Inu-Yasha said.

"So, she tell you anything else?" Kagome asked.

He nodded.

"Yeah, she said you're Emo. Are you?"

"Uh, well not really," Kagome admitted. "I wear black stuff mostly, but I'm not 'Emo'. Why?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I dunno, I'm just wondering since I can't see you. I… I just kinda want to try to get a mental picture of you."

He smiled at her.

"For some reason, I don't feel that you're a person to go around listening to Envy and wearing excessive eyeliner, am I right?"

Kagome began to laugh and she nodded.

"Very right," she assured him, "Is there anything else about me you'd like to know?"

"Anything you're willing to tell me," he replied, shrugging.

"Okay," Kagome said, thinking. "I've got black hair that goes to about the middle of my back, and uh… brown eyes, and I'm uh… well you can tell about how tall I am, right?"

"Yeah," he said, "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Kagome replied. "You?"

"Eighteen," he said.

_I think…_

"Oh, cool, so you can drive?" she asked. "Well…I mean, you _could_ drive?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha, "I could, when I could still see."

"That's awesome," Kagome told him, but then sighed. "It must suck, to be blind after you could see for your whole life…"

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I'm starting to get used to it," he said.

"You shouldn't even have to. They shouldn't have been allowed to do that to you."

"I know…" he said.

_It's a pity rules don't make any difference when they're dealing with a hanyou,_ he said, clenching his fist angrily.

"So…" Kagome said, "If there's anything I can do for you to make it easier…"

"No," Inu-Yasha said. "You're doing enough already. I mean, we just met, and you've already said I can stay at your house… I'd say that's pretty good."

"Oh," Kagome said, reddening a little bit. "It's cool… Uh, sorry about calling you a jerk earlier."

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Oh, it's okay. Doesn't really matter, I been called worse."

OoOoOoOo

Guiding him along by the wrist, Kagome quickly lead Inu-Yasha to the cafeteria.

Upon entering it, Inu-Yasha suddenly began to cough violently. He covered his nose and fell back against the wall.

_Oh God… Damn grease…_ he thought.

"Whoa, dude, you okay?" Kagome asked worriedly.

Inu-Yasha nodded, though held his sleeve over his nose and mouth and cringed. The scent of the grease was rather unpleasant to his sensitive nose. He coughed again.

_I can get used to it, _he thought, _Just… not so suddenly. Damn it…_

"Uh, maybe we should eat outside, huh?" Kagome suggested.

"Could we?" he asked hopefully, his voice muffled a bit by his sleeve.

"Sure. You allergic to something?" she said.

"I… I dunno… I can't stand the cafeteria smells," he said.

"Ah, gotcha," Kagome said, taking him by the wrist again and leading him out of the room. "That's understandable. We'll go outside then."

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said, coughing again.

-

Quickly, Kagome guided Inu-Yasha through the halls and out the door into the schoolyard. She led him to a picnic table and sat him on one side and she sat on the other, pulling her backpack onto the bench beside her.

"You hungry?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Kinda…" he lied.

He was starving. He hadn't eaten since he had been abducted. He didn't think there would be time.

Kagome opened her bag and shuffled around inside of it, pulling out her cup-noodles and thermos.

"D'you like Ramen?" she asked.

"Oh… I don't know," Inu-Yasha admitted, "I live with my older brother, and he'd never let me buy that stuff… Talk about a control freak… but, yeah, I've always wanted to try it."

"Your older brother? Like, how much older?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I dunno, I've lost track," he said. "But older. My… My parents died."

"I'm sorry…" Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged again.

"Eh… I was only two, so I don't really remember them anyhow. My brother raised me pretty much."

"Huh…" Kagome said, opening a package of cup noodles and pouring water from the thermos into it.

She passed it to Inu-Yasha.

"Careful, it's hot," she said, and then passed him a pair of chopsticks as well and helped him to get a hold on them properly.

"Thanks," he said, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, just don't spill it on yourself, cool?" She said.

"I'll try," Inu-Yasha said with a grin.

He sniffed carefully at the noodles. They smelled nice. He poked blindly at them with his chopsticks and managed to get some into his mouth.

"You like 'em?" Kagome asked him.

He nodded, his mouth full, and had to keep himself from wolfing the noodles down and seeming rude; he hadn't eaten in days. Kagome could see how he was trying to be polite. She smirked at him.

"No need to be polite Inu-Yasha," she said, concealing a laugh, "You look starved. Go ahead and eat as fast as you want, just don't make yourself sick."

"That's nice of you," Inu-Yasha commented once he had swallowed.

"Go ahead, wolf it if you want," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded, devouring the Ramen quickly. Kagome had to stop herself from laughing aloud at him. Then, he swallowed a little too quickly, and started to choke on the noodles, coughing violently.

"Whoa," Kagome said, "You okay?"

He nodded and coughed again, and then sighed and rested his head on his arms on the table.

"Okay, I'm not doing that again," he said.

"Yeah, that'd probably be smart," Kagome commented. "You still hungry?"

"Not really, thanks," Inu-Yasha said.

"Really?" Kagome asked, "Wow, most guys I know… or knew around your age would eat like fricking animals, no offence."

"Heh, none taken," Inu-Yasha said, and then sat up again.

"Kag…uh, I _can_ call you 'Kag', right?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure, 'Kag's' fine."

"Cool," he said, "Kag… since I can't see… Could you do me a favor and watch for any large, black trucks? Completely black, no marking or anything. That's what the truck that I jumped out of looked like."

"Yeah, sure I can," she said.

He sighed gratefully.

"Thanks," he said.

_Boy, does that ever take a weight of my mind,_ he thought.

"So, I'll have to be your eyes, huh Inu-Yasha?" she said.

"Yeah, if you would," he said.

"Sure, don't worry about it," she replied.

Inu-Yasha smiled a little.

"You know, you don't seem _that_ bad," he commented.

"Neither do you," Kagome said, "And why would people call you a freak, your nails?"

"My… nails?" Inu-Yasha asked, and couldn't help looking a little startled.

_What if the length of my claws give me away? _He wondered

"Yeah, they're pretty long," Kagome commented, "They're actually longer than mine."

"Yours?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I forgot to say; I've got long nails that are, like, pointed, just to let you know," she said, "Just in case I accidentally stab you. I stab myself a lot of the time, but I just feel better having them out that long."

"Oh, that's cool, and yeah, my nails are one thing. And my eyes and my hair."

"Why? I think your hair's a cool colour," Kagome said, "I'd dye mine, but it wouldn't look too good on me."

"Uh… well, it's not dyed, actually…" Inu-Yasha said, slight embarrassment ringing in his voice.

"Oh?" Kagome asked, surprised, "But dude, it's like, white."

"I know. I'm… uh, partial albino. That's why it's white," he explained lamely, "And that's why people think I'm a freak."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," Kagome said, patting his hand, "I don't think you're a freak."

"I'm glad _someone_ doesn't," he muttered.

* * *


	4. Sugar Binge

A/N: **Parts of this chapter have been rewritten so it sucks a little less than when I first uploaded it.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Sugar Binge

* * *

"He can't stay here."

"Why the heck not?"

"This is a girl's class Higurashi, enough said."

"What's your point?"

"I don't want a guy watching-"

"Watching? He's blind! He can't see a thing!"

It was close to the end of the fourth period, after lunch. Gym class. Inu-Yasha stood nervously with his back to the wall as Kagome engaged in a yelling competition with her gym teacher. He could almost feel all the eyes from the other gym students on him, no doubt gawking at him. Kagome and her teacher were fuming at each other, both determined to win the argument.

"Hey… uh, Kagome? Hell, if it's such a big deal, I'll wait outside," Inu-Yasha said, sounding a little dejected.

"Like hell you will!" she exclaimed.

She walked up to him and took him by the shoulders, guiding him to a bench against the wall. She forced him down onto it.

"Just sit down, you're not going anywhere," she said.

"But-"

"Shuttup!" Kagome said quickly, clapping her hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"You listen to me, baka," she hissed, "I am not letting you get kicked out, not after what you told me earlier, got me?"

Inu-Yasha let out a muffled sigh and nodded, and Kagome removed her hand from his mouth.

"Good," she said.

She frowned back over her shoulder at the teacher and stormed up to her again.

"Inu-Yasha can't see a thing, so what does it matter if he stays? " Kagome demanded, "If he goes outside, he'll probably get lost. He needs me; I need to act as his eyes, got it? I'm responsible for him, I can't let you kick him out!"

Her glower softened, and turned into a somewhat pleading expression. The teacher sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"You just don't get it, do you Higurashi?" she asked.

"No, I think you don't get it," Kagome retorted grumpily.

"Listen, I'm not going to fight you," the teacher said, "I'm in charge here; what I say goes."

"Oh yeah, well… well! ...Damn..." Kagome grumbled.

"Kagome, just give it up," Cho said snidely, "You can't win; why do you even try?"

"Because you're a bitch," Kagome snarled.

The teacher just rubbed her head again, not even bothering to be mad at Kagome because of her language.

x

Inu-Yasha was listening to the shouting with interest. Kagome sure was making a big fuss over him. He found it extremely amusing, but he also felt a little guilty about it.

"Kagome?" he asked, "Seriously, if it's such a big deal, I'll just sit outside the door."

"No!" she hollered, "Just stay there!"

"Okay okay, jeez," he said, but couldn't help grinning a little.

"Oh, I think someone's got a crush," Cho sneered.

"If you're talking about me you're gonna get my fist up your-" Kagome warned, but the teacher cut her off by blowing a whistle.

"Higurashi, I'm begging you, no physical violence until you're out of my class, okay?" she pleaded.

"I wouldn't- I mean," Kagome huffed, frustrated, "Look, I'm sorry. I really am. But it's my responsibility to keep an eye on the guy, and if you won't let him stay, I'm going to have to drop this class."

She folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay, okay fine, I give up," the teacher said exasperatedly, throwing her hands in the air, "He can stay."

"Yes!" Kagome exclaimed triumphantly, "Thank you!"

"Yeah, whatever," the woman replied, rubbing her forehead.

x

And then, the bell rang. Kagome grinned and grabbed Inu-Yasha by the wrist and pulled him to his feet.

"Wow, that was a great way to kill seventy minutes," she commented.

"So you won?" he asked.

"Hell yeah," Kagome said, "C'mon, we're out of here."

She held open the gym door for him and then began to guide him down the hall by the wrist. Many people bustled by them, including Cho.

"What's next?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Language Arts," Kagome said, and then sighed, "It's such a shame too; I heard we gotta do fairytales at some point."

Inu-Yasha cringed.

"Crap," he muttered.

"Tell me about it," she agreed, "But we get to do mythology and creative writing, which is good."

"Mythology?" Inu-Yasha asked a little nervously.

_But that's got youkai in it… Oh shit,_ he thought. _Kagome seems pretty smart; if she doesn't figure me out before then, then that mythology thing probably will give me away… Unless she already knows those stories so… Oh shit, shit, shit._

He had begun to tremble a little. Kagome raised her eyebrow.

"Uh, Inu-Yasha? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he asked, suddenly getting snapped back into reality, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, it's just easy to accidentally zone out when you can't see."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, raising her eyebrow, "You were shaking."

"Was I?" he asked a little dumbly.

"You scared of something?" she inquired cynically.

"Pah!" Inu-Yasha sneered, "Scared? Me? I don't get scared."

"Eh," Kagome muttered, shrugging.

x

Hurriedly, she turned to corner and found the Language Arts classroom and pushed Inu-Yasha into it. The teacher and the class looked up from the blackboard and their books in surprise, because the two of them were already late.

"Higurashi, right?" The teacher asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said.

"And who's-"

"People, meet Inu-Yasha, Inu-Yasha, meet people," Kagome said quickly, "There we go."

She quickly dragged him to the back of the room and sat him in an empty desk beside a window. She then sat beside him. Looking around the classroom, she saw that once again, Cho was in their class.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked quietly.

"Cho. Again," she said.

"Oh _wonderful_," Inu-Yasha commented sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes and dropped his head down onto the desk with a clunk.

"Uh… um, Inu-Yasha?" the teacher said, raising her eyebrow.

Inu-Yasha's head jerked up off the desk and he looked around frantically.

"Who said that?" he asked loudly, though he clearly knew it was the teacher who was speaking.

Most of the class stared at him with surprise.

"He's blind," Kagome said. "Family name's Tachisuji."

"Right. Tachisuji, could you please refrain from shattering the desk with your head?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah, sure, sorry," Inu-Yasha grumbled, and the teacher turned back to the lesson.

As soon as her back was turned, he put his head down on the desk again and closed his eyes.

"Bored?" Kagome asked at a whisper.

He shook his head.

"Tired," he said quietly, "I haven't been able to sleep since I lost my eyesight."

Kagome looked sympathetic and patted his arm.

"It'll be better at my place… You know, locked doors. Whoever they are, they won't be able to get you there," she told him reassuringly.

If someone was after me and I was blind, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep either, she thought.

Inu-Yasha nodded again.

"Thanks," he mumbled sleepily.

"Higurashi," the teacher said suddenly.

Kagome's head jerked in her direction.

"What?" she asked, surprosed.

The teacher sighed.

"Listen, I've heard about you, and how your respect for authority isn't the biggest thing on your mind," she began.

"Wait, people are actually saying that about me?" she wondered.

"Anyway," the teacher continued, "If you wouldn't mind just keeping it down while I'm talking, I won't ask anything else of you, okay?"

Kagome grinned and saluted her.

"Sir, yes sir!" she said.

Most of the class laughed a little, but the teacher just looked relieved at having Kagome's cooperation. She turned back to the lesson. Kagome was a little confused by her apparent infamy. She knew she had often been a pain in schools, but she had never suspected it would be such a big deal

x

After a little while, Kagome couldn't help a yawn and she turned her gaze on her new friend.

"Hey Inu-Yasha?" she asked quietly, but got no response from him.

She listened closely to his breathing and heard very soft snoring. He was asleep. Kagome had to stop herself from laughing loudly, not because she didn't want to interrupt the class, but because she wasn't particularly keen on waking him up.

_He's a little strange, isn't he?_ Kagome thought.

x

Kagome sat through the rest of Language Arts as her teacher rambled on about grammar. She had the urge to follow Inu-Yasha's example and fall asleep too; the grammar lessons were unbearably boring, and she knew it already from about grade two. Instead, she pulled an eraser out of her pocket and proceeded to carve it up with her nails out of sheer boredom. By the end of class, there was no eraser anymore, which she somewhat regretted, seeing as she wasn't sure if she had another. When the bell rang, Kagome could see Inu-Yasha shift a tiny bit in his sleep, but he didn't wake. Kagome raised her eyebrow.

"Wow, that noise always wakes me up," she muttered to herself, "Crap, he must be exhausted."

She stood from her desk and knelt beside him. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly.

"Yo, Inu-Yasha," she said quietly, but he didn't move.

She frowned.

"Inu-Yasha!" she shouted, "The black truck, it's the black truck!"

She saw Inu-Yasha's eyes shoot open and his head jerked up off his desk.

"Truck? Where?" he snarled, "Where?"

He balled his fist as if he was going to punch someone.

"God dammit, I'll get them this time! They ain't taking me again!"

"Relax!" Kagome exclaimed, "God… There's no truck, what are you talking about?"

The rage in Inu-Yasha's eyes died and he looked in Kagome's direction, confused.

"But you just said…"

"I didn't say anything, "she said, "You must have been dreaming."

Inu-Yasha stared at her in confusion.

"You're just screwing with my head, aren't you?" he asked.

Kagome grinned.

"Yeah. You okay?" she inquired, "God, when I mentioned that truck, you looked as if you were ready to punch someone's head off."

"I have to be," he said simply, and then sighed, "We get to leave now?"

"Yeah, class is over," Kagome said.

"Thank god," Inu-Yasha said, and then yawned a little.

"Crap, I had the weirdest dream," he said, "I was running from, like, giant crowbars and then they all fell into some lava. Then this big black dog that had your voice came out of the lava and was all like, "YOU IDIOT!" and then ate some guy who I was poking with a stick. Then I said "Holy SHIT! That was my poking guy!" and the dog was all like, "Meh."

"Wow…" Kagome said, "That really is weird."

"Tell me about it," Inu-Yasha said, "Why the hell would there be giant crowbars?"

Kagome shook her head in mock despair.

"I don't know Inu-Yasha… I just don't know…"

He grinned at her and laughed a little.

"C'mon you," she said, taking him by the wrist, "We're going to my house now, okay?"

"Yeah, cool," he said.

She helped to pull him upright and guided him out of the room.

x

Outside the classroom, people were running down the halls, screaming with joy for some reason. Inu-Yasha squinted in irritation, the high-pitched noise ringing almost painfully in his ears.

"What's with the shouting?" he asked at a whisper.

"Uh… football game maybe?" Kagome suggested.

Another bunch of people ran down the hall, jostling them. Some boys who ran down the hall, their faces painted red and black, waving their shirts around. Kagome frowned in annoyance.

"What the hell?" she growled.

Inu-Yasha shrugged, looking perplexed. Then, a larger crowd came barreling down the hallway. As the people ran by, Kagome and Inu-Yasha were pushed apart.

"K-Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked a little nervously.

Kagome scowled as she was jostled away from him by the running, cheering people, and then by accident, she was tripped. With a yelp, she fell heavily to the floor. She cried out in pain as she landed on her twisted arm, and then as she pulled it out from under her and a rather heavy boy stepped on it as he rushed passed.

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked again, a more worried tone to his voice.

Kagome groaned with pain as the excited crowd disappeared down the hall and around the corner. Inu-Yasha glanced towards the receding noise and then turned toward where he had heard Kagome last.

"Kagome? Say something would you?" he asked, "Where are you?"

"Ow… on the floor," she managed to say, and then cringed with the pain in her arm and drew in a short breath.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he looked down towards where he had heard her voice.

"Kag, what're you doing on the floor?" he asked.

He knelt on the ground beside her and Kagome laughed weakly.

"I'm sleeping: what do you think, Inu-Yasha?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha smiled a little and offered her his hand. Kagome starred at it in surprise. Throughout her life, Kagome had been pushed around all the time, had been beaten and tripped. No one had ever tried or offered to help her. Ever.

x

Inu-Yasha waited, and then raised his eyebrow.

"So? You gonna take it or what?" he asked.

Kagome still lay there in stunned silence and Inu-Yasha looked a little confused by why she wouldn't take his hand.

"Hello? Kagome?" he said, "I'm just gonna help you up; don't worry, I don't have cooties or anything."

Kagome let a smile play across her face and finally grabbed his hand. He grinned and pulled her to her feet.

"Was that so hard?" he asked.

"Thanks," she said, "And no, not really."

"What's with you?" he asked, "Are you okay? I could hear you kinda make a weird noise, like this-"

He mimicked the gasping noise she had made when the guy had stepped on her arm.

"Oh, uh… It was nothing," Kagome said quickly.

"Yeah, sure it was," Inu-Yasha said, raising his eyebrow.

Kagome winced again and laid her hand on the bruise on her arm. It hurt like hell. She hissed quietly.

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked worriedly, "Did you get hurt or something?"

"Uh…" Kagome said slowly, "Well…"

Inu-Yasha frowned. He held her by the wrist to keep her still and lightly touched her arm, right where the bruise was. Even the light contact hurt. Kagome winced again.

"Here, right?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome gave him a puzzled stare.

"How can you-?"

"Your skin… It feels different here," he said, lightly running his finger exactly along the bruise, "Uh… Bruise?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, sounding a bit surprised.

Inu-Yasha nodded understandingly and then frowned.

"It feels bad. Like, really bad… Is it anywhere else?"

"Yeah," Kagome said reluctantly.

"Where?"

"There's more… on my cheek and… well, my ribs are pretty bruised too," she said.

Inu-Yasha frowned with what could only be described as worry. He raised his hand to Kagome's face.

"C… Can I?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kagome said a little dumbly, "Oh… I guess."

She guided his hand to the bruise on her face and he touched it lightly. He was still frowning when he pulled his hand back.

"What happened?" he asked.

Kagome looked around the hallway. There were still a few people around. For some reason, she only felt comfortable telling Inu-Yasha.

"I'll tell you a little later," she said quietly.

Inu-Yasha nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, that's cool," he said, "Just, you will actually tell me, right?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, sounding slightly offended, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well…" Inu-Yasha muttered, "You seem kinda like one of those people who don't open up to anyone."

"Got that right," she said, "Well, at least not usually."

"So, why're going to tell me?" he asked.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it.

Why am I going to tell him? She wondered, puzzled.

She had to stop to think about it for a moment.

"Well… I figure it's okay," she said quietly, "I mean, you are gonna be rooming with me… And… Well…"

"Well what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Well, I feel… like I can trust you. I mean, you have to trust me but… I'm pretty sure I can trust you too."

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"I'm glad," he said.

Kagome couldn't help but share his smile: it felt strangely good to say that. She couldn't recall ever telling anyone that she trusted them in her entire life, because she, for the most part, didn't. This boy, however odd he seemed, felt very trustworthy, and Kagome had no idea why.

x

Inu-Yasha waited patiently as Kagome guided him outside once more for her to tell him what had happened to her. One didn't get bruises like that from just falling, and he knew that better than anyone.

"Kagome?" he asked, "Are you… uh… gonna tell me what happened or what?"

Kagome sighed and released his wrist, leaning back against the only tree in the schoolyard.

"Who did that to you?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"What gives you the idea it was a person?" she asked quickly.

"Kagome… It was a person, and I know it as well as you do," he stated, sounding a little irritated, "Who and why?"

Kagome sighed again, but Inu-Yasha kept his hollow eyes locked on her, scowling.

"I got all day, Kag," he said.

"It was my dad," she said after a while.

"Your dad?" Inu-Yasha asked, his voice gentler than before, "He… beats you, Kagome?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Why?"

"He's… He's a drunken bastard, like I said," Kagome muttered, "He just doesn't like me… He actually tried to kill me once, but I managed to fight him off and knock him out…"

And I thought my family life sucked, Inu-Yasha thought as he stared at Kagome in disbelief.

"Really?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Kagome muttered, "…I really hate him, you know."

"Why don't you run away?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Because I… I wouldn't have anywhere to go," Kagome stated. "I sent my brother and cat to stay with some friends… but…"

"You… don't have anyone, do you?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"That's about right," she said slowly.

She sighed again.

"My mom and grandpa left me and my brother with him about five months ago; but I'm pretty sure he threatened them into it… My mom wouldn't have done this to me otherwise."

"For god's sake," Inu-Yasha muttered, rubbing his forehead, "Kagome I… I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"I know you didn't" she said, "You're the only person who does."

She smiled slightly and then shouldered her backpack.

"But it's safe there for now. Come on, I'll take you to my house now, okay?" she said.

"Yeah, okay," Inu-Yasha said.

"Just stay close, okay?" Kagome said. "Anyone bugs you, just gimme a shout and I'll kick their ass."

Inu-Yasha nodded and smiled a little.

"Kagome?" he said.

"Yeah, what's up?" she replied.

"Thanks for telling me," he said, "I… want to help you, okay?"

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha in surprise, but then smiled.

"Thanks," she said quietly, and Inu-Yasha grinned.

oOoOoOoO

Walking down the street, Kagome and Inu-Yasha were getting a great deal of strange glances. Kagome couldn't honestly blame the people. Inu-Yasha was edgy and every now and then, his head would jerk at a sudden noise and he'd start to growl. Also, the nervous grip he had on her hand was so tight that he was crushing her fingers. Just about anyone could make the mistake of thinking that they were holding hands.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he said quickly.

He sounded as if he were trying to subdue some anxiety.

"Yeah, of course I'm okay. Why would I not be okay?"

"You're… uh, crushing my hand," she pointed out.

"Oh," he said, looking embarrassed and swiftly releasing her, "I'm sorry."

"That's cool," she said, rubbing her hand a little. "Forget it."

He sighed.

"I'm just… a bit nervous about being in the open, you know?" he said after a while.

"I understand," Kagome said.

She lightly held his hand.

"Huh?" he said, surprised.

"Yo, you aren't laying guilt on me if you get lost, got it?" she said.

"Oh, okay," Inu-Yasha said, seeming a little embarrassed.

x

Suddenly, a sugary scent hit his nose. He looked around quickly and sniffed a little.

"I smell chocolate," he stated.

"Huh?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"

Inu-Yasha turned his head to their right. Kagome followed his gaze and stopped walking. There was a candy store there.

"Oh, it's a candy store," she said, "You want to get some stuff?"

"Could we?" he asked excitedly.

The bright look on his face made Kagome smile unwittingly. He looked like a little kid in that brief moment.

"Sure, I'll buy you some stuff if you want," she stated.

He looked at her, surprised, as she took him and lead him back to the store. She pushed the door open and forced him inside.

"No, it's okay, " he said quickly, "I have money."

"Whatever," Kagome said.

"No, seriously," Inu-Yasha said.

He shuffled through his pockets and came up with a 20000 yen note. He handed it to Kagome.

"You can use it too, it's cool," he said.

"Whatever," Kagome said again.

She shoved his bill into her pocket. She'd sneak it back to him later.

"What kind of stuff d'you want?" Kagome asked.

"Um… I dunno," Inu-Yasha said, "I… I'm not really allowed sugar that often."

"Diabetic?" Kagome asked.

He shook his head.

"My brother thinks I'm scary when I'm hyper."

"All right then," Kagome said, grinning, "Let's fight the man then, huh Inu-Yasha? I'll find you something."

x

Kagome ended up buying them each a large bag of candy, plus some M&M's and a two-liter bottle of Coke for Inu-Yasha, claiming that she did, in fact, use his money when she, in fact, did not.

_The one great thing about having a blind friend,_ Kagome thought, _is I can sneak him back his money and he'll never notice. Excellent!_

x

She took him to the park and they then sat under a large maple tree. Inu-Yasha carefully picked at the candy. He sniffed it closely, and then picked up a sugar coated, fruit flavored jelly thing. He sniffed it again.

"What's this?" he asked Kagome.

"Uh… I think it's cherry flavored," she said as she shuffled around in her own bag of candy.

Inu-Yasha tentatively licked the piece of candy. His eyes sparked happily.

"Dude…" he muttered in awe, "This stuff rocks."

Without a second thought, he shoved a handful of candy in his mouth and munched on it happily.

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and swallowed.

"Whoa…" he said, blinking, "I feel… whoa… Like…"

"High?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"That would be the sugar," she explained.

"Wicked," he said, his eyes widening, "Wow… I've never felt like this before."

"And so begins Inu-Yasha's sugar binge," Kagome said, hiding a laugh, "You know, you're probably the weirdest person I've ever met."

"I know," Inu-Yasha said, grinning, "And you're probably one of the only people I've ever met who hasn't been a jerk to me."

She shrugged.

"I do my best," she said, "That's pretty much my rule; you don't piss me off, and then I'm nice to you."

"That's cool," Inu-Yasha said, "I haven't pissed you off?"

"Not yet," she said, smirking.

Inu-Yasha gulped a little.

"We got anything to drink?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, handing him the large bottle of Coke.

She unscrewed the top for him, and then turned away to shuffle through her bag.

"Listen," she started, "That's two liters. Don't chug it all at once, or you'll make yourself sick-"

When she turned back to Inu-Yasha, he had already knocked back half the bottle.

Kagome slapped herself in the forehead.

"What did I just say, Inu-Yasha?" she asked, folding her arms and drumming her fingers irritably.

He shrugged.

"Uh… don't… um… uh," he puzzled, "Uh… I don't know; what did you just say?"

"Baka! Don't drink it all at once!" she exclaimed, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him.

"Oh… woops," he said, holding up the bottle, "But I'm pretty sure there's still half."

"You just chugged a liter of almost pure sugar!" she pointed out, "God, you're gonna feel horrible later."

"Am not," he stated.

He swiftly downed the rest of the bottle and sighed happily.

"This stuff rocks," he commented, "The fizzy, is awesome."

Kagome just shook her head and laughed as Inu-Yasha stood.

"Wow, I feel kinda jumpy now," he said.

Then, in an instant, he was up in the tree. Kagome stared up at him in wonder.

_How the hell could he have…? Oh well._

Inu-Yasha found a thick tree branch and hooked his knees around it, hanging upside down. He held onto his hat with one hand. Kagome smirked at him, amused.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Hell yeah," he said happily.

Kagome could see his eyes slightly bugging out because of the sugar rush. He flipped back upright in the tree and then leapt down beside her.

"Kagome?" he asked, "Can we do this again sometime? This sugar stuff is fun."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, grinning, "I know it is. Hah, I feel a little guilty."

"Why?" he asked.

"It's like I gave you drugs," she joked.

x

Inu-Yasha then stood quickly again. He felt so full of energy that he wasn't sure what to do. Blinking, he quickly sprinted away from Kagome along the grass and then skidded to a halt. He glanced back in her direction.

"C'mon Kagome!" he called.

"C'mon what?" she asked, standing.

"C'mon, I feel like running; let's play tag or something."

Kagome raised her eyebrow.

"Tag Inu-Yasha?" she asked, "What are you, two?"

Inu-Yasha looked thoughtful and then nodded.

"Sure, why not? I'm two. You wanna play?"

"Um… sure," Kagome said, "But won't that be a little hard for you?"

"Feh," he said with a shrug, "I'll just use my ears."

He nearly pointed to the top of his head, but then swiftly reconsidered and pointed at the spot on the side of his head where a human ear would have been.

"Okay…" Kagome said, "Who's it?"

"You first?" he asked.

"Okay," she said, smirking, "Get ready to run your ass off dude."

"Uh-huh," he said, nodding quickly, "Let's do it."

"Okay," Kagome said, preparing to run, "Go!"

Inu-Yasha barked out a laugh and sprinted away from Kagome, ignoring the pain from his wounds. Kagome ran after him, trying to come in from his side, but he was too fast for her. She skidded in the grass as she stopped, wondering how he could outrun her so easily. Shrugging, she began to run at him again. It took ten minutes before he decided to slow down a little.

"C'mon Kagome!" he called happily, "You gonna let me get away with this?"

"No way," she said with a grin.

x

Inu-Yasha smirked and started to run again. Kagome made as if to run after him, but stayed where she was. Quietly, she bent to the ground and grabbed a stick. She threw it far off to Inu-Yasha's right. She saw him jump a little and turn, running straight for her. She let him pass her by a few meters and started the chase again. When she got close enough, she tackled him into the ground from behind.

"Augh!" he cried, "You got me, Kag?"

"No shit," she laughed, letting him up, "That was actually really fun."

"Not over yet," he laughed, "It's my turn."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Oh crap!" she gasped, and then grinned.

"I give you twenty seconds, starting now," he said.

Kagome nodded and sprinted off. She counted to twenty in her head, and then kept counting. By the time she hit thirty she found herself face first in the grass as Inu-Yasha took his turn at tackling her.

"Got ya," she heard Inu-Yasha state triumphantly.

She rolled over and he was already standing over her, a smirk crossing his face. He offered her his hand. She smiled and took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Thirty seconds," she said, shaking her head, "It took you sixty seconds to catch me. Unbelievable. I'm out of shape."

"No you ain't," he said, "I'm just fast is all."

"No shit you're fast," Kagome said, laughing, "We done?"

"Yeah, almost," he said, and then grinned shyly at her. "I still got tons of energy… uh… wanna piggyback?"

"What?" Kagome asked in surprise, "Piggyback?"

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said, grinning, "You wanna?"

"Hell… I don't know," Kagome said, a bit perplexed.

"C'mon," he said, "I need to get some more energy out. I'll run with you; it'll be fun."

"Okay…" Kagome said, "What do I do?"

"Just go behind me," Inu-Yasha instructed, and he squatted, "Hang onto my shoulders. Just watch the hair though."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said.

A little hesitantly, she dropped down to the ground and grabbed onto his shoulders. He grinned, but winced a little. The bullet wound in his shoulder was hurting a little, but he ignored it again. He stood quickly and hung onto Kagome so that she wouldn't fall. She let out a startled yelp.

"Holy crap," Inu-Yasha commented, "Kagome, you're light. What are you, like, feather girl?"

Kagome grinned embarrassedly.

"So, now what?" she asked.

"Now, we run; just warn me if I'm about to hit something," he said.

With that, Inu-Yasha once again took off across the grass, running aimlessly around. Kagome was stunned by how fast they were moving.

x

When Inu-Yasha finally slowed and let Kagome off of his back, she couldn't help staring at him in awe.

"You are ludicrously fast," she told him as she guided him back to their tree.

He shrugged.

"You work out?" she asked him.

"Nah, I hardly do anything. I'm a freaking lump-lump," he said.

Kagome laughed a little. She shoved her own candy and their garbage into her bag; she despised littering. She handed Inu-Yasha his candy.

"Don't make yourself sick," she warned.

He nodded and yawned a little.

"Wow… I'm sort of tired now," he admitted.

"I know," Kagome said. "I'm not surprised."

She grinned.

"Know what? I don't think I've ever had that much fun," she said.

"Me neither," Inu-Yasha agreed, "That was nuts."

He yawned again.

"Are we going to your house now?" he inquired.

"Yep," Kagome replied, taking his hand. "I bet you're tired now, huh?"

"I… suppose," he said, yawning again.

Kagome smiled, and then began to lead him out of the park, to home.


	5. A Look Into The Past I

A/N: **Parts of this chapter have been rewritten so it sucks a little less than when I first uploaded it.**

* * *

Chapter 4: A Look Into The Past (#1)

* * *

Deep in a forest, under cover of darkness, a tall, silver-haired man sat, garbed in a white kimono, crouched under the overhanging branches of a pine tree. The man was frowning, bright golden eyes piercing though the gloom, and though his slightly effeminate features were hard and almost dangerous, his mind was reeling. Sessho-Maru shook his head to rid himself of his dizziness. He put his hand to his forehead and rubbed it. He let out a very deep, pointedly inhuman growl of annoyance.

_That flash…_ he thought, _what happened? And where did that half-breed get to?_

He turned his nose into the wind and sniffed. There was a rank stench around, one of what seemed to be smoke and burning oil. Also, human scent was almost completely overwhelming his nose, as well as the scent of food, but it smelled as if it were smothered in more oil.

"What in all the worlds…?" he muttered angrily, "Where am I?"

He stood up off the cold, dirt covered ground of the woods and propped himself up against a tree, feeling dazed. He dug his claws into the wood.

x

Then, a soft noise far off to his right caught his attention, a noise he recognized. It was a soft whimpering, and a voice calling out for help. He looked in the direction of the voice and stared through the bush.

"Mother?" the voice asked quietly, "F-Father? Sessho-Maru? Anyone?"

Sessho-Maru could see his younger, two year-old brother stumble through a bush and fall as he accidentally tripped. He landed facedown in the leaves and groaned and whimpered sadly. The young boy's silver hair was disheveled and the canine ears on his head drooped downwards.

"Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru said, "What are you doing?"

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched and he looked up. His eyes were wide with distress and fright, though he looked considerably happier at seeing a familiar face.

"Sessho-Maru!" he exclaimed and quickly pushed himself upright, though he tripped and fell again.

Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes and slowly walked to Inu-Yasha.

"Get up, hanyou," he said.

Inu-Yasha heaved himself upright again and stood staring up at his older brother.

"Sessho-Maru, the scents here are strange… Where are we?" he asked worriedly.

"How should I know?" Sessho-Maru asked grumpily.

Inu-Yasha looked at his feet, disheartened. He sniffed heavily, and wiped his nose on the back of the sleeve of his red kimono.

"We aren't at home anymore, are we?" he asked quietly.

Sessho-Maru looked up at the sky. Even it seemed a little different.

"No, we aren't," he said.

Inu-Yasha sighed and sat on the ground, letting out a small whimper of sadness. He closed his eyes.

"I want Mother…" he whispered.

He sniffed hard and whimpered miserably. Sessho-Maru looked down at his distraught sibling and sighed. A demon pup so young, even a hanyou, shouldn't be separated from his mother. The youkai frowned in irritation at first, but felt a certain sympathy for the boy. He too had been separated from his mother at quite a young age. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Sessho-Maru kneeled to Inu-Yasha and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"It… It'll be okay," he said, attempting to sound comforting.

"No it won't," he muttered, shaking his head and whimpering again, "No it won't. You don't know where we are, so how am I supposed to figure it out? And… and I don't think that Mother and Father are anywhere."

His ears drooped and Sessho-Maru could smell the tears that were welling up in his brother's eyes.

"Oh… Oh gods Inu-Yasha, don't you dare start crying on me," he warned.

"G… Gomen…" Inu-Yasha whispered, but the tears had started to pour down his face. "I just wanna go home."

"Inu-Yasha…" Sessho-Maru muttered, rubbing his temples.

He sat in the leaves beside Inu-Yasha and sighed.

"I want to go home too, but it doesn't seem like there's much we can do about our present situation," he tried to explain.

Inu-Yasha nodded as if he understood, but Sessho-Maru could tell that he was still crying.

"Damn it, hanyou!" he exclaimed, "What would Father say if he saw you like this?"

"Father would ask me what was wrong and try to make me feel better," Inu-Yasha said quietly. "But Father isn't here. No one's here…"

Sessho-Maru frowned.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" he demanded.

Inu-Yasha opened his eyes and looked up at him, and then looked away. He didn't at all expect to be comforted by Sessho-Maru; he assumed that he would have to suffer through his despair alone.

x

Sessho-Maru sighed again. Reluctantly, he decided that it was time to accept what he had promised his father, and look after Inu-Yasha. He was so young; wherever they were, the hanyou wouldn't be able to survive without him. Sessho-Maru felt a strange stirring inside of him. He wasn't sure if it was guilt, or maybe it was some strange form of parental instincts, but he wanted to comfort Inu-Yasha. It was time to do what a big brother was supposed to do in situations like this. Hesitantly, he laid his hand on the top of Inu-Yasha's head and rubbed his ears a little. Inu-Yasha looked at him in shock. Sessho-Maru had almost always avoided coming into physical contact with him.

"Sessho-Maru…?" Inu-Yasha said quietly.

Sessho-Maru said nothing but scooped his younger brother into his arms and held him close, lightly patting his head. Inu-Yasha wasn't sure how to react to the comforting from Sessho-Maru, but it reminded him of how his mother used to hold him and he started to sob into Sessho-Maru's shoulder. For once, Sessho-Maru didn't feel the urge to comment on how pathetic Inu-Yasha was as a half-youkai. Silently, he vowed to himself that he would never, ever mention this moment to him when he was older and couldn't remember it himself.

"Whelp… Don't cry," he said, trying to sound reassuring, "I'm… I'm going to look after you, like Father said to, all right?"

Inu-Yasha didn't look up, but he took a light hold on Sessho-Maru's sleeve.

"Thank you Nii-san…" he whispered.

Sessho-Maru allowed a small smile to play across his face.

_I suppose he isn't all that bad for a half-breed,_ he thought.

"Inu-Yasha?" he said.

Inu-Yasha didn't reply, but Sessho-Maru could still feel him crying. The youkai sighed. He was getting a slight headache from Inu-Yasha's sniveling, but he also wanted the whelp to feel better. The only solution to both problems that he could think of was a spell. It was an old youkai incantation that brought about sleep and good dreams for young ones. Inu-Yasha's mother had been taught it, and converted it into a lullaby for the whelp.

_Maybe… If I sing it to him…_ Sessho-Maru thought.

"Listen to me," he said, "I know a song… Your mother sang it to you… It'll help, just listen."

With that, Sessho-Maru began to hum quietly to his younger brother. The song, or incantation, was in an ancient youkai language, one so old that only youkai as old as Sessho-Maru or older could still remember what the melody meant. As he hummed, he also growled softly, deep in his chest, and that helped as well. The song and growls immediately calmed Inu-Yasha, and Sessho-Maru could feel him relaxing, could feel his sobs dying; could feel him fall asleep.

"That's a good boy," Sessho-Maru whispered after Inu-Yasha had dozed off.

x

He sighed and stood, glancing towards the scent of humans. For some reason, he couldn't smell any other youkai around for miles. He frowned, puzzled.

_How is that possible though?_ He wondered.

Swiftly, he walked towards the human scent. It lead him at first to the edge of a path that then continued up towards a large amount of noise and light. The strange noises that sounded similar to screeching, dying birds grew louder. Sessho-Maru had no idea what that noise could be. The closer he got to the humans, the more strange noises there were, and there was an increasing amount of flashing, coloured lights. Sessho-Maru neared the edge of the forest and stared. They were inside a city, that was apparent, but all the humans that Sessho-Maru saw were dressed extremely strangely, and the buildings looked as if they were made of metal, and were covered in glowing lights. Sessho-Maru squinted.

"So… there really aren't any youkai here, are there?" he muttered, "Gods…"

_I need to find out where we are._

As his eyes went back to the path out of the woods, Sessho-Maru noticed a group of young men walking up the path past the forest. A few of them seemed almost to match Sessho-Maru in height. He inclined his head. Without much thought, as they drew closer, Sessho-Maru stepped casually from the bush in front of them, causing the group to stall with confusion and surprise.

"You clothes," Sessho-Maru said, "Give them to me."

"What?" one of the humans gawked.

"Who the fuck are you?" another yelled.

Sessho-Maru bared his fangs in a smirk and raised one hand, his claws glowing a bright, shining gold.

OoOoOooO

Back in the forest, he gently placed the sleeping Inu-Yasha in some soft moss, and then looked over what he had taken. There was some blue pants that seemed almost as if they were made of a burlap-like substance, a pair of black boots, and a gray, short-sleeved shirt, and a black jacket. A sack that he had stolen was black, and had straps on it, so that you could carry it over your shoulder or back. For an instant, Sessho-Maru contemplated putting Inu-Yasha in it, but then reconsidered, deciding to just carry him instead.

x

Reluctantly, he undressed, concentrating his youki, his energy, to shrink his tail back into his spine (not an entirely pleasant experience) and pulled on the human pants and shirt, and then placed his normal clothes, sword, and armor into the sack. He put on the sandals and then shouldered the sack. He then scooped Inu-Yasha into his arms again and held him against his chest, putting one hand over his head to hide his dog-ears.

x

Sessho-Maru sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, he had passed as a human before. Humans had a strange tendency to ignore the abnormal. Despite his eyes, the stripes on his skin and the length of his ears, he could often be mistaken for a human, even where he was from, where humans recognized youkai fairly readily. It was Inu-Yasha who would be the problem. He would just have to hold his hand over his ears, he supposed.

x

Returning to the city, he stepped into the open and squinted in irritation because of the bright lights. He then walked down to the paths the humans were walking on. He got a strange look from an old lady standing a little ways away from him. Sessho-Maru gave her a cold glare and she looked away. He continued along the path, looking around for someone that seemed suitable to ask where he was. He spotted another elderly human with scraggly hair and bad eyes, and since she was closest, he approached her.

"Excuse me," he said, addressing her, "Could you tell me where I am? I am lost."

The woman scowled at him and turned away.

"Damn teenagers, getting wasted and forgetting where they are," she muttered.

Sessho-Maru frowned at the disrespect he was receiving.

"Teenager? Excuse me?" he asked irritably, "I am most likely older than you."

"Oh really, how old are you?" the woman crowed.

Uh… What's a human age? Sessho-Maru thought.

"I am eighty-two, thank you very much," he stated.

In fact, Sessho-Maru was well over eight hundred, but if there were no youkai around, this human wouldn't understand that.

The human woman looked shocked and then ashamed.

"S… Sorry sir," she stammered, and then walked away swiftly.

"Hey, wait!" Sessho-Maru called, "You didn't tell me… where I am yet…"

He sighed.

"Curses," he muttered.

He shook his head and then turned and continued to walk. He felt Inu-Yasha shift a little against him. Thankfully, he didn't wake.

x

As he continued to walk, he stepped off of the gray path and onto a much, much wider black one. He began to walk across it to the other side, but suddenly, he stopped. A large, rumbling creature was speeding down the path towards him, making a strange honking noise. The creature didn't seem to be alive; it seemed as if it were made of metal, and there were humans riding inside of it. The creature's artificial eyes were glowing, shining a large amount of light at Sessho-Maru.

"Hey jackass, get off of the road!" A human voice shouted from inside the creature.

Sessho-Maru didn't budge. The light shone in his eyes, and his pupils narrowed dangerously, the glimmer making his eyes shine gold. He bared his fangs threateningly. The creature, whatever it was, didn't come to its senses and try to avoid him. Instead, it kept coming. Sessho-Maru growled loudly, and when the creature was less than two meters away from him, he swiftly removed his hand from Inu-Yasha's head and lashed out at it. He raked his claws deeply along the front and punched down hard on the top, sending it into a vertical position, and then flying over his head where it landed upside down. He cringed slightly at the noise of the impact, and then turned away from it. He noticed that about twenty humans were staring at him, shock written across their faces. Screaming started once he began to walk away.

oOoOoOoO

Across town, Sessho-Maru was still trying to find someone who would tell him where he was. Outside a large building, he saw a small group of young females. Not seeing anyone else, he approached them. He coughed slightly and they turned to look at him. They began to grin slightly.

"Excuse me," he said, "I'm-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the females started to giggle. Sessho-Maru raised his eyebrow, a little confused.

"Totally hot?" One of the girls suggest, beaming.

"Uh… no…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, still a bit confused, "I am lost. Could you perhaps tell me where I am?"

The girls started to laugh again. Sessho-Maru became more confused.

"Well, you're in Tokyo, obviously," a second female chimed in.

"Tok… yo?" Sessho-Maru asked, perplexed, "Okay then…"

This obviously wasn't going to help him at all.

"Well… thank you," he said, turning to walk away, but one of the females grabbed his arm.

Sessho-Maru stopped, shocked.

_Why on earth is this human touching me?_ He wondered.

"No, c'mon, stay a while," the female said with a smile.

"Uh…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, jerking his arm from the girl's grasp, "No…"

"Why not?" one of them whined.

Sessho-Maru thought for a second. He jerked his head at Inu-Yasha.

"I need to take the whelp home."

Suddenly, all the girls looked even happier.

"Oh my god!" One of them exclaimed happily, "He's so cute! Kawaii!"

"Who, him?" Sessho-Maru asked, surprised, "He's cute? Since when?"

"Oh god, that's so adorable," another squealed, "Are you looking after him?"

Sessho-Maru nodded.

"Slightly," he muttered, "If I had the choice, I wouldn't be."

"Oh, he's cute!" one squeaked, only to be echoed by her friends.

"He's pathetic," Sessho-Maru stated simply.

"Oh, don't be so stingy!" A girl commented jokingly.

"But he is; he's a pathetic half-breed," Sessho-Maru muttered.

Annoyed with all the attention, Sessho-Maru turned to walk away.

"We love your tattoos!" A girl called after him.

Not understanding what they meant, he continued to walk.

"What's your phone number?" Another shouted.

"Phone?" Sessho-Maru asked.

oOoOoOoO

Sessho-Maru left the city as quickly as he could and darted back into the woods. This strange human society definitely was not to his liking at all. Through his search, he had accomplished nothing; he still didn't know where they were. Sighing, he leapt into the high branches of a tree and leaned back against it, closing his eyes and falling into a troubled sleep.


	6. Both InuYasha and Kagome’s Stubbornness

* * *

Chapter 5: Both Inu-Yasha and Kagome's Stubbornness

* * *

As Kagome led Inu-Yasha back to her house, she could tell, visibly, that his sugar high was going down quickly. He yawned maybe five times a minute. Also, she could see his eyelids drooping a little.

"Sleepy?" Kagome inquired as they headed up the street to her house.

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said, and then yawned again.

Kagome reached into her pocket and dug out the pack of M and M's she had bought for him. He immediately perked up.

"What's that?" he asked, smelling the chocolate.

"M and M's; they're yours," she said, placing the package in his hand.

"Really? You don't want any?" he asked.

"Nah," Kagome said.

She tore open the package for him, and he did exactly what she had thought he would do; attempt to chug them as well.

Kagome laughed as he swallowed, and she could see the sugar take affect almost immediately.

"Whoa… those were awesome!" he exclaimed.

"Thought you'd like 'em," Kagome said with a grin.

She grabbed his wrist again and helped him climb the steps up to the house. Kagome reached for the door, but then stopped, hesitating nervously. Inu-Yasha gave her a questioning look.

"Kag? What's up?" he asked.

She bit her lip.

"I… don't know if my dad's home or not," she explained, "If he is, he could be lurking somewhere… waiting to-"

"Oh, you mean he jumps out and… beats you?" Inu-Yasha asked quickly, sounding concerned.

"Well, he has," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha frowned.

"God… he sounds like a jackass," he muttered angrily, but then grinned.

"I got an idea," he stated proudly.

"Huh? What?" Kagome asked.

"Well I've… listened to those teen-help shows and… it seems the one thing that an abusive father can't stand is when his daughter gets a boyfriend," he explained.

"_What_?" Kagome asked.

"We gotta do some acting," Inu-Yasha continued, "You up to it?"

"Uh… yeah, if you think it'll work," Kagome said.

"Cool," he said, "Uh… And ignore anything weird I say in there, okay?"

"All part of the act?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," he said with a nod, "Let's get this over with."

"Yeah," Kagome said.

She opened the door and Inu-Yasha swiftly put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He grinned apologetically and they stepped inside. Kagome kicked the door closed behind them. She glanced around.

"He here?" Inu-Yasha asked softly.

"Can't tell," Kagome muttered.

Inu-Yasha frowned. Underneath his hat, his ears swiveled, searching for any other sign of life in the house. Someone had left the TV on loud, so it was hard to tell.

"Hmmm…" he muttered.

Kagome looked up at him, wondering what he was planning on doing. He cleared his throat.

"Hey, Kagome, babe," he said loudly, "So, where d'you wanna do this… like… Your room or, d'you just wanna use the couch?"

"Oh, whatever _you_ want," Kagome responded, trying to sound as if she was in love with him, "As long as it's now; I don't wanna wait anymore."

Kagome looked around and Inu-Yasha listened closely. There was no sign of anyone else there. They both sighed in relief and Inu-Yasha moved his arm from around Kagome.

"Guess he ain't here," Inu-Yasha commented, "Uh, sorry about that."

"About what?" Kagome asked as she pulled her boots off and kicked them into a cupboard near the door.

"Well, you just seem like the kind of person who'd rip a guy's face off for calling her 'babe' is all," Inu-Yasha said.

"You're right," Kagome laughed, "But that was fake, so forget about it."

Inu-Yasha nodded, and Kagome sighed.

"Once again, you're lucky you can't see this place; it's a mess," Kagome said.

"Oh, it can't be much worse than my room," he said.

Kagome shook her head.

"No, anything my dad touched has become contaminated; this place is a crap-hole," she said. "I'm gonna clean it later."

"Want help?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"No," Kagome said, shaking her head, "All I have to clean is the living room; his beer-slash-drooling lounge. It won't take long."

"You sure?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Uh-huh," she said. "God damned dirt bag."

She sighed.

"Okay, I'm gonna show you around the house now," she said, taking his hand.

x

Kagome quickly guided Inu-Yasha around the house, letting him feel his way along the walls and describing to him in great detail where everything was and if there was anything to be careful of.

"You can have my brother's room; he ain't here so he won't mind," Kagome said.

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said.

He flopped down onto the bed and glanced in Kagome's direction.

"You know Kagome… This is all really great of you, thanks," he said again.

"Don't mention it," Kagome said with a grin, "I'm going to clean that room now, okay? Just give a shout if you need anything."

Inu-Yasha nodded, and he closed his eyes as Kagome left the room. He listened to her go down the stairs, heard her pull a vacuum out of a closet and begin to clean the living room.

The sound rang through his sensitive ears painfully, and he scrunched his eyes shut and covered his ears. He suddenly felt as bad as that time he had accidentally chugged beer when he was fourteen and ended up being wasted for two days.

_Good lord, that sugar thing must be wearing off…_ he thought _Maybe I should've listened to Kagome when she said I'd get sick…_

_x_

When Kagome had finished cleaning the living room and ridding it of half-full beer bottles, she returned upstairs to check on Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha was facedown on his bed, looking as if he were unconscious.

"Uh, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

He groaned into the covers and covered his head.

"I feel _so_ wasted…" he muttered.

"I'm not surprised," Kagome said.

She sat down on the desk chair opposite from him and cut her eyes at him.

"That's what you get for chugging Coke like that, baka. I _told_ you," she chided.

"Oh _shut up_," he said, and then paused, "Fine, you were right; you happy now?"

"No," she said, "Baka, what was that? Don't tell me that was your first sugar high."

"Huh, is that what it's called?" he asked. "It was fun until I felt nauseous."

Kagome looked shocked.

"You've never been on a sugar high like that before? Holy crud," she said.

"I told you… brother's a control-freak," he grumbled, "Stupid-ass bastard…"

"Wow, _someone's_ grumpy," Kagome commented.

"Head hurts…" he muttered.

Inu-Yasha rolled over finally and sighed. He cringed and rubbed at his forehead.  
Kagome sighed and put her hand on his forehead to check if he had a fever. He was a little warm, but wasn't bad.

"Wait there," she ordered. "I'll get you something to make you feel better, okay?"

"Ugh… I don't see what you could do," he grumbled.

"You don't _see_ anything Inu-Yasha," Kagome pointed out.

She headed down the stairs and into the kitchen and Inu-Yasha sighed. After a few minutes, a bitter scent came wafting up the stairs.

Inu-Yasha inhaled it, and then started to cough and choke a little. Kagome reentered the room carrying two mugs of a steaming liquid and raised her eyebrow at Inu-Yasha.

"What's with you?" she asked.

He coughed as a reply and then sat up.

"Here," Kagome said, handing him one of the mugs, "It's hot."

Inu-Yasha sniffed at it, and then wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"What _is_ this shit?" he asked.

"That _shit_ is tea," Kagome stated.

She pulled the desk chair over beside the bed and sat down on it.

"It'll make you feel better. Drink it."

"It smells horrible," he grumbled.

"I know, but believe me, it tastes better than it smells," Kagome said, "Just drink it."

Inu-Yasha frowned at his tea and growled a little.

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome warned, "You don't drink it and I'm gonna force it down your throat."

"How?" he challenged.

"I have my ways," Kagome said wickedly.

Inu-Yasha could tell by the tone of her voice that she was only half-joking. He sniffed at the tea, growled again, and then reluctantly sipped at it. His eyes became round. Kagome had been right; it tasted a hell of a lot better than it smelled. It was kind of sweet, like honey.

"Whoa," he said, looking in Kagome's direction, "This is _good_ shit."

"Told you," Kagome said, carefully taking a swig of her own.

"This is tea?" Inu-Yasha asked as he sipped at it again, "It's _good_. Where'd you get it?"

"Didn't," Kagome said, "I made it."

"You _made_ it?"

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, "It's all herbs and stuff. My Grandpa taught me. You ever heard of Higurashi Shrine?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said.

"That's my real home; this place is only momentary. I'm supposed to be in training to be a miko, but I don't really want to be."

Inu-Yasha hid his surprise by taking another swig of tea.

_A miko…? Oh boy… I could be in trouble…_

"Why don't you want to be?" he inquired.

"Well," Kagome said slowly, "My Grandpa is always going on about youkai, right? He's all like, "Oh! They're gonna come back one day and you have to be ready to ward them off!"

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said.

He was starting to become a little nervous.

"But…" Kagome continued, "I never really listen to him because, well, I bet youkai are mostly just misunderstood. I bet you there were some that were, you know, not evil. Bad, but not evil. You get me?"

Inu-Yasha nodded, his worries diminishing a tiny bit.

"Do you… believe in youkai?" he asked slowly.

"Well, I believe that they used to be here," Kagome said, "I'm not sure where they went, but I think they existed at some point. And there might even be a few around still, who knows?"

Inu-Yasha nodded again.

"What do you think?" Kagome asked him.

Inu-Yasha wasn't sure what to say. He bit his lip a little.

"I agree with you," he said after a brief pause.

All of a sudden, he had the insane thought to just reveal himself to Kagome right then. It would be kind of funny.

_Of course I believe in youkai Kag, you know why? Because I am one! Hah!_

Inside his head, he saw the image of himself whipping his hat off to expose his dog-ears to Kagome. He could almost hear her "HOLY SHIT!"

Inu-Yasha didn't let himself smile with amusement, and decided against it. He'd tell Kagome one day, just not out of the blue like that; that would be stupid.

x

"Feeling better?" Kagome asked him suddenly.

Inu-Yasha's head tilted slightly with puzzlement.

"What d'you mean?"

"You said you had a headache," Kagome pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "It's… gone."

"Told you," Kagome said smugly.

"Um… sorry about being a bit of a jackass earlier," Inu-Yasha said. "I get… kinda grouchy sometimes."

"Whatever," Kagome said, shrugging. "You done?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and handed her the mug.

"I'm going downstairs now, if you need me," Kagome said.

"I'll come with you," he said quickly, jumping to his feet.

The quick movement made the bullet wound in his leg burn. He frowned, not understanding.

_It was fine before… What the hell?_

He sighed and limped after Kagome as she went down the stairs. Feeling his way along the wall, when Inu-Yasha tried to go down the stairs after her, his injured leg gave out, and with a cry of dismay he plummeted face first down the stairs.

"Good lord!" Kagome shouted, almost dropping the mugs.

She put the mugs down on the floor and rushed to Inu-Yasha's side.

"Holy crap, are you okay?" she demanded.

He moaned as an answer and Kagome grabbed him under the arms and hauled him to his feet.

"What happened?" she demanded, "Did you trip?"

He shook his head.

"You know how I showed you my chest earlier? You know the cuts and stuff?" he said.

"Yeah," Kagome said.

"They hurt my leg too."

"Shit…" Kagome muttered, "Why didn't you say something"  
He shrugged.

"It didn't hurt till now," he admitted.

"Baka…" Kagome muttered.

x

Swiftly, she guided Inu-Yasha to the now sanitized living room and forced him down on the sofa.

"Sit there. Rest for a bit," she ordered.

He nodded and growled quietly with pain. Wincing, he slid his hand under his shirt. When he touched his chest, his wounds began to ache. He then moved his hand to near his face. He could smell that it was drenched in his blood. He wiped it on his jeans. He sank back into the pillows and sighed, the pain in his chest becoming slightly worst.

"Inu-Yasha, you okay?" Kagome asked him.

"I'm fine," he said.

"You sure? Remember, you showed me the wounds in your chest. Don't they hurt?" she questioned.

"No," Inu-Yasha lied.

"Sure," Kagome said, obviously not believing him, "You want me to call a doctor?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he couldn't help a nervous twitch.

"No," he said quickly, "No doctors… God, I can't stand doctors."

Kagome raised her eyebrow a little.

"Big tough guy's scared of doctors now?" she asked.

"Hey, shut up," he said jokingly, "No… I've just had, you know, bad experiences in the past."

In truth, Inu-Yasha was terrified of doctors, though he had never been to one, and for good reason too. He would have been insane to even try to go to the doctor; he would be found out in an instant.

Kagome frowned a little, concerned.

"Okay then, no doctors," Kagome said, "But _someone_ needs to treat your wounds."  
Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I'll be fine Kagome, don't worry about me."

"Hah, yeah right," Kagome scoffed.

"Kagome-"

"Hey, I'll do it for you if you won't go to a doctor," she suggested.

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said, "I guess that'd work. You know how?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Well," Kagome said, sighing, "Let's just say that my father owned knifes and really didn't like me very much."

Inu-Yasha couldn't help but look surprised as Kagome left the room to get Polysporen and bandages and a wet rag.

_Your dad hurt you with knifes Kagome? Oh man, why don't you say something to the police or something?_ He wondered.

"Kagome?" he called.

"Yeah?" she answered as she pulled a long roll of bandages out of the medicine cabinet in the washroom.

"If your dad hurts you, why don't you tell someone, huh?"

"Well, I told _you_ didn't I?" she replied.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow as Kagome reentered the room.

"What, you mean like the police or something?" she asked. "Someone who could do something about it?"

"Yeah, someone like that," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome sighed quietly.

"Because… it's… not really my style, I… can't ask for help, that's not what I do," she said.

"Baka, but you could actually get killed," he commented.

"Well, you don't know me very well yet Inu-Yasha," Kagome told him, "But… I can handle myself mostly. I mean, I have since I was about three."

Inu-Yasha was silent, looking a little troubled for Kagome's sake.

_She's insane,_ he thought, _but… I guess I really should help her out. I mean… I am a hanyou; I'd be strong enough to take this guy on._

"You're crazy," he muttered.

"So are you," she retorted.

"Heh, and together we make one big psychopath!" Inu-Yasha said with a grin.

"Nice," Kagome said with a short laugh, "That could work."

She sat beside him on the couch and looked down at the bandages in her hand and then to Inu-Yasha.

"Dude, take your shirt off," she said.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "What d'you mean 'take my-"

"Yo, I'm not hitting on you, I need to treat those gashes or they're gonna get infected," she explained.

"Oh, oh right," Inu-Yasha said.

He quickly pulled both his sweatshirt and t-shirt off, exposing his bare skin to Kagome. She winced, but to her surprise, the long gashes across Inu-Yasha's chest looked better than they had that morning.

"So… uh, they bad?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Well, they actually look a little better," Kagome said.

She hesitantly reached towards him and lightly touched one of the cuts. Inu-Yasha shivered and drew in a breath sharply, grabbing her hand.

"Ah," he said quietly, "Your hand's cold."

"Oh, sorry," she said.

She withdrew her hand and blew on it a little to warm it and rubbed it with her shirt. She then pulled up the wet rag.

"I'm starting now, cool?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, nodding.

x

Tentatively, Kagome dabbed at Inu-Yasha's wounds with the wet rag, cleaning them off. He shivered slightly but didn't complain. She then squeezed a little bit of Polysporen from its tube onto the ends of her fingers. She reached to him and lightly spread the ointment over the gash that looked the worst. He winced, but still said nothing.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, this is nothing; I've had worse," he said.

"Worse?" Kagome demanded, "Like what?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged as Kagome spread the ointment over his other wounds.

"You don't need to do this you know; I'll do it," Inu-Yasha said.

"Yeah right," Kagome said, "you won't see a doctor, and you can't see, so how could you do this yourself?"

"Keh…" he muttered quietly.

Kagome shook her head. Her hand moved to one near his shoulder, but then she noticed a different one that wasn't a gash.

"What's this?" she asked quietly, touching the separate wound gently.

"Erg…" Inu-Yasha growled quietly, "That hurts…"

"Sorry," Kagome said, "But what-"

"It's a bullet," Inu-Yasha said quietly, "I don't know if it's still in there or not…"

"A bullet!" Kagome exclaimed loudly, "How…? You got shot? Why the hell didn't you say something?"

"Because I can't ask for help, that's not what I do," he said.

"Oh, hah hah, very funny," Kagome said sarcastically, "And you called me baka. Getting shot's different than getting slashed, you know."

"Not really," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome just shook her head.

"Baka," she hissed again. "How the hell do I treat a bullet wound?"

"Just check if the bullet's still there, okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, okay, fine," Kagome said.

She carefully peered over the wound in his shoulder, but it didn't seem as if the bullet was still in him.

"I think it's gone," she stated.

"Good," he said.

Kagome couldn't help but shake her head again.

"So… what exactly did you do for them to want to kill you?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…" Inu-Yasha lied, "I know they did tests on me at one point… When they caught me two years ago."

"Why?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged with one shoulder. Kagome shook her head. She knew he wasn't telling her the complete truth, but if it was hard to talk about, she wasn't going to press him for answers.

"You _moron_," she muttered in irritation, "That's it, I'm calling the doctor."

She stood up, but Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in horror.

"No!" he exclaimed loudly, and then lowered his voice a bit, "No. Just… keep going, you're doing good. We're almost done, right?

"I… think so," Kagome said.

Biting her lip, she carefully bandaged his shoulder. He growled quietly.

"Are you all right?" she asked once again.

He nodded and winced. Kagome then looked him over again, about to bandage his chest. She laid her hand on a gash close to his ribs. He suddenly cried out in pain. Kagome, shocked, jerked her hand away.

"Oh God, sorry!" she said, "I thought you said it didn't hurt!"

"It's not the cut…" he whispered.

"Then what hurts, baka?" Kagome demanded.

"My ribs," he panted, "Holy crap…"

Kagome frowned and then stared at his ribs intently. There was one spot where his dried blood was caking his skin and there was a tiny white spot poking out of his flesh.

"Oh God!" she cried out suddenly.

She then realized what it was. She could see the bone poking through his skin because his rib was broken. She felt like she was about to wretch.

"Oh my God… Why the hell…? How could you have gone all day without complaining?"

"It didn't hurt if I didn't touch it," he said quietly.

Kagome smacked herself in the forehead.

"Idiot!" she muttered in irritation, "What the hell am I going to do with you?"

"You'll have to knock it back in place," he said.

"What?" Kagome demanded, "_What_?"

"Push hard on my ribs until you hear a snap; then it'll be okay to bandage it," Inu-Yasha continued.

"But… won't that hurt?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "It'll hurt like a bitch but… it'll get better faster that way."  
Kagome sighed.

"Okay, fine," she muttered, "Just don't scream in my ear, okay?"

"I won't," he assured her.

Kagome braced herself and then lightly laid her hand on Inu-Yasha's ribs. He winced and shuddered slightly.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome braced herself, and then pushed hard on Inu-Yasha's ribs. She could see his eyes widen with the pain of it. He bit his hand hard, trying not to shout. Kagome cringed and pushed harder until she heard a soft snap. With the bone pushed back in place, Inu-Yasha's ribs began to bleed heavily again. He stopped biting his hand and sat there, growling in agony.

"God…" he panted quietly, "Like I said, hurts like a bitch."

"I'm so sorry," Kagome said.

"Feh. Don't be, you did good," Inu-Yasha assured her.

"You're bleeding again," she told him.

"I know."

Kagome cringed and then lightly dabbed at the blood with a wet rag, and then bandaged the rest of Inu-Yasha's wounds quickly. They both sighed.

"Done?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said, "Holy shit… You should've told me earlier, you idiot."

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Thanks for doing that," he said.

"No prob, baka," Kagome said with a grin.

She picked up Inu-Yasha's t-shirt from where he discarded it and looked it over.

"Holy shit," she muttered, shaking her head as she looked at all the blood on it, "Did this used to be white?"

"I think so," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome sighed.

"I'd better wash your clothes then," she stated.

"Um… Kagome, I don't have anything but what I'm wearing," Inu-Yasha pointed out embarrassedly.

"I think I may have some old slacks and a t-shirt that'll fit you," Kagome said.

"I can't wear _girl_ clothes Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

"Uh… they aren't," she said, "I have mostly guy's shirts that I use as pajamas. They're way too big for me. I'll just get you a plain one, okay? And I'll see if my dad has any pants that he hasn't worn yet."

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said gratefully.

x

Leaving Inu-Yasha on the couch, Kagome quickly bounded up the stairs and into her room. She shuffled through her drawers until she found a large black t-shirt, one that was big enough to fit Inu-Yasha.

She then, reluctantly, went into her father's room. She was lucky; he almost never used it because he was always too drunk on the sofa to move very much. The room was still freakishly messy, with clothes strewn all over the place and empty beer cans littering the floor.

"Great… now I gotta clean this crap up as well…" she grumbled.

Kicking some of his magazines out of the way and wading through the ankle deep piles of clothes, Kagome eventually found a large pair of clean, dark blue slacks that she presumed would fit Inu-Yasha.

_They'll big a bit baggy for him though, _Kagome thought, _My father is a fatass._

Sighing, she eagerly left the room and slammed the door behind her, and then rushed down the stairs to Inu-Yasha. He looked up from poking himself with his claws as she entered.

"Kag? You find anything?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "Dark blue slacks and a black t-shirt, have fun."

She shoved the clothes into his arms and then pushed him into the washroom to change. He only emerged almost ten minutes later, with the shirt on backwards.  
"Baka," she said, "You're kinda backwards there."

"Oh, am I?" he asked, and then quickly took off the t-shirt and flipped it around. "S'not my fault; I can't see."

"I know," she said, patting him on the back, "How about we skip school tomorrow and go buy you some new clothes. And some shoes."

"Oh yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "That would kinda help. Thanks."

"No prob, I'll pay for you, okay?"

"No!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

He quickly shoved his jeans into her arms.

"There's money in my pockets. A lot of it. Just use that, okay? Please, I'm begging you!"

Kagome looked a little startled as to why he cared so much, but finally gave in and nodded.

"Okay, okay fine, sheesh!"

She then eyed him worriedly.

"How's your leg? I didn't get to give you anything for it yet."

"It's fine; it's better," Inu-Yasha lied.

"You should go to bed," Kagome suggested, "You looked exhausted."

Inu-Yasha was about to protest, but then he yawned as he opened his mouth.

Kagome laughed.

"See?" she said.

She took his hand and led him up the stairs to his room.

"Go!" she said, pushing him in, "Frick, you need rest."

Inu-Yasha nodded and yawned again.

"Good. Good night," Kagome said quickly.

Before she could close the door on him, he grabbed it.

"Kagome?" he asked.

"Yeah, what?" she replied.

"Thank you. For everything."

Kagome smirked.

"Stop thanking me and go to bed!" she said loudly.

She gave Inu-Yasha a gentle shove.

"Go!" she said again. "I'll see you in the morning."

Inu-Yasha nodded and moved away from the door. Kagome closed it on him.

"Jeez…" she muttered as she walked away, shaking her head. "Baka…"

* * *


	7. Full Youkai InuYasha VS The Soap Of Terr...

* * *

Chapter 6: Full Youkai Inu-Yasha VS The Soap Of Terror

* * *

When Inu-Yasha awoke in the morning, he had to clap his hands over his mouth to keep from crying out in shock.

After falling into such a deep sleep for the first time in days, he had forgotten that he was blind.

He sighed sadly and rubbed his forehead, and then reached to his side where he had placed his hat. It was a pity that he had woken up; he had been having such a nice dream too.

x

He had been in a forest, and he could see. He could see his old girlfriend, Kikyo, standing near to him. She had an arrow cocked in her bowstring, pointing at him like she had done once before.

Inu-Yasha had let a malevolent grin play across his lips, as if he had known something that she didn't.

"Die, Inu-Yasha!" Kikyo had shouted.

She had released the arrow, and it pierced him through the chest as it had last time, but now, it didn't hurt at all. In fact, he hadn't even been bleeding. He had smirked at her.

"Wow Kikyo, you get worse and worse at this every time," he had sneered.

He then felt his body altering, felt himself getting stronger. He had raised his lengthening claws and beamed at her. A look of complete horror spread across her face.

"You sent me through hell last time Kikyo," he had said, grinning at her and cracking his knuckles, "I think it's about time I repaid the favor."

Swiftly, he had rushed at Kikyo, had slashed her through the chest with his claws, had killed her. He had stood above her corpse, laughing, not feeling any guilt or remorse for the bitch who had intended to kill him and had put him through something much worse than death instead.

All because he was a hanyou.

x

Inu-Yasha smiled to himself as he remembered that dream. He knew it was rather evil, and completely homicidal, but it made him feel better seeing Kikyo dead, even if it was only in his dreams.

What he wanted was revenge. In his dreams, he could have it over a million times if he wanted to.

He sighed, but then winced as the old arrow wound in his chest began to throb, as it always did when he thought of Kikyo. It was like a curse. He put his hand over it and growled quietly.

Then, he slid out of bed and put his hat back on to conceal his ears. He felt like he needed a good, long shower.

Then, feeling a little guilty because Kagome might feel that she had to clean up after him, he attempted to make his bed at least well enough that it didn't look like a bird's nest anymore.

He placed his hand on his wall and felt his way out of the room. As he opened his door, his foot hit something soft. Raising his eyebrow and cocking his ears in puzzlement, he squatted to find what it was. Judging by the feel of it, it was his clothes folded into a pile.

_Kagome must've washed them and put them here for me_, he thought, letting a smile play across his face, _Wow, that was nice of her._

He could also feel something else; some more cloth, which he presumed, was a towel. He smiled again and picked up the clothes and started to carry them down the stairs, though his foot got caught on a rug and he fell again with a yelp, dropping them at the foot of the stairs.

He landed heavily on his broken ribs and then continued to fall face first down the stairs. He flipped and landed painfully on his back, both hands clapped tightly over his mouth so that he wouldn't cry out in agony.

He lay there for a little while, breathing heavily through his nose and then slowly lowered his hands from his mouth when he was sure he wasn't going to scream. He didn't want to wake Kagome.

"Shit… That hurt…" he groaned, forcing himself onto his knees.

He clutched at his ribs and growled quietly for a few more minutes until the feeling that he was being stabbed there was replaced by a sore ache. Then he felt around for the clothes that he had dropped, and found that he had landed on them.

x

Curiously, he felt inside the pockets of his jeans to see if his money was still there, hoping that Kagome hadn't accidentally put it through the wash. If she had, he would've just lost over two hundred bucks. There was nothing in his pockets however, and he sighed in relief.

When he managed to stand again, he had to find the wall to feel his way to the washroom and he nearly tripped over another carpet.

Cursing quietly, he managed to guide himself to the washroom and he opened the door and stepped inside. He put his clothes in the sink so that he would be able to find them easier when he was done.

Pulling off his shirt, he had to tear off the bandages that covered most of his torso. He found that his ribs were bleeding again. He sighed and rolled his eyes in irritation. Reaching out a hand, he walked forward until he managed to find the bathtub and shower. He felt his way up the wall for the faucet, and then turned it on to test the water's temperature. What he was not aware of was how hot the water was.

He stuck his hand under the running water to test it, and pulled it back quickly, howling with pain.

"SHIT! DAMN! HOLY CRAP! FUCK!"

This was definitely not his day.

x

Kagome shot up in bed quickly as she heard Inu-Yasha screaming curses from downstairs.

"What the hell is he doing?" she wondered aloud.

She leapt out of bed quickly and opened her door. The carpet in the hallway was a mess.

"Good lord, he must've tripped on it!" She muttered to herself.

She picked it up and threw it into a corner of her room and then rushed down the stairs to find Inu-Yasha.

"Inu-Yasha?" she shouted, looking around for him.

She could hear his curses echoing again down the hall and realized he must be in the bathroom.

"Inu-Yasha!" she yelled, a little worried, and then ran down the hall and threw the door open.

Inu-Yasha was in the bathroom, half-naked and about to take off his pants. His eyes widened and he let out a startled yell. Kagome yelled too and slammed the door shut again, falling backwards onto her tailbone painfully.

Inu-Yasha too, had taken a step backwards and fallen over, tripping over the side of the tub and landing on his butt, hitting his head against the wall. He moaned in agony.

"Craaaaap…" he groaned.

"Oh God, Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry," Kagome said as she stood, "I just heard you screeching and I thought something was wrong."

"I just burned my hand," he said weakly, "Ow…"

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked gently.

"I'll be fine… eventually," he muttered, "Thanks for caring enough to see if I was dying or not."

Kagome laughed weakly.

"You want help?" she asked.

"Nope…" Inu-Yasha said slowly. "I'll live, I think."

"Okay…" Kagome said, unconvinced, "If you need me, scream. I'll be making coffee."

"Sure," Inu-Yasha replied.

x

He heard Kagome walk away from the door and could smell the coffee as she began to make it. It smelled good.

Slowly, Inu-Yasha managed to force himself to his feet and out of the tub. He quickly dropped the rest of his clothes, including his hat, which he left near the sink, and then stepped back into the tub.

Kagome had taught him how to work the shower the previous day; all he had to do was pull the tap towards him. He pulled the shower curtains in front of the tub and then turned on the shower.

The hot water hit his wounds and they all stung horribly. Inu-Yasha growled softly.

"God damn," he muttered.

He pressed his ears flat against his skull so as not to get too much water in them and wet his hair thoroughly. It actually felt kind of nice, but now he was soaking.

Then, he ran his hand along the wall. Kagome had told him that there was a plastic shelf there that held the soap.

Inu-Yasha felt around for it, and found it. He grabbed the soap and tried to clean himself off a little with it, but then it slipped from his fingers and landed at the bottom of the tub.

"Crap," Inu-Yasha growled.

He squatted in the tub, feeling around for the soap. When he couldn't find it, he sighed and stood up straight again. He moved his foot a little, but then it accidentally landed on the soap that he had been trying to find. With a yell of dismay, he lost his footing because of the soap and fell backwards, hitting his head hard on the wall once more.

"Damn!" he cursed, and tried to stand, but slipped on the soap again and his head clunked back against the wall.

"GOD DAMN YOU, SOAP!" He hollered angrily.

He lunged forward, trying to grab the soap, but again it slipped out of reach and Inu-Yasha found himself facedown in warm water at the bottom of the tub.

"Fuck!" He snarled, pushing himself upright.

As he stood, he slipped backwards for a third time, bruising himself against the soap's shelf.

"That's it, you goddamn bastard!" he screamed at the soap, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

He had half-a-mind to just use his Iron Reaver on the damn thing, but as he took a step forward, the soap caught him again and sent him face first into the wall, knocking his head against another rack that held Kagome's shampoo.

Kagome's citrus shampoo was knocked over and its cap snapped open. A bit of shampoo ran down onto Inu-Yasha's head and flowed into his right ear, which was now perked up with anger. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened.

"GOOD LORD!" he cried, "OH GOD, IT'S IN MY EAR! OH GOD, OH GOD!"

x

Kagome heard Inu-Yasha's screams and rushed to the bathroom door, but didn't barge in this time because she knew that he was naked.

"Inu-Yasha!" she called through the door, "What's wrong?"

"THE GODDAMNED SHAMPOO'S IN MY EAR! OH GOD, IT FUCKING BURNS, KAGOME!" he screeched.

"Wash it out with water, moron!" Kagome shouted.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Inu-Yasha yelled back.

"Yes!" Kagome called, "Just do it, baka!"

"OKAY, OKAY, I'M DOING IT! OW!"

Inu-Yasha grabbed the tip of his ear and held it up under the water so that it could flow in and wash the shampoo out. Then, a shiver went up Inu-Yasha's spine and he couldn't help himself; he shook himself off like a dog.

_Goddamn, why didn't I remember I do that if I get a lot of water in my ears?_ He asked himself angrily.

He heard Kagome sigh, sounding a little worried, and then walk away from the door.

"THAT'S IT BASTARD SOAP!" He snarled, "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!"

Inu-Yasha again lunged for the soap, but missed again, and was sent face first into the wall so hard that he felt as if his brain were rattled. He moaned, so dazed that he was unable to form words.

He blinked a few times, and the dazed feeling faded. The only feeling left in him was anger, and a will to destroy that damn bar of soap. He didn't notice, but his eyed faded from amber into a deep red, and a purple stripe appeared under each of them. His nails lengthened, as did his fangs.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" he roared.

Faster now, the full youkai Inu-Yasha lunged for the bar of soap one last time. His claws sunk into it deeply. A wicked grin played across his face, and he then proceeded to tear the soap into shreds with his claws and fangs. When he was done, he turned his attention to the citrus shampoo that had gone in his ear.

With a loud snarl, he grabbed it. He made as if to try to strangle the thing, but it sprayed a bunch of cold, excess water that was inside it into his face. The shock rattled him and the red faded from his eyes almost as swiftly as it had appeared.

Confused, he replaced the shampoo on it's side on the rack, but then slipped again on the shred of soap, landing hard on his back.

"That's it!" he moaned in despair.

He sat up on his knees and leaned halfway out of the tub, his ears drooping.

"That's it! I give up!" he said.

He groaned and the rolled over, and then, a small drop of citrus shampoo fell from the bottle and into his eyes.

"HOLY FUCK!"

x

Inu-Yasha stood swiftly and tried to rinse the shampoo out of his eye, but it hardly worked.

"HOLY FUCK!" He yelled again, "GOOD GOD! MY EYE! OH GOD, I'M GONNA GO BLINDER THAN I ALREADY AM! HOLY CRAAAAAP!"

He stumbled out of the shower and turned it off, and then fumbled for his towel. He dabbed tenderly at his eye, whimpering and growling with the pain of it. After a while, he managed to get dressed. He heard Kagome bang on the door.

"Yo, you'd better not be dead in there," she warned.

"Good God, I wish I was," he moaned miserably.

He opened the door, though when he did, he collapsed onto the ground at Kagome's feet, whimpering.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked worriedly, "What the hell happened? Your face is all bruised."

He moaned and she squatted beside him.

"I'm sorry Kagome," he panted, "I think I killed your soap…"

* * *


	8. The Mall

Chapter 7: The Mall

Inu-Yasha sat on Kagome's couch, whimpering quietly and trying to nurse both his eye and his pride.

"Oh, for God's sake man!" Kagome exclaimed, "What did you do to yourself?"

She sat beside him, and then after hesitating for an instant, gently rubbed his back to try to comfort him.

"I fell," he muttered.

"On what? A giant bruising machine? Good lord…"

She lightly dabbed at the bruises on his face with a rag. He cringed a bit and sunk back into the cushions, groaning a little.

"What the hell were you doing in there?" Kagome asked.

"Trying to take a shower," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "But it seems _someone_ didn't want me to."

"Who, me?" Kagome asked, startled.

"No," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "The divine powers that control whether I die or not. That and that fucking bar of soap…"

He shook his head.

"I swear to God, that was worse than getting shot twice in a row…"

"Twice!" Kagome exclaimed, startled, "What the hell?"

"Oops… did I say that out loud?" Inu-Yasha wondered, his face reddening a little.

"Yeah, you did," Kagome said, scowling at him, "What the hell is with you? You get beaten up by a bar of soap and some shampoo, and now you're telling me you got shot not once, but twice? Holy shit…"

"It's fine Kagome, honestly," Inu-Yasha insisted.

"Where is it?" she demanded, "Show me."

"On my leg…" Inu-Yasha said, "How do I show you if I don't take my-"

"Roll up the leg of your jeans," Kagome ordered.

"But-"

"NOW."

Inu-Yasha sighed, nodded, and then reluctantly rolled up the leg of his pants, exposing the bullet wound to Kagome. Kagome cringed, and felt like she was about to hit him for not telling her. It had become infected, and was purple and swollen.

"How the fuck did you walk on this?" she asked quietly.

She touched it gently, and Inu-Yasha's whole body shook. She looked at him, now more worried than before, and rushed into the washroom to once again retrieve some Polysporen from the medicine cabinet.

When she returned, she found Inu-Yasha picking at the bullet wound with his claws and wincing.

"Stop touching it; you'll just make it worse," she said.

"Umm… I think the bullet's still in there Kag," he said, "It's a little sore."

Kagome whacked her self in the forehead.

_Okay, either this guy had no nerves, has the highest pain tolerance of anyone on the planet, or he's just fricking mental._

She decided to go with the last two. Inu-Yasha looked at her hopefully.

"D'you think… maybe you could get it out for me?" He asked.

Kagome sighed.

"Sure. Why not?" she said half sarcastically.

She stared intently at his wound, and was positive she could see something hard and metallic wedged in it.

"Moron," Kagome whispered.

Hesitating for a moment, Kagome stared at the wound, wondering how to go about pulling the bullet from it. Her eyes traced to her claw-like fingernails. Maybe those could be of use? Cringing, she swiftly jabbed her long nails into the wound, hooked the bullet, and yanked it out. Inu-Yasha let out a quiet yelp, but then looked relieved.

"Wow, that feels better, arigato," he said, grinning.

"Yeah, but now it's bleeding again," she commented, dabbing at it with the wet rag and then spreading some Polysporen over it.

"Want me to bandage it?" Kagome inquired.

"Nah, I'm good thanks," Inu-Yasha said.

He rolled his pant leg back down and placed his foot on the ground.

"Yeah, that feels way better," he said. "I owe you for this."

"Whatever," Kagome said with a shrug.

She left the room quickly to rinse her hands off and then flush the bullet down the toilet. When she returned, she found Inu-Yasha rubbing tenderly at his eye. There were tears on his face.

"What the hell?" Kagome asked, startled, "Why're you crying?"

"I'm crying?" he asked, puzzled.

"Hai, baka, look…"

She wiped the tears from his face with her hand. Inu-Yasha looked puzzled.

"Must be that damned shampoo," he said, "Ow. My eye."

"Okay, that's it, I'm just buying that body wash stuff for you from now on," she said, "Hopefully you ain't gonna kill yourself with that. And no more citrus shampoo."

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement and wiped his eyes, finding that there were indeed tears on his face.

"Wow, that's stupid," he said.

x

Soon after the two had arrived at the mall via taxi, Inu-Yasha was once again clutching so tightly to Kagome's hand that he was crushing it. Kagome had almost gotten used to it.

"Nervous again?" she asked.

"How could you tell?" he asked, puzzled.

"Fingers," she said simply.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he swiftly loosened his grip on her.

"Gomen," he said, "I can't help it… You know-"

"Being in the open make you nervous, yeah, I know," Kagome said, cutting him off.

He smiled embarrassedly.

"Umm… Thanks for putting up with me," he said.

"No prob," she replied.

"You… have my money, right?" he inquired.

"Hai," Kagome said, "You want to have it back now?"

"No," Inu-Yasha said, "You could pay for my stuff with it I guess."

"Pah!" Kagome said, "I have money too you know."

"Yeah, but clothes are expensive," Inu-Yasha pointed out.

Kagome sighed.

"You're right. And we are gonna have to get you a whole new wardrobe."

Inu-Yasha looked a little startled.

"What d'you mean _wardrobe_?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged.

"You know, some jeans, a couple of shirts, a coat for when it gets colder... But you have to get your own boxers dude."

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said, his cheeks reddening a little, "I thought you meant _wardrobe_, wardrobe…"

"What? What's that mean?" Kagome asked.

"I mean stuff that matches and crap," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome raised her eyebrow at him and then laughed.

"What? You're nuts," she teased, "Unless you care… But I'm warning you, I have almost no colour sense when it comes to clothing."

"No, I don't care," Inu-Yasha stated quickly. "I mean, what's it matter to a blind guy anyhow?"

"Oh, come on," Kagome said cheerfully, giving his a reassuring pat on the back, "You'll get your vision back. Soon."

"What gives you that idea?" Inu-Yasha asked, his brow knitting a little.

Kagome shrugged.

"It's just a feeling, but I don't think this'll last too long, maybe a month or three…"

"Oh wonderful," Inu-Yasha said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What if I never get my vision back?"

"Well," Kagome said, "I guess you and I'll be stuck together for a while then."

_I could live with that, I think,_ Inu-Yasha thought.

"Feh…" he grumbled quietly, "Damned blindness."

x

Swiftly, as they entered the main part of the mall, Kagome led Inu-Yasha into the first clothing store that didn't appear to be infested with females.

"So Inu-Yasha, what colours of stuff do you want?" Kagome asked.

"I dunno, anything that ain't really bright," Inu-Yasha said, shrugging.

"Gotcha," Kagome said, "I'll find you stuff."

"Need any help?" a salesclerk asked as he approached them.

"Yeah," Kagome said, pointing at Inu-Yasha, "He's blind, could you help him find some boxers?"

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha said indignantly.

The salesclerk grinned and steered Inu-Yasha by the shoulders to the other end of the store.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of your brother," he called.

_Brother?_ Kagome thought amusedly,_ Okay, that's kinda funny._

Kagome then turned and look through the clothes on the shelves and racks for things that'd fit Inu-Yasha. After she had found him three pairs of jeans and a red t-shirt, he walked back over to her. His face was red with embarrassment.

"Found any _Bro_?" she asked, snickering a little.

"Umm… yeah, actually," Inu-Yasha said a little shyly. "What, am I supposed to pretend you're my sister now?"

"Nah," Kagome said, "That was just funny is all."

"Oh. You find anything?"

"Uh-huh," Kagome said as she pulled another two t-shirts and a black sweatshirt off the wrack, "I think we're almost done. Could you hold these?"

Before she got an answer, she shoved Inu-Yasha's pile of clothes into his arms. Feeling the weight, he raised his eyebrow a little.

"Going a little nuts, are we?" he inquired.

Kagome laughed.

"I just don't really want to come back," she explained.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said understandingly.

Then, the salesclerk reappeared.

"Would you like me to put those at the counter for you?" he inquired.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Kagome said, and so the man took the clothes from Inu-Yasha and put them at the sales counter.

"Now all we gotta do is find you a coat and we're done," Kagome said. "You like leather?"

"Um… I dunno," Inu-Yasha said, "Why?"

"Oh, there's just this leather jacket here and I think it'd look good on you is all," she said absently, "Wanna try it on, see if it's any good?"

"I… guess that'd be cool," Inu-Yasha said with a shrug.

"Okay," Kagome said.

She took the jacket from where it lay and handed it to him.

"Put it on for a sec, will ya?" she asked.

He looked a little puzzled and then nodded, pulling on the jacket. It was actually fairly warm, which was good.

"So?" he asked.

"So what?" Kagome replied.

"Uh… how do I look?"

"Very cool," Kagome said with a grin, "You wanna get it?"

"Sure, it's pretty comfy, so…" he said, and he took it off and handed it to Kagome.

x

Kagome then proceeded to the counter and paid for Inu-Yasha's clothes, though he was jabbing her in the ribs the whole time to make sure that she would use his money instead of her own.

"So…" Kagome said as the left the store, "D'you you want to hang out, or go home?"

"Whichever, but can we get some food first?" Inu-Yasha asked hopefully.

"Oh, that's right, you baka, you didn't eat breakfast, did you?" she asked, lightly punching his uninjured shoulder. "That was super smart."

"Hey, shut up," he said jokingly, giving her a gentle shove. "Did _you_ eat breakfast?"

"No," Kagome admitted, "But I did have coffee. You want to buy some coffee?"

"Coffee?" Inu-Yasha asked, cocking his head, "Is coffee good?"

Kagome looked aghast.

"Holy shit, don't tell me you've never had coffee!" she exclaimed.

"Fine, I won't," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome hit him lightly with the bag of clothes.

"Baka!" she exclaimed, "First, no Ramen, then no sugar highs and now no coffee? Good lord, I need to shout at your brother."

Inu-Yasha smirked as he imagined his brother Sessho-Maru getting his eardrums burst by a human girl yelling at him.

That would be hilarious.

x

They continued walking, Inu-Yasha doing his best to not crush Kagome's hand again. Suddenly, to his right, he caught a familiar scent, but not a good one. He heard a male voice trying to buy cigarettes. Inu-Yasha stiffened and released Kagome's hand.

_That voice! And that scent! Good God!_ Inu-Yasha thought, his eyes widening with horror.

That was the voice of someone who had been chasing him the night he was blinded. Inu-Yasha went a little pale and slumped against the wall; he needed to find some way to hide.

"Kagome," he hissed quickly, "Kagome I need you."

Kagome turned to look at him, a little puzzled.

"What?"

"C'mere," he said quietly, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest as if he were embracing her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Sh-h-h," he said, a quiet urgency to his voice, "Quick, I need to pretend to kiss you."  
"_What_?" she said, but had lowered her voice as well. "Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just, please? I'm begging you."

"Whatever," Kagome said, baffled, "Sure."

Inu-Yasha sighed in relief and the smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," he said, "You're the best Kag."

He turned her swiftly so that her back was to the wall and then put his lips to hers, but did nothing more. Kagome, deciding that it was best to play along, for whatever reason, tried to make it look as if she was kissing him as well. Inu-Yasha held the fake kiss until he could smell the scent of the man moving further away. He then quickly pulled away from Kagome.

"God… I'm sorry," he said quickly, his cheeks reddening with shame.

"What was that about?" Kagome asked.

"I heard a voice of someone who was there when I was blinded," he said at a whisper, "I needed to hide my face. Gomen."

"Oh…" Kagome said, suddenly understanding, "I get it now. That's okay."  
She punched him lightly.

"But don't ever do it again without telling me why, baka."

"I won't," he assured her, "Gomen, I just couldn't think of anything else to do."

"That's okay," Kagome said again.

She took his hand.

"C'mon baka, let's get coffee."

x

As they entered the food court, which was all but empty, Kagome dropped Inu-Yasha's hand again, knowing that he would stay close. She noticed that there were some guys around Inu-Yasha's age staring at her.

She gave them a cold glare. They started to snicker and one made a kissy face at her. Kagome rolled her eyes and gave them the finger, which just made them laugh more. Inu-Yasha glanced at her and held her hand, trying to calm her down a little.

"Getting mad at someone?" he asked at a whisper.

"Hai," Kagome said, "You could tell?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Don't worry about them Kag, they touch you and I'll kick their asses."

Kagome looked at Inu-Yasha and smiled gratefully. She didn't even bother to ask how he knew there were people there, and what they were doing.

_His hearing must be better than I thought_, Kagome thought to herself.

"Thanks," she said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Least I can do," he said.

Kagome sat him at a table close to a Starbucks and then went to order them cappuccinos. As she waited for her order, Kagome noticed that the group of guys from before had filled in behind her.

"Hey," one of them said, laying his hand on her shoulder.

Kagome let a malevolent smile play across her face. She raised one hand so that they could see her claw-like nails.

"If you don't move that hand, you may lose it," she warned, a cheerful tone to her voice.

The guy didn't move his hand and he laughed, as did the others.

"Wow, violent, eh babe?" he said.

Kagome's eyelid twitched.

"Babe?" she asked. "Oh I really don't think you want to be saying that."

"Aw, why not?" he asked, attempting to sound disheartened. "We just think you're hot is all."

"Yeah," a second one agreed, "And we also think that you should come with us, you know, _hang out_."

Kagome knew what they wanted. They wanted to _do_ her. She sighed.

"Well…" she said, "Let me think. No."

She swiftly reached to the hand on her shoulder and sunk her nails into it. The guy grunted in pain, and when he jerked away, he just ended up tearing his hand more. Kagome turned around and smiled pleasantly.

"I warned you," she said, wiping blood on the hem of her shirt, "You're lucky, it could've been worse for you."

The smiles on the guys' faces had disappeared.

"Okay then chicky, we _were_ gonna do this the easy way, but-"

The guy was cut off as he was caught hard in the stomach by Inu-Yasha's fist. He was sent flying against one of the empty tables.

"What the hell?" Another guy asked in bewilderment.

Shooting glances at each other, the remaining six guys rushed at Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha merely grinned. Ducking a punch at his head, he spun and kicked the first guy's feet out from under him, causing him to fall face first onto the ground.

The second he took out with a good hard punch to the side of the head. The third and fourth were taken out with the same hit; Inu-Yasha punched one so hard in the gut that he knocked into another and they both flew back against a wall.

Then one was coming from behind him, drawing a switchblade. Inu-Yasha merely spun and kicked him, knocking him too against a wall. The last one, the one Kagome had injured, merely ran away. Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha in shock and awe.

"Inu-Yasha?" she managed to say after a while.

"Hai?" he answered, smiling at her, "Did I get 'em all?"

"Yeah," she said, still not able to get over what he had just done, "How the hell did you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"You just… You just knocked out six guys," she said, almost not believing herself as the words came out.

"Oh, I was just trying to drive them off of you," he said simply, "You're not hurt are you?"

"No," she said, "But… Wow… Holy shit."

_That was amazing… Kinda like The Matrix… Whoa…_

"I'm… not even gonna ask how you did that… but you were amazing," she said.

Inu-Yasha reddened shyly.

"Um… Arigato," he said.

Suddenly, the woman behind the counter came out of the back room with their cappuccinos. She looked around at the people on the ground, her eyes widening.

"What happened here?" she asked.

"Um… They all just keeled over," Kagome lied, "I think it's food poisoning."

The woman looked over the unconscious bodies and frowned.

"Well, that's weird," she muttered, and then handed Kagome the coffees.

"Thanks," Kagome said, giving one to Inu-Yasha.

"Let's go home before we get blamed," she whispered to him and he nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his cappuccino.

"So…" Kagome started as they walked away, "Um… You're really good at that, eh?"


	9. Separation Anxiety

* * *

Chapter 8: Separation Anxiety

* * *

Inu-Yasha quickly gulped down the remainder of his cappuccino and then sighed contentedly. He grinned slightly at Kagome.

"You were right, coffee rocks," he said.

Kagome shook her head and laughed a little, and then leaned back a bit against the bench that they were seated on.

"I still can't believe you've never had any before today," she said.

She looked down at her own cup and frowned. She was full and there was still half left. She glanced at Inu-Yasha.

"Want mine?" she asked.

"What?" he asked, "Why?"

"I'm done with it and there's still half," she said absently, "You want it or not?"

"Umm… sure," he said.

"Good, cuz I'm too lazy to get up to throw it out right now," she said, passing her cup to Inu-Yasha.

"Arigato," he said, and then downed the remainder of her coffee as well.

He then cut his eyes at her.

"Why're you being so nice?" he asked.

"Because, I've fallen madly in love with you after knowing you for less than two days," she said sarcastically, "Why do you think?"

"I don't know," Inu-Yasha said, "Why?"

"Well, I don't know either, so get over it," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha grinned slightly and then sniffed at the coffee cup, taking in the pleasant scent.

"Okay," Kagome said, "You done? Want to go home now?"

"Sure, sounds good," Inu-Yasha said.

"Cool," Kagome said.

She helped Inu-Yasha to his feet and then swiftly threw out their coffee cups. She picked up their shopping bag.

"C'mon you," she said, prodding Inu-Yasha forward.

She looked up at a map of the mall on the wall, and then after glancing it over, sighed. The closest way out was through the cosmetics department.

"Damn it…" she whispered.

"Keh? What's up?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"We have to go through that part of the store where perky women shove perfume in your face to get out," she grumbled.

"Oh great," Inu-Yasha muttered, "There goes my nose."

Kagome sighed.

"Yeah, and there goes mine too," she said. "C'mon, let's hurry; maybe they won't notice us."

"Let's hope," Inu-Yasha said.

x

Kagome quickly took his hand and began to lead him at a fast-paced walk through the cosmetics place.

"Why, hello there!" A cheerful-looking sales person said loudly.

Kagome ignored her and kept walking, but to her annoyance, the woman followed.

"Would you like to sample some of our new perfumes young lady?" she asked.

"Hell no," Kagome replied, "Screw off. We don't want any of your stenches from hell."

The woman seemed unfazed by Kagome's rudeness but she left to pursue other shoppers instead.

"Did she leave?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome glanced back over her shoulder.

"Hai," Kagome said with a slight grin.

As they walked by one of the counters, another woman suddenly popped up as if from nowhere. Kagome let out a startled yelp and the woman, grinning, took her swiftly by the wrist, forcing her to drop Inu-Yasha's hand.

"Here, try some of this perfume," the woman said, beaming, and sprayed the foul-smelling stuff on Kagome hand.

"Gah! What the hell!" Kagome exclaimed, yanking her arm away, "You jackass, what gives you the idea that-"

"C'mon Kagome," Inu-Yasha said, cutting her off in mid-sentence, and grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her away, "C'mon, we don't need another fight on our hands, okay?"

Kagome opened her mouth to say something snide, but then with a final frown over her shoulder, changed her mind and sighed reluctantly.

"Okay, fine," she said.

She looked at her hand, sniffed it and then cringed.

"Good God… This stuff is horrible," she growled, "I need to go wash my hand now, great… I need to find a washroom now, okay?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said.

It was taking all of his self-control not to burst out in a coughing fit because of the perfume. With her hand that wasn't covered in perfume, Kagome pushed Inu-Yasha's hands off of her shoulders.

"Stay close," she ordered. "I don't wanna get this shit all over you."

Inu-Yasha nodded.

x

As quickly as she could, Kagome found the washrooms, and she positioned Inu-Yasha outside of them on a bench as she went in to wash the perfume off of her hand. Inu-Yasha fidgeted nervously; not having Kagome by his side made him all on edge.

He was glad she had taken their shopping bad in with her; he didn't want to have to worry about someone taking it. Unable to stop himself from trembling a little, he tried to take his mind off that someone who was after him had been in the mall.

_God dammit, I don't want to be caught again, _he thought, _I'm not going back… I won't._

He bit his lip nervously and pinched his arm lightly with his claws. Suddenly, he smelt the scent of perfume wafting towards him. It was Cho's, as he recognized from the day before, and he could also smell that she had other people with her. He bit his lip again.

_Oh crap…_ Inu-Yasha thought, trying to make it look like he didn't know she was there at all.

"Inu-Yasha!" Cho exclaimed as she walked up to him, "I never thought I'd see you here!"

"Uh… hi…" Inu-Yasha said.

The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a conversation with her.

"We were just about to do some shopping," Cho said, "Would you like to come?"

"No," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "I need to stay here."

"Why?" Cho asked, but then raised her eyebrow, "Oh, I know, you're waiting for Higurashi, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Inu-Yasha, you don't realize it, but you're hanging out with the wrong crowd," she commented, taking his hand, "C'mon, come with."

Inu-Yasha jerked his hand away from her.

"No, I said I'd stay here," he repeated grumpily.

"Oh, c'mon you spoilsport," Cho said, grabbing his arm again.

Before Inu-Yasha could stop her, she had hauled him to his feet and her friends had joined in my also hanging onto him, and they started to force him forward. Inu-Yasha had no choice but to walk.

"Hey, what're you doing?" he demanded.

"Just taking you somewhere; don't worry, it'll be fun," Cho assured him.

"But… Kagome-" he started, beginning to become anxious.

"Oh, forget about _her_," Cho said scornfully, "She'll probably find a little mutt and completely forget about you."

"What are you talking about?" Inu-Yasha said angrily.

_I'm a mutt,_ he thought.

He tried to drag his feet to slow them down but to no avail.

"I can't leave though!" He exclaimed, "I won't be able to get back!"

"Sure you will," one of Cho's friends said reassuringly.

"But, Kagome-" Inu-Yasha started again, but Cho swiftly put her hand over his mouth and silenced him.

"Stop making such a fuss," she ordered gently.

Inu-Yasha had had enough. Usually, he had a policy about hitting females, and it had taken everything he had not to just punch them all off of him. He roughly jerked his right arm free and then pushed Cho's hand away from his mouth.

"Fuck, leave me alone," he snarled, pulling away from them.

"Inu-Yasha-" Cho started, but Inu-Yasha didn't listen to her and bolted away to the right where he thought they had come from.

He didn't know if they were following him or not, but Inu-Yasha ran hard for two minutes straight, and then stopped and leaned against a wall, panting. He sniffed around, and then to his horror realized that he had run in the wrong direction.

"K… Kagome?" he called out hopefully, but got no reply.

Inu-Yasha slapped himself in the face, though a little too hard because he made the bruise on his forehead start to ache.

"I'm so stupid!" he muttered, "God damn Cho; her perfume got me all screwed up."  
He blinked in irritation. He had gotten himself completely lost.

oOoOoOoO

As Kagome entered back into the mall from the washroom, she nearly cried out in horror. Inu-Yasha was gone. She glanced around for a fleck of silver in the crowd or in any of the stores, though couldn't find one.

"Inu-Yasha?" She called out worriedly. "…Oh man, where the hell did he go?"

As she approached the bench where he had been sitting, she suddenly smelt more perfume, and recognized it immediately. It was Cho's and there was no mistaking it; she remembered in grade four Cho bragging about how it was home-made and how no one else had it.

"God damn!" Kagome exclaimed, "What did she do?"

Scowling, rage bubbling up inside her, she began to jog, following the trail of perfume the Cho left.

oOoOoOoO

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was distraught. Frantically, he wandered around the mall, smelling for Kagome, but he had the foreboding feeling that he was getting himself more lost. He found the scent of coffee from the Starbucks, and headed towards that, but then remembered that he had been in this mall before, when he could still see. There was more than one food court.

"Damn…" he whispered.

Inu-Yasha couldn't help himself. He started to tremble a little again.

_What if… What if I run into that guy who was there when I lost my vision? He'd recognize me for sure, and then I'd be screwed…_

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked in panic, trying vainly to find her one last time, "Kagome!"

He glanced around, trying to find her scent, but couldn't. He bit his lip.

"Where is she?" he asked himself quietly.

He felt like he was a pup again, separated from his parents in the forest.

"At least if I was still with Cho, she'd be able to find me," he muttered, "She could walk right by me and I wouldn't know. God damn…"

oOoOoOoO

Kagome looked around frantically for Inu-Yasha, but she still couldn't see him.

"Inu-Yasha?" she called loudly, getting a few puzzled glances from other shoppers.

Kagome bit her lip anxiously, and ducked through a nearby crowd of people. If she could even see a flash of silver anywhere, she would be able to find him. She was positive there wouldn't be any other guys around with long silver-white hair like his.

"God damn…" Kagome muttered.

She quickened her pace and jogged down the long corridor. As she neared a large fountain in the middle of the mall, she spotted Cho and some of her friends talking and laughing on a bench. A hot rage boiled up inside Kagome, and she jogged towards them.

"Cho, you good-for-nothing slut," she snarled as she ran up.

Cho gave her a look of cruel amusement.

"Shouldn't you be in school Higurashi?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you?" Kagome sneered.

"Ah, touché," Cho said with a small grin. "What brings you here?"

"Cram it," Kagome spat, "You know, that was pretty low, even for you."

"What was?" Cho replied innocently.

"Tricking a blind guy; that's just wrong," Kagome growled, "Where is he? Where's Inu-Yasha?"

Cho shrugged absently.

"How should I know; you're the one who was supposed to be looking after him, the poor blind sap."

"Well, you're the one who dragged him away and fricking confused him," Kagome growled, "I'm gonna ask one more time; _where is he_?"

"He ran off," Cho said, a slow smile starting to creep across her face.

Kagome looked daggers at her.

"You stupid little sl-" Kagome started angrily, but then sighed and decided not to waste her breath on the likes of her.

_If I were Inu-Yasha, where would I go?_ She wondered.

She sighed. She clearly knew the answer to that. Inu-Yasha seemed to be a little animalistic; he would've run anywhere, as long as it was away. Kagome decided to try the right first.

She quickly jogged away from Cho, who promptly started to laugh behind her back. Kagome didn't care, all that mattered was finding Inu-Yasha before he got himself into trouble or freaked out and punched someone.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha couldn't help his heart from pounding anxiously.

_Where could she be?_ He thought.

Biting his lip, he quickly walked up to the closest person to him and tapped them on the shoulder.

"Excuse me-" he said, but the person whapped him across the face hard with her purse, adding another bruise on his cheek.

Inu-Yasha looked shocked and rubbed his cheek tenderly.

"That was uncalled for," he muttered grumpily.

"Oh my gosh!" A female voice from his right called out, "Grandma, you didn't… Oh man…"

He felt someone lay their hand on his shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry!" the female voice said to him, "My Grandma whacked you didn't she? I'm sorry."

"It's okay…" Inu-Yasha muttered, "Happens all the time."

"I'm really sorry," the person insisted, "She just… doesn't trust guys at all. Grandma! Say you're sorry!"

"Make him say sorry for trying to molest me!" A crackly old voice cawed.

Inu-Yasha looked shocked and offended.

"All I did was tap her on the shoulder and say excuse me…" he muttered. "Some thanks I get for trying to be polite, jeez."

"I'm sorry for her," the female voice said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well, I'm trying to find my friend," Inu-Yasha said, "She's about this tall, has black hair to the middle of her back, and looks a little goth. Her name's Kagome."

Inu-Yasha stared at where he knew the girl was hopefully.

"Have you seen anyone like that? Could you tell me where?"

From a short silence, he assumed the girl had shaken her head.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "Would you like me to help you look? It's the least I can do after Grandma hit you."

"Pah!" The grandmother's voice croaked indignantly.

"No, it's okay," Inu-Yasha said, "I'll find her eventually…"

Under his breath, he added, "…In about a month when I get my vision back."

He heard a gasp from the girl.

"Oh my God, you can't see? You're blind?"

"Um, yeah," Inu-Yasha said.

"Oh my God! Grandma, you stupid old hag! You hit a blind guy, I can't believe you!" The girl shouted, "I am so, so sorry!"

"It's okay, really," Inu-Yasha said absently, "Like I said, happens all the time."

x

Quickly, he headed away from the girl, who was now yelling at her grandmother, and once again sniffed for Kagome's scent.

His eyes lit up excitedly as he was almost positive that he had got a whiff of it. He headed in the direction of her scent hurriedly, and accidentally bumped into someone in his haste.

"Woops, gomen," he said quickly, but then received a sharp hit on the leg, right on his bullet wound.

He yelped loudly in pain, biting his lip to keep himself from shouting curses at a complete stranger.

"You damned teenagers!" An old, crackly male voice said, "Think you're so much better than the elderly! Well, I'll give you what-for, I'll tell you that!"

Inu-Yasha then received another harsh hit on the leg. The old man was hitting him with his cane.

"God! I said gomen already, didn't I?" Inu-Yasha hollered, "Help! Abuse!"

oOoOoOoO

Kagome, frowning with anger and frustration, slowed her pace to a hurried walk. Suddenly, she heard Inu-Yasha's voice cry out in pain, and then start yelling for help. Sighing in relief, the frustration on her face faded and she started to jog towards the sound of his voice.

"Inu-Yasha!" she called.

She turned around the corner and then she saw him. He was down on the ground on one knee, clutching at his injured leg. Kagome could see blood starting to seep through his pant leg. There was squat old man buffeting him over the head with a cane.

"Oh my God, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome shouted, and she rushed to his side.

"Hey old man, leave my…uh… brother alone," Kagome growled.

"He tripped me!" the old man protested.

"No I didn't," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "I bumped into you… God, why do old people keep beating me today?"

"Just shut up, both of you!" Kagome hollered.

She pointed at the old man.

"Now go away before I sue your ass for assault," she snarled.

The old man left grumbling.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked gently, helping Inu-Yasha to his feet.

"I'm fine," he said, wincing as he stood on his hurt leg.

"That bruise on your face looks darker," Kagome commented, pointing to his cheek.

"I know," he grumbled, "Some old lady whacked me with her purse."

Kagome winced.

"Ouch," she commented, "C'mon, let's sit down a little while."

She took his hand and guided him to a nearby bench and they sat on it.

"Fuck, I was worried about you," Kagome said, "Why'd you go with Cho?"

"I didn't want to," he exclaimed, "She dragged me, and then I ran…"

"…In the wrong direction," Kagome commented with a bit of a smile.

Inu-Yasha sighed and nodded.

"Gomen," he said.

"Not your fault," Kagome said.

"Thank God you found me," he said, "That old guy was gonna come at me till he knocked me out, I think."

"Good lord, bad day for you, huh? First the stairs, then the soap, now this."

They both sighed.

"Gomen," he said to Kagome, "I think I may be bad luck."

"Nah, forget it," Kagome said, "Let's go home before we get shot by some random elderly serial killer, huh?"

Inu-Yasha laughed and then they both rose. Casually, Inu-Yasha let his ears rotate under his hat, but then he heard something that nearly made his heart stop…

* * *


	10. Hunted

* * *

Chapter 9: Hunted

* * *

"We just looked through the security tapes and-"

"And?"

"The hanyou's here… He's got a girl with him, maybe to use as a shield, I don't know."

"So what do we do?"

"Put someone at every exit, patrol the building. We'll catch him eventually."

"Maybe we could issue a fire warning, get every one out and then gas the place; his nose won't be able to take it."

"If worse comes to worse, we will."

x

The conversation from the unseen officers cut through Inu-Yasha's mind like a knife. He felt as if he was about to be sick. He grasped tightly to Kagome's hand, shaking so violently he was afraid he was going to fall over.

"Inu-Yasha? Kagome asked worriedly, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"They're here…" he whispered, his eyes wide with horror, "They know I'm here; they're coming for me."

"What?" Kagome demanded, "_WHAT_?"

"I'm dead," he whispered, trembling, "I'm dead. They're gonna fucking kill me, Kagome."

Kagome's face turned hard, but for some reason, she began to feel the same fear as Inu-Yasha was. It seemed to be contagious. She decided not to even ask him how he knew, but she could see in his lifeless eyes that he was dead serious and scared as hell.

"We're getting out of here, right now," Kagome hissed.

Kagome grasped his hand in return and started to walk hurriedly into a crowd.

"They'll put people at the exits Kag; there's not gonna be a way out," he muttered.

"Oh yes there will," she growled, "I'll make one if I fucking have to. I'm not going to let them take you."

Kagome tried to keep them in an area with a lot of people, trying to make them less visible. Meanwhile Inu-Yasha was trying to keep it together, trying to stop himself from shaking so badly.

Kagome kept him close and sped up a little. She glared through the crowd. Then, as they came to a large square in the mall that was empty of shops, she saw two men in black suits conversing.

They looked important. And they had guns.

Her eyes widening, Kagome bit her lip and swiftly turned around, pulling Inu-Yasha back the way they had come.

"Kagome? W-What are you doing?" he asked.

"Two guys with guns," she said quietly, "What did the people who took you look like, do you remember?"

"In public they wore black suits, dark sunglasses and they all had greased hair. They kinda looked like those Agents from The Matrix. Why?"

Kagome felt her heart beginning to speed up.

"Yep, that sounds right," she muttered.

"You saw them?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"Hai."

Inu-Yasha bit his lip.

"Fuck…" he whispered.

x

Kagome increased their speed even more, and as she spotted some mall cops who were no doubt looking for Inu-Yasha as well. With a quiet gasp, she ducked and pulled Inu-Yasha behind a nearby clothing rack.

They squatted on the ground close together, trying to be as small as possible. Kagome couldn't help herself; she was beginning to shake worse than Inu-Yasha was, and her shaking became worse and worse the closer the mall cops got.

Inu-Yasha looked at her and raised his eyebrow as if to say, "Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to be freaking out here, not you."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, trying to reassure her that they'd be fine, but didn't risk saying anything. The people who were hunting him knew his voice.

They both sat there and waiting in silence for the cops to pass, and as soon as they did, Inu-Yasha took over. Taking a tight hold on Kagome's hand, he stood and pulled her up with him, and then began to jog quickly through the masses of people, running his other hand along the wall so he knew where he was going.

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said quietly, "Let me lead."

"I'm fine Kag," he said, "I know where I'm going. Just tell me if you see them."

"Okay," she said. "Damn… I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Well… Maybe you can feel their aura of evil," he muttered as they continued through the mall quickly, "I know I sure can."

"Aura of evil, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, an almost amused tone to her voice, "Whatever, we just have to keep going."

Inu-Yasha nodded, slowing his pace from a jog to a hasty walk. He could smell fresh air; they were nearing an exit. Along the wall, he felt a corner.

"Kagome, the door's just around this corner, right?" He inquired.

"Uh-huh," Kagome replied.

"Check if they're there."

Kagome nodded and peered around the corner. As she had expected, there were indeed three of the armed men standing right beside the doors. She figured that they would be insane to try to leave from that way. She ducked back around the corner to Inu-Yasha.

"Three guys," she said.

"Shit," Inu-Yasha muttered.

"I know," Kagome muttered, "We need to get out but… how?"

"We'll just keep running until we find a way that's clear," Inu-Yasha said.

_Hopefully, before they gas the building,_ he thought, _And if it comes to it, I'll fight our way out. It's not worth dying to hide that I'm a hanyou from Kagome._

x

Turning, they quickly went back the way they had come, but took a different turn this time, into a large portion of the mall that was just for clothes. There could be plenty of hiding spots there. As they kept walking, Kagome could see the door, unguarded.

"Inu-Yasha, this door has no one watching," she said excitedly, "We can get out!"

"I don't think so…" Inu-Yasha muttered.

"What?" Kagome asked.

All of a sudden, from around the corner, Kagome spotted one of the armed men.

"Oh shit," she muttered. "Duck."

Inu-Yasha nodded and squatted down, and then rushed them into a nearby change room. It was tiny, only a curtain covering the entrance. It wasn't even much of a hiding spot; this was a change room for shirts only, so their feet were clearly viable. There was also a very wide bench.

"Quick, on the bench so they can't see our feet," Kagome hissed.

Inu-Yasha nodded and jumped onto the bench, sitting cross-legged on it. Kagome placed their bag of clothing beside him, but then realized there wouldn't be enough room for her.

Clearly, Inu-Yasha noticed too.

"Sit in my lap," he ordered.

"What?" Kagome demanded.

"Just do it, a little bit of closeness ain't gonna kill you Kag. Those guys will."

He sat back against the wall, trying to make more room for her. Kagome bit her lip and then nodded, attempting to sit in Inu-Yasha's lap. He grabbed her and pulled her against himself, putting one arm around her to pin her down.

"Now just… shush, okay?" he whispered.

"Uh-huh," Kagome said quietly, "As soon as he leaves, do we make a run for it?"

Inu-Yasha nodded. He could hear the man's footsteps approaching as he thought he heard a noise. Kagome could hear it too.

"Oh God…" she whispered fearfully.

Inu-Yasha nearly jumped at hearing her speak and swiftly covered her mouth tightly with his other hand so that she couldn't make any noise.

"Sh-h-h-h-h," he whispered, trying to calm her down. "Don't talk, don't make any noise, don't fight me, whatever you do."

Kagome nodded shakily.

"Good girl," Inu-Yasha whispered almost inaudibly.

His brow knitted as the footsteps came closer. He felt Kagome begin to tremble again, and he could feel her heartbeat racing.

_She's more scared than I am_, he thought, _Why?_

"Sh-h-h-h," he whispered in Kagome's ear. "It'll be okay."

Kagome tried to relax, but she couldn't. She couldn't understand where this fear of these people had come from, but it was worse than anything she had ever felt before.

x

At a painfully slow pace, the man's footsteps passed them, and then faded. Inu-Yasha released Kagome, who was still trembling.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, "You?"

"I'm good," he said, sliding off of the bench from behind her, "Now we gotta run or-"

He stopped as he realized that she hadn't stood with him.

"Kagome?"

"I… I can't move," she whispered fearfully.

_She's paralyzed with fear?_ Inu-Yasha thought worriedly, _Oh shit._

"We can't wait," he whispered, "C'mon, piggyback time. I'll carry you."

Kagome looked at him worriedly.

"But your wounds…"

"Screw 'em," Inu-Yasha growled, "Get on. Now."

He squatted in front of her.

"C'mon, all you have to do if grab my shoulders; you can do that, can't you?"

Kagome nodded and slowly placed her hands on his shoulders, and he held onto her and lifted her up on his back.

"Wait," she hissed "Your stuff."

She reached out and grabbed the bag, and then shoved it under her body.

"Brace yourself," Inu-Yasha muttered.

Inside, he counted slowly.

_One…_

By scents, he mentally judged how long it would take him to get from there to the door.

_Two…_

He held onto Kagome tighter; he didn't want her to fall if she was so freaked out that she could hardly move.

_Three!_

Without a second thought, Inu-Yasha bolted for the door. Many people let out startled cries as he rushed by, nearly knocking them over. The man in the black suit turned and saw them only as Inu-Yasha stepped on the plastic mat for the automatic door and it slid open.

"Hey-!" the man called, but was cut off as the door slid shut behind them again.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha ran as hard as he could for blocks on end. After five minutes, they began to hear sirens.

"Shit…" Kagome muttered, "The fuzz is after us now?"

"Not us, me," he said, "They're after me, not you."

"No way Inu-Yasha, it's us and you know it," she said, prodding his shoulder.

_Maybe she's right_, he thought.

"Turn right here," Kagome ordered suddenly.

Inu-Yasha nodded and skidded around the corner and kept running. The sirens were getting louder. Inu-Yasha bit his lip and kept running.

"How long can you keep this up?" Kagome asked him.

"A while," he said.

"We're almost home," Kagome said, "Think you can do four more blocks?"

Inu-Yasha let a smug grin cross his lips.

"Hell yeah," he said.

He increased his speed just a little and kept running. After less than a minute, they had arrived at the house, but the sirens had gotten even louder.

Kagome smiled in relief and grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand as he let her down and jogged up the steps to the door despite the fact that her legs felt like lead. She opened the door quickly and dragged Inu-Yasha into the house.

She slammed the door behind them and locked it, and then releasing his hand, they both slumped down against the wall. They sighed simultaneously, and then turned to grin at each other.

"I don't believe it," Inu-Yasha said in awe. "I don't believe it. We did it."

* * *


	11. The Return Of Kagomes Old Enemy

* * *

Chapter 10: The Return Of Kagome's Old Enemy

* * *

It was five days since Inu-Yasha and Kagome's daring escape from the police. They had been forced to stay indoors because the police were everywhere, looking for Inu-Yasha.

His wounds had mostly healed, but every day when he had attempted to take a shower, it had turned out only slightly less worse than the first time he had without his vision.

Also, over those five days, Inu-Yasha and Kagome had become almost inseparable. Saving each other's lives had brought them a little closer as friends and their trust in each other was growing stronger.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha sat on Kagome's couch, listening to music on a portable CD player. He wore the headphones around his neck, the volume turned up high.

Today, instead of a hat, he had decided on a black bandana.

He bobbed his head a little to the music, and then turned his nose upwards as he caught the pleasant smells coming from the kitchen.

"You know, you don't have to cook Kagome," he said.

"Well, what else are we gonna eat?" She called with an amused tone to her voice, "You wanna eat cat food? You're welcome to if you want."

"Keh! Cat food?" he laughed, "No, I meant you could order out if you wanted."

"I don't trust the guys at the pizza place," Kagome explained, "They hate me; I got my cat to attack them one time for being late."

"Nice," Inu-Yasha said with a nod.

Suddenly, Kagome let out a shriek of dismay. Inu-Yasha nearly jumped straight off the sofa and into the ceiling.

"Kagome! What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Oh craaaaap…" she muttered, looking out the window.

"What?" Inu-Yasha called, sounding irritated that she wouldn't give him an answer.

Kagome just continued to stare. She could see the police moving slowly up the street, going from door to door. Being an expert lip-reader, Kagome knew exactly what they were saying.

They were asking people along her street if they had seen a teenaged male running at an unnaturally fast speed carrying a girl on his back. They were claiming that he had kidnapped the girl.

She bit her lip. They were getting closer to her house.

"Oh God…" she whispered.

"WHAT IS IT, DAMN IT?" Inu-Yasha hollered, bursting into the kitchen.

"Holy shit Inu-Yasha, go hide," Kagome ordered, "The police are coming."

"WHAT?" Inu-Yasha yelled, shocked.

"Upstairs, now," Kagome said, "Go on. I'll pretend that you're my sick brother and that you're contagious if they try to some in."

Inu-Yasha nodded, and running his hand along the wall, he hurried up to the top of the stairs and his inside his room.

x

Kagome then moved to the couch and sat on it, her heartbeat speeding up with nervousness.

She closed her eyes to calm herself down.

After ten minutes of waiting in silence, there was a hard knock on the door. Kagome jumped slightly, and then headed to the door, but then stopped.

Hurriedly, she rushed to the kitchen sink and splashed a little bit of water on her face so it looked as if she were crying. Then, she went to the door and opened it slowly.

"Hello?" she asked, making her voice sound choked, "Oh… Police? What is it?"

"Hello young lady," one of the two officers said, "We're searching for a young man around eighteen who was spotted around here five days ago. He kidnapped a girl around your age, have you seen any one like that?"

Kagome sniffed and tried to wipe the fake tears from her face, but purposely poked herself in the eyes to make some real tears form.

"N-No…" she said quietly, shaking her head, "Sorry."

"Hey kid, what's wrong?" The second officer asked, "Would you mind if we come in and look around? He might be hiding in here without you even knowing. He's very tricky."

"I'm sorry, you really shouldn't," Kagome said, letting her self-produced tears run down her cheeks, "My… My brother's very sick. He's… probably going to die tonight. I don't want anyone to disturb him."

As if on cue, Inu-Yasha let out a huge coughing fit from his room. The police's eyes widened. Kagome sniffed again.

"He's probably going to cough up a lung or something soon" she muttered sadly.

"What does he have?" The first officer asked worriedly.

"Umm… uh…" Kagome said quickly, thinking, "He has… uh… Slippedondasoapankilledisback-neosis…"

"Never heard of it," the officer commented.

"God… You're lucky," Kagome said.

Then, Inu-Yasha coughed loudly again.

"You'd… better leave… He's kind of contagious," she said, "I'm just sort of immune to it."

Both the officers suddenly looked freaked out.

"Well, thanks for your time," one said.

"Sorry about your brother," the other said, and then hurried away.

x

As soon as they were out of sight, Kagome grinned and slammed the door. Inu-Yasha came back down the stairs and gave her a bit of a worried glance.

"Kagome?" he asked, "You're crying?"

He attempted to wipe the tears from her face with his hand and frowned worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine," Kagome said, lightly pushing his hand away, "I made myself cry a little to fake 'em out."

"Okay, good," Inu-Yasha, looking relieved, "I can't stand crying."

His grinned a little.

"Slippedondasoapankilledisback-neosis? Nice," he said.

"Oh, quiet, I had to think on the spot," she said, punching him lightly, "I know it sucked, stop rubbing it in."

"I just can't believe they were thick enough to buy it," Inu-Yasha said with a slight grin crossing his face, "Even _I'm_ not that thick."

"Whatever," Kagome said, giving him a gentle shove, "Just go do… whatever the hell you were doing. We just gotta let the noodles sit for a bit. I'll be upstairs."

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said, and Kagome went up the stairs as he returned to his place on the couch.

Sitting on his haunches, he had to resist the urge to scratch behind his ear with his foot. Humans didn't have that kind of flexibility; what would Kagome say if she saw?

Just thinking about it made his ears itchy.

He winced, and then swiftly slid his hand under his bandana and scratched his ears. He then reached for the CD player and hung the headphones around his neck again and turned the volume up all the way. He then lay down on the couch and closed his eyes, putting his hands behind his head.

x

He had almost fallen asleep, but then, the pungent, unpleasant odor of alcohol hit his nose. He opened his eyes and frowned in puzzlement.

_Where the hell is that coming from?_ He wondered.

He sat up and scowled, and then he heard the door to the house open. The fur on Inu-Yasha's ears bristled.

A large, fat drunk man ambled into the house and stumbled into the room where Inu-Yasha was. The man's eyes met with Inu-Yasha's, and Inu-Yasha could almost feel the drunken rage radiating off of him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, "What the fuck are you doing in my house?"

"Your house?" Inu-Yasha asked. "What are you talking about? This is _my_ house."

The man looked at Inu-Yasha in bafflement.

"Huh?" said in a low, idiotic voice.

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said, as if something had suddenly become clear to him, and indeed something had.

_This jackass must be Kagome's dad… I'd better get rid of him,_ he thought.

"Oh," he said again, "You must be that drunk idiot from down the street. You live about three houses down, to the left."

"Oh…" Kagome's father said slowly, and he lurched sideways and then stumbled out of the house again.

When Inu-Yasha heard the door close, he sighed in relief. Then, he heard Kagome bound down the stairs and run into the room.

"What was that?" she demanded, "_Who_ was that?"

"I think it was your dad," Inu-Yasha said.

"WHAT?" Kagome nearly screamed.

"He was so drunk that I told him he lived three houses over and he believed me," Inu-Yasha said, "He left."

Kagome sighed in relief.

"Thank God," she muttered.

x

Swiftly, Kagome ran to the door to lock it, but it suddenly flew open in her face and she toppled over backwards with a yelp. Her father stood framed in the doorway, a look of fury on his face.

"Kagome, you goddamn whore!" he yelled, kicking her hard in the stomach.

Kagome grunted in pain but managed to get to her feet and back away.

"What the fuck are you doing back here?" Kagome demanded, "I was hoping you'd died."

"Better hope more, wench," he growled, "What the fuck is with you? I let you stay in my house, and this is the thanks I get?"

"You bastard," Kagome snarled, "_Let me_? If it were up to you, you'd have killed me when I was seven."

"Pah!" her father snorted.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha said, quickly, standing from the couch, "What the hell's going on?"

Kagome's dad looked at him with anger.

"You little bastard," he said, taking a step towards Inu-Yasha, "You lying bastard… How dare you try to trick me?"

"Hey, it was you who listened, moron," Inu-Yasha said, standing his ground.

"Inu-Yasha, stay out of this," Kagome warned.

_You don't need to get hurt for my sake._

"You wish," he said, and then turned his attention to Kagome's father, "You don't fuck off, and I might have to do something drastic."

Kagome's eyes widened and Inu-Yasha clenched his fist tightly.

_He's bluffing_, Kagome thought, _my dad doesn't know he's blind._

"Oh yeah, bastard kid?" he father snorted, and he suddenly lunged at Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha could hear the lunge and braced himself, but it didn't hit.

Swiftly, Kagome had tackled her father into the ground and punched him hard several times and raked any exposed skin she could find with her nails. Her father yelled in pain.

"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

"I'm fine!" she called back, but suddenly, her father had her around the neck.

Kagome choked in pain and tried to kick him, but he was already up and dragging her along the ground.

"Bastard!" she managed to rasp, but the breath was being slowly choked out of her.

Her father hurled her into the bathroom and slammed the door and locked it.

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha yelled frantically.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome called, but then her dad had her around the neck again, squeezing so hard that she couldn't speak anymore.

She managed to raise one hand to his and dig her nail into his skin, but the drunken rage had taken him over.

He pulled a knife out of his pocket. Kagome's eyes widened and she tried to swear at him, but couldn't. It was getting harder and harder to breath.

With a maniacal grin on his face, Kagome's father slowly began to run the edge of the knife across the top of Kagome's arms.

Kagome didn't cry out in pain. In fact, all that cutting her had accomplished was to make her angrier. Even though it hurt like hell, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of crying or screaming.

oOoOoOoO

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha yelled again.

He could smell the strong, bitter scent of her blood.

"KAGOME, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

He rushed down the hallway, following the scent of her blood. Why didn't she answer him?

_Oh shit… If she's dead, then what do I do? It'll be my fault! I can't let her get hurt!_

He found the door to the bathroom and realized that her father must've trapped her inside.

"KAGOME, I'M COMING FOR YOU, HANG ON!" he yelled.

He tried to open the door, but found that it was locked. His eyes widened in anger.

With a roar, he hurled himself at the door as hard as he could. It collapsed backwards and the hinges broke. It fell right on Kagome's father. With a grunt, he was forced to release Kagome's throat. She fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Kagome, if you're conscious, stay outta my way!" Inu-Yasha ordered.

With that, he hefted up the broken door and began to hit Kagome's father with it furiously.

"Bastard!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

Kagome stared at the scene in awe, and then looked down at her bleeding arms and cringed. They were cut up badly, and her blood was now all over her, and the floor.

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha hammered Kagome's father with the door again before dropping it and punching him hard. He fell to the floor, and managed to creep out of the room.

"I'll be back!" he shouted, "I swear it bitch!"

He headed swiftly towards the door.

"Kagome, whore-girl, you been screwing this guy. I'm going to tell your mother when she gets back."

With that, he left the house. Inu-Yasha and Kagome both sighed in relief, but then concern showed clearly on Inu-Yasha's face and he knelt to the ground.

"Kagome?" he asked gently, "Kagome, where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Inu-Yasha, no worries," Kagome lied.

"Yeah right," he said as she rubbed at her neck and cringed.

He attempted to take her hands, but they slipped from his because of all the blood. His eyes widened, and he raised the palms of his hands and sniffed them tentatively.

"Your blood," he whispered, "It's… all over… Kagome, what the fuck did he do to you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Kagome said again.

"You're lying," he muttered.

Lightly, he took her wrist and laid his hand on the top of her arm, easily feeling where she had been cut. His hand was drenched in blood when he pulled it away. He frowned.

"Kagome… baka," he muttered, "He cut you badly."

"So what?" Kagome asked, "It's fine. They'll heal."

"Like hell," he muttered.

He took a hold on her by the shoulder so as not to hurt her even more and heaved her to her feet. Kagome's legs were weak because of both the choking and the loss of her blood. She stumbled and fell against Inu-Yasha, who caught her in his arms.

"Sorry," she muttered, "I slipped."

"Yeah, sure you did," he replied sarcastically. "C'mon, you need to sit down."

"But-"

Inu-Yasha cut her off as he swiftly heaved her into his arms and carried her back into the other room and planted her on the couch.

"Stay," he said, "I'll be back."

Kagome stared after him in puzzlement as he entered the kitchen and felt around for a rag. Once he found one, he felt along the counter for the sink and then turned it one, soaking the rag with warm water.

Hoping Kagome wouldn't notice, he also spit on the rag. He knew it was gross, but youkai saliva could serve as a fairly good antiseptic for wounds. He quickly returned to her side, and before she could start protesting again, he grabbed her by the wrist and started to clean her wounds off with the rag.

She cringed; it hurt badly, but she refused to cry out.

"Baka," Inu-Yasha growled, "You think I can't feel these? They're really bad."

"Keh," Kagome said with a shrug, "They ain't _that_ bad."

"Stop trying to be a hero," Inu-Yasha snarled at her angrily.

Kagome was taken aback.

"You could've been killed, you moron," he continued angrily, "Then what would I do? Kagome…"

He sighed and then changed his tone to a gentler one.

"Don't think I don't know this has happened before," he said, "And… I… I'd be totally screwed without you, okay?"

Kagome just stared at him.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" she asked.

"Because if it weren't for you, I'd be dead in a fucking ditch somewhere, that's why," he said, "And… you're the only person who…"

"Yes?" she asked, urging him to continue.

She wanted to know what he really thought of her.

"You're the only person that I've ever trusted before, all right?" he growled quickly, "I don't want you to get hurt. Not by the likes of some idiot not even worth the time it takes to fight him."

"Inu-Yasha…" she said.

She was touched.

_Good lord, he must've actually been really worried about me,_ she thought.

"Kagome… over the past week you've done a hell of a lot for me," Inu-Yasha continued as he lightly wiped her wounds with the rag, "I can't just sit there idle as you get hurt."

Kagome smiled.

"I guess I should thank you then," she said.

"Feh," Inu-Yasha responded with a shrug.

_I think I owe Inu-Yasha now,_ Kagome thought, _If he hadn't barged in when he did… I would probably be dead._

_x_

When Inu-Yasha was done cleaning Kagome's wounds, she figured that she could bandage them herself, but when she had brought the bandages back to the couch, Inu-Yasha stared at her with a frown.

"Give 'em here; I'll do it," he said.

" No, I can manage," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha continued to frown.

"Please?" he asked, "Just let me help."

"I'll be fine by myself," she said, trying to un-role some of the cloth bandages.

It was hard because her arms hurt like hell.

Inu-Yasha growled quietly and stood up off the couch and walked to the kitchen, shuffling around in a drawer for something. Kagome watched him puzzledly as he came back with a large role of duct-tape.

"Hey, what's that for?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"Um… holding the bandages closed, why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously, "What did you think I was going to do?"

"Oh, I was scared that you might… ah…" she mumbled shyly, "Tape me down?"

"Ermm…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Well, I wasn't planning to, but…"

He grinned his fangs evilly.

"Might not be such a bad idea."

Kagome jolted, her heard racing nervously and Inu-Yasha began to laugh as he approached her again and sat by her side. He, a little awkwardly, shifted her and sat on her legs before she could move, and then tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve.

"I was kidding," he assured her.

Kagome frowned, trying to calm herself.

"Don't joke about that!" she growled, "That freaked me out!"

"I'm sorry Kag," he said, "I won't ever again, okay?"

The girl still stared at him, frustrated, as he began to wrap cloth around her arm and then stick it closed with a strip of duct tape. Every once and a while, she would cry out in pain, but Inu-Yasha merely squeezed her close, trying both to reassure her and to prevent any flailing-related injuries. She grunted and tried to worm away, but the boy crushed her shoulders to her sides easily.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "Just relax, okay?"

Kagome, figuring it was no use to try to fight someone who could take out six guys in less than a minute, sighed and nodded reluctantly. Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Good girl," he said, pulling a long strand of duct tape away from the roll and beginning to wind it around her arm.

He grinned.

"I'm making you a cast, see?" he stated proudly.

Kagome sighed.

"You didn't have to do that you know," she said.

"Didn't have to do what?"

"Restrain me?"

"Yes I did," Inu-Yasha said defensively, "Now don't move; I'll get off you when I'm done, cool?"

"Can't you do that now?" Kagome asked innocently.

"No; I don't trust you," Inu-Yasha said.

"I thought you said you did though," Kagome said, sounding a little hurt.

"I do, just not with things like this," he explained.

"Oh…" Kagome said understandingly.

"D'you hate me now?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Nah," Kagome said.

"Oh good."

He held her hands and then swiftly checked both her arms and sealed the one he hadn't all ready with more duct tape before releasing her and moving off of her legs. Kagome rubbed her wrists slightly and frowned at Inu-Yasha.

"If you weren't blind, I'd _so_ kick your ass," she joked.

"Pah!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, and then turned to Kagome and lightly ruffled her hair.

He sighed a little sadly.

_Man... If I had gotten to you faster Kagome... This wouldn't have happened. It's my fault. I hope you can forgive me..._

"You're a moron," he commented, "Why d'you make such a fuss all the time?"

"Why do you?" Kagome asked.

"Touché," Inu-Yasha said with a smirk.

He sighed.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed," he said, "Okay?"

"What?" Kagome demanded, "You… Keh, never mind, goodnight."

"Night," Inu-Yasha said, and he swiftly went up the stairs to his room and closed the door.

He didn't know why, but he was suddenly exhausted, and felt a little ill because of his guilt. Not even bothering to change into sleepwear, he crawled under his blankets and curled into a ball, falling asleep almost instantly.

oOoOoOoO

Kagome stared up the stairs after Inu-Yasha. She then looked at her bandaged arms.

"Either he's insane, or I am," she muttered.

She couldn't help but smile.

"That jerk," she whispered, grinning, "I wanted to beat my father. Why did he get to do it?"

_That was really impressive though,_ Kagome thought, _I guess there's a lot more to Inu-Yasha than I thought._

She leaned back into the couch and winced at the pain in her arms. She sighed.

_I'm glad I have him around,_ she thought. _Or else I might've really been in trouble._

* * *


	12. Brotherly Love, Almost

* * *

Chapter 11: Brotherly Love… Well, Almost…

* * *

Sessho-Maru, sniffing and wrapped tightly in a bathrobe, paced the halls of his mansion again. His headache and fever had grown steadily worse over the last three days.

"Damn this flu," he grumbled to himself, "Isn't this supposed to be a _human_ disease?"

He was tired, but he couldn't stop himself from pacing. His thoughts were on his younger brother. He moved to the window and stared out of it blankly, wondering about what had become of Inu-Yasha.

"God damned flu," he muttered, sniffing and sneezing quietly.

He wiped his nose on a handkerchief from his pocket, and then sighed, and sneezed again. He closed his eyes in irritation, and then resumed his staring and worrying.

"Any news, Jaken?" he asked.

The little toad youkai scampered into the hall behind him and bowed.

"I'm sorry my lord, but no," he squeaked, "I even hacked into their hard drive… There's nothing recent about Inu-Yasha there at all. I think he escaped them."

Sessho-Maru couldn't help but feeling a little relieved.

"Good," he said slowly, "Very good."

"With all do respect, Sessho-Maru-sama," Jaken said, shuffling his feet a little, "You actually seem _worried_ about Inu-Yasha."

Sessho-Maru smiled slightly.

"Worried about that half-breed?" he asked amusedly, "No. He's old enough to take care of himself Jaken."

Sessho-Maru closed his eyes briefly.

_I hope,_ he thought.

x

Putting his hand into his pocket, Sessho-Maru began to wonder the halls again.

Sniffing, he approached the long couch in one of the many rooms and sat down tiredly. He leaned back into the cushions, trying to get comfortable, but he couldn't.

He was cold, and as well, guilt gnawed at his insides.

He had been lying through his teeth when he had said that he wasn't worried about Inu-Yasha, and calling the whelp a "half-breed" hurt him too.

Deep inside, he was terrified for his younger brother's sake. He didn't want him being captured by the humans. Not again. The last time had been too horrible for him; he had nearly been killed through slow torture.

Sessho-Maru remembered it well.

x

Inu-Yasha had been captured by the humans when he was sixteen, maybe even a tiny bit younger, after his girlfriend had betrayed him to them.

It had taken Sessho-Maru nearly a month to locate him and attempt a rescue.

He remembered well, bursting into the building where Inu-Yasha was being held, killing any human who got in his way.

He had followed Inu-Yasha's scent throughout the building to find him, though even his scent had become weak and sickly.

When he had finally found the chamber where his brother was being held, he had merely dissolved the door with his claws.

Seeing the state that Inu-Yasha was in almost made him sick. His brother had been naked, strapped down with metal restraints to a table. He had been deathly pale and thin; Sessho-Maru could see almost every bone in his brother's body, a result of not being able to eat or drink for almost a month.

There was a number tattooed in green ink onto his side. Inu-Yasha's ears were drooped, his eyes open, but covered by a milky film, and he had been forced into a muzzle that covered his mouth and nose.

That repulsive piece of metal was the first thing Sessho-Maru had freed him from, and as soon as he did, he became even more disgusted by what the humans had done to him.

It was clear that Inu-Yasha's gums had been bleeding badly, showing that the humans had previously yanked out his fangs. His tongue was dark and swollen, and Sessho-Maru had also seen that they had broken his jaw badly, as well as most of his other bones.

Biting his lip, Sessho-Maru had released his brother completely and then pulled the long lab coat off of a nearby dead human and wrapped him in it.

x

Sessho-Maru had carried Inu-Yasha home that night as fast as he could. He had dressed him in some proper nightwear and laid him in his bed. He stayed by his brother's side for a week before he had woken up.

He remembered the look of fright, confusion and then joy and relief in Inu-Yasha's eyes as he had awoken and slowly realized where he was.

"Welcome home, little brother," Sessho-Maru had said.

Inu-Yasha looked up at him and tried to speak, but couldn't. He looked puzzled.

"They broke your jaw, Inu-Yasha, as well as most of your other bones," he had told him, "You won't be able to move or speak for a while."

Inu-Yasha had sighed sadly, but managed to give his brother a weak, thankful smile.

"Rest," Sessho-Maru had told him, "You'll feel better. I've left a bell, some paper and a pen by your bedside table. Ring the bell and Jaken will get you whatever you need."

x

Sessho-Maru remembered that Inu-Yasha had been bedridden for a month, with Jaken, much to his own amusement, forced to cater to his every whim.

The first week, he slept, and once his woke up again, his jaw was healed.

As soon as he was able to move again, Inu-Yasha insisted that Sessho-Maru use the acid in his claws to burn the tattoo out of his side, and the one off of his head too, one that Sessho-Maru hadn't noticed.

x

Inu-Yasha had never been the same since he had brought him back.

He was constantly depressed, and hardly went outside for almost a year, other than school, of course.

He merely sat in his room, listening to morbid music or typing on his computer.

Sessho-Maru couldn't have guessed what he was working on.

Sometimes, on the night of the new moon when Inu-Yasha was human, he could almost swear he could hear him crying.

Could he have been crying for Kikyo, that worthless wench who had all but killed him?

Sessho-Maru wasn't sure, but he didn't think even Inu-Yasha was thick enough to pine for a woman who hated him. Maybe it was something else…

x

Sessho-Maru sighed as he came back into the present.

His little brother had been through hell. Even though the two of them had grown apart since the incident, Sessho-Maru would've never wished such a fate upon Inu-Yasha... or anybody.

He sighed again, and sneezed quietly.

"God dammit Inu-Yasha," he muttered grumpily, "Baka hanyou… If you get yourself put into that situation again and I'm not there to save you, what the hell are you going to do?"

He growled quietly and tried to push his worry for Inu-Yasha out of his mind.

He _was_ nearly eighteen after all. For God's sake, he could handle himself!

…Couldn't he?

* * *

A/N: Angst, angst, angst... :P

* * *


	13. Nightmares

Chapter 12: Nightmares

* * *

Kagome sat on her bed with the light dimmed. It was around twenty minutes after midnight. She was reading an English version of The Lord Of The Rings, trying to improve her skills in another language. It was hard, and she had to constantly switch back and forth between the Japanese version of it. She sighed and decided to call it a night, and slammed both books shut.

x

Just as she was about to stand to turn out the light, she heard a strange sound, like the bark of a dying animal, coming from Inu-Yasha's room. Kagome raised her eyebrow in confusion. Then, she heard Inu-Yasha scream loudly, and then heard him begin to shout, sounding as if he were being killed.

"GOD DAMMIT!" She heard him shriek, "YOU AIN'T GONNA KEEP ME HERE! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

There was a series of strange growls and screams from his room. She was too stunned to comprehend what could have been happening to him. She then heard him shout again.

"FUCK! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! LET ME GO! KIKYO! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

Kagome looked both shocked and worried, any remaining grumpiness she had directed at her friend dissolving, and then hurriedly she jumped out of bed and flung her door open, rushing to Inu-Yasha's room.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha shot up in bed with a yell, panting heavily and shaking, his nose filled with the scent of his own terror. All of a sudden, Inu-Yasha felt someone take his hands. His eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Inu-Yasha, buddy, it's okay, it's me," he heard Kagome's voice say, "It's Kagome. It's fine."

He caught her scent and breathed it in, making sure that it was really her and that he wasn't still dreaming, and he felt her stroke his hands with her thumbs. He quickly jerked one of his hands away from her and touched the top of his head. He could feel cloth over his ears, and remembered that he had fallen asleep wearing a bandanna. He sighed and shuddered again, lowering his hand and Kagome held it, trying to calm him down.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha continued to shake and tried to nod.

"K-Kagome…" he whispered nervously, "Why… What're you doing here?"

"Inu-Yasha I…" she started, not exactly sure how to justify being in his room, "I was in my room reading, right, and I heard you kinda scream and shout and stuff, and then start swearing. I thought something was wrong so I came to check on you."

Inu-Yasha shuddered again and nodded.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Kagome searched his face with concern; he looked horrified and badly shaken.

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asked.

"A nightmare…? Maybe, I… I'm not sure…" he muttered.

_What was my dream about?_ He wondered. _Was it even a dream? I think maybe it was more of a flashback…_

"My… My dream was…" he muttered, and then his eyes widened in terror as it flooded back to him.

He began to shake uncontrollably, and he squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to block the memories out.

_Screams… Pain… Why? Why are you hurting me like this? …I can't breath… Can't talk… I'm… so thirsty… God damn you… Stop! STOP!_

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked with concern, jolting out of his internal horrors, "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? That helps sometimes."

"I… I…" he muttered, and he squeezed her hands in nervousness.

"I won't pressure you if you don't want to talk about it," Kagome assured him.

"I… No, I want to… It was horrible," he whispered, shivering. "It was like a flashback of something I couldn't remember… it was that time… that time when I was captured by _them_…"

Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm listening," she said.

"I was… I was unconscious when this happened… Or, I was so pumped through with sedatives that I couldn't think," he said, his voice dropping to a fearful whisper, "They… They made it so I couldn't move at all. I couldn't think or anything. They… they made me deaf. They forced my eyes open but I couldn't see. They broke my jaw so I couldn't talk, and then they… they put something over my mouth and nose and choked me with something They… They hurt me… They ripped my finger nails out, electrocuted me, tattooed a number into my side and onto the back of my head… Oh god, I can't remember what else."

His head slumped onto his chest and he closed his eyes, shuddering with fear. Kagome's eyes were wide, and she had begun to shake as well.

"Please tell me you aren't serious," she begged.

He shook his head slowly.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

She raised a shaking hand to her friend's face and patted his cheek lightly. He looked as if he appreciated the contact, but he shuddered again anyhow.

"Kagome, why are you helping me?" he asked slowly.

"Because, I… I want to Inu-Yasha," she said, "We're friend's now right? That's what friends are for."

"But," he said, "if they ever saw you with me… If they ever spotted you… They'd try to kill you Kagome. Your life is at risk, just by knowing me. And they _have_ seen you… Good god…"

"I don't care," she said gently. "Inu-Yasha, what did I just say? That's what friends are for. Friends stay with each other, no matter what. Duh."

"You… You really want to stay by my side…?" Inu-Yasha asked quietly. "…As my friend?"

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said, shaking her head, "I've considered you my friend since about five minutes after I learned your name, haven't you?"

"Well, yes, obviously, but-"

"So stop worrying about it," she laughed.

"It's just that…" he started, "It's just that I've never… really had a friend before… At least, not a close one."

"You… haven't?" Kagome asked in shock, "Inu-Yasha… you've really… been alone your whole life?"

"Pretty much," he said quietly, "I'm always alone."

_You can't possibly comprehend how alone I've been Kag;_ he thought sadly, _I'm caught in the middle of two species. I have no place here. I have no place anywhere._

Kagome couldn't help a sad smile and she patted his hands.

"But don't you see, idiot? It doesn't need to be like that anymore. We're friends, aren't we? You're not _that_ alone."

Inu-Yasha continued to stare blankly downward, but then it slowly dawned on him what Kagome had just said.

_I'm not alone…?_ He thought, his eyes darting upward towards Kagome again, _Wait… of course. How did I not notice? Having Kagome around just seemed… so natural that I never really thought about it. We're both misfits, aren't we?_

"You okay?" she asked, "Do you wanna talk more?"

"Yeah, but later, okay?" he said, and then smiled at her.

"Thank you," he whispered, "Kagome… You're great."

Kagome smiled at him and punched his shoulder lightly.

"Hey, what're friends for, right?"

Inu-Yasha nodded. His face suddenly looked hard and grave.

_So, she is my friend then… the only real one I've got. I promise to protect her then: I have to._

He began to squeeze her hands tightly.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, snapping Inu-Yasha out of thought, and he immediately loosened his grip on her, "You okay? How about we go downstairs and I'll make you some hot chocolate, okay? That usually calms me down… Or do you want coffee?"

"Uh, well I-" he started.

"It's no bother Inu-Yasha," she said, knowing he was going to start up about not wanting to impose or anything. "Coffee or hot chocolate, take your pick."

"Uh, hot chocolate's fine," he said.

He sighed heavily and looked down.

"I wish I could see," he whispered sadly.

"I know," Kagome said, "don't worry, you'll see again. I've… got this feeling that you will. I know it's not much but… You will see again soon, Inu-Yasha."

His blank eyes looked up at her and he forced a smile despite the doubt that weighed heavy in his heart.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do," Kagome said.

He sighed and shuddered again.

"It's just this constant blackness… I know things are there, but no matter how hard I try, I can't even make out outlines… It… scares me a little."

"You, scared?" Kagome said, "I thought you said that you didn't get scared."

"I lied," he whispered.

Kagome gave a sad sigh.

"I wish I could help you," she said. "But… I just don't know what to do."

She sighed again.

"I think we're in way too deep, dude," she muttered.

"Tell me about it," he agreed.

"They'd really kill me, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he muttered sadly.

Kagome shook her head.

"You are _way_ too young to be dealing with this shit," she said grumpily.

"So? You're even younger than me. You shouldn't be dealing with this either," Inu-Yasha pointed out.

"Pah!" she exclaimed, "Whatever. But as long as we're in this together, we're good, right?"

"I hope," he said.

Kagome grinned.

"C'mon you," She said, sliding off of Inu-Yasha's bed, "I'll make you some hot chocolate. Get up."

x

He turned himself sideways and Kagome pulled him to his feet. She took him by the shoulders and smiled at him and then gave him a light hug. He looked a little shocked.

"Kagome-" he started, blushing, but she had already let him go.

"Just remember; we're friends, okay? You don't need to be alone anymore," she said reassuringly.

Inu-Yasha blinked with slight puzzlement, and then smiled at her.

"Neither do you," he told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know what I mean," he said quietly. "You've been alone too; don't pretend like you haven't."

"Okay, I won't," she said. "But I'm glad that that I have you now around now."

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Well, that feeling's mutual," he commented, looking slightly happier, and then paused, "So… you ain't grumpy at me?"

"Nah," she said with a shrug, "What for?"

"Well… for jumping on you and bandaging your arms and ditching you at dinner and-"

"No, no, I'm not grumpy," Kagome assured him swiftly, "Forget it. I'd be tired too if I just knocked a door off its hinges and bludgeoned someone with it. "

She looked at her bandaged arms and gave Inu-Yasha a slight grin.

_I owe you,_ she thought, _I owe you big time._

"C'mon," she said, taking his hand, "Hot chocolate, and we'll talk, okay?"

He nodded.

"Kagome?" he said.

"Yeah?" she replied.

He grasped tightly to her hand and squeezed it.

"Thank you."

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha laid his head on his arms at the kitchen table as Kagome heated up some milk for their hot chocolate. He sighed and shuddered. He could almost feel a dull ache in his body where he had been hurt two years before.

_I don't understand,_ he thought, frowning. _Why're these memories only coming back to me now? I don't need to remember this stuff. It hurts._

He sighed again and closed his eyes as Kagome poured some cocoa powder into the mugs of warm milk and stirred. Inu-Yasha let himself take in the pleasant scent deeply.

x

Kagome picked up the mugs and then placed one in front of him and sat in the chair beside him.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Kagome shrugged and took a sip for her own mug, and then placed it down on the table.

"So…" she said slowly, "Who's Kikyo?"

Inu-Yasha stiffened at that name, felt rage well up inside him.

"Where did you hear that name?" He asked at a whisper, trying not to sound angry.

He didn't want her to think that he was mad at her.

"You were screaming about her in your sleep," Kagome explained, "Who is she?"

Inu-Yasha sighed heavily.

"She's…" Inu-Yasha started, sitting up, "She's… uh…"

"Do you not want to talk about it?" Kagome questioned, "'Cause that's cool. I don't mind."

"No," Inu-Yasha said, shaking his head, "She's… my ex-girlfriend."

"Oh," Kagome said understandingly, "She did something bad to you?"

"Well…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, trying to keep his anger from showing too much in his voice, "Let's just say she's the reason I was caught by those people in the first place."

He growled a little at the thought and took a quick swig from his hot chocolate.

"Oh," Kagome said again, "That must've been hard for you."

"It was," he said, "Devastating. But I'm over her. Have been for years."

"Well, that's good," Kagome said, "It would be even harder for you if you couldn't let go."

"I know," Inu-Yasha said. "I'd be going insane if I couldn't. That or be in constant angst, and I don't need any more of that shit in my life."

Kagome nodded understandingly and made a small noise of comprehension.

"Well, I've never been romantically involved with anyone but… angst, there's something I understand totally," Kagome said.

"Why?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Oh, well, it's nowhere near as bad as yours, so-"

"No, go on," Inu-Yasha urged her.

_You've helped me Kagome, you've listened all the time, you've comforted me. It's only fair that I do the same._

"Well," Kagome said, "You know how bad my dad can be now…"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"I've lived with that for… well, almost since I was born, until I was seven, and then from almost five months ago till I met you."

She sighed.

"It… It's hard you know… I've had to be on my own a lot, too."

The way the words came out struck Inu-Yasha the wrong way. The girl was silent for a while and he awkwardly asked, "You… haven't... thought about suicide, have you?"

"Well…" Kagome said slowly.

"You have, haven't you?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Only once," Kagome admitted, "I almost couldn't stand things here anymore. I had no one who I cared about who was around. No one, and no one cared about me either."

"Then why-?"

"Because I…" Kagome started, and then laughed a little, "This sounds nuts but… Something stopped me. I don't know what it was, but it was just this feeling that something good was going to happen soon. Something was gonna change for the better, and I needed to be alive for that."

Kagome bit her lip and blushed a little, glad, for once, that Inu-Yasha couldn't see her.

_And that was a week before I met you, Inu-Yasha, _she thought, _That something good was meeting you._

_x_

Kagome also didn't mention something else, something she had felt that day as she had lowered the knife from her throat. She knew it would make her sound insane. She had felt as if there was a strange, powerful aura surrounding her. She had physically _felt_ someone embrace her, and had heard in her head a male voice that said, "Watch over him for me, would you?" At the time she had thought it was a dream, some sort of delusion maybe, from being so bitter that she had wanted to die. Now she realized that it couldn't possibly have been.

_That voice… whatever it was, whoever it was, it was telling me to watch over Inu-Yasha…_

_x_

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked quietly, snapping her back into reality, "Are you serious?"

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, "Why?"

"Well," Inu-Yasha said, "Strange as it sounds, I've had that feeling too."

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"That feeling, that something good was gonna happen," he said, and looked down embarrassedly, blushing, "I've felt it too."

By the look on his face, Kagome didn't need to ask Inu-Yasha when. It had been just before he had met her.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's going insane," Kagome joked.

Inu-Yasha smiled embarrassedly and took another sip of his drink.

"Umm… Kagome?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Thanks," he said, "For… you know… upstairs…"

"Keh?" Kagome asked.

"You… uh… you _hugged_ me…"

"Oh yeah," Kagome said, "It's called comforting, moron! ...You didn't mind, did you?"

"Uh… not… really," Inu-Yasha said, blushing furiously, "Just… thanks…"

Kagome grinned in amusement at Inu-Yasha, and he just continued to stare downwards. He felt as if his face were going to burn off.

_Good lord, why did I like that so much?_ He thought, _I… don't have feelings for Kagome, do I? …Nah, of course I don't. We're just friends… But it's just that I haven't been close like that to a girl since Kikyo…_

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha, her eyebrow raised. His face was still completely red.

"Um, Inu-Yasha, you okay?" she inquired.

"Who, me?" He asked quickly, "I'm fine."

"But your face is… Oh, I get it, you're blushing aren't you?" she asked.

"Me? No," Inu-Yasha said.

"You are," she insisted.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am NOT."

"Are too."

"AM NOT."

"ARE TOO."

"AM NOT!"

"Why?" Kagome asked, cutting off their immature argument.

"I'm NOT BLUSHING," he insisted.

"It's because I hugged you, eh?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to say something, but then turned away and the red on his face deepened.

"You're insane," Kagome said, patting him on the back, "What, you don't think I've got a crush on you, do you?"

"No," he replied swiftly, "And… I don't have a crush on you, if that's what you think."

"I didn't think that," Kagome said, "I just think that you're an insecure person whose brother probably never hugged him when he was little."

"Ew," Inu-Yasha laughed, "If Sessho-Maru ever hugged me and I remembered, I'd stab myself right now."

Kagome laughed as well.

"Your brother's name is Sessho-Maru?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Well, then I must kick this Sessho-Maru's ass," Kagome said confidently.

Inu-Yasha sighed and laughed.

_Kagome's so stubborn,_ he thought, _I suppose it'd be useless to try to convince her that Sessho-Maru could wipe the floor with her in seconds flat._

"That'd be funny," he said instead.

Kagome grinned at him and patted his back again.

"You seem to be feeling better," she commented.

"I... kinda am, I guess," he admitted.

"I'm glad we had this talk," Kagome said, "And I want you to know, I'm always here for you, okay?"

Inu-Yasha glanced up at Kagome in surprise, not at all expecting that gentleness coming from her. He smiled, blushed and nodded. She grinned, and then, both because she found his reaction extremely humorous and she could tell that it made him feel better, she gave him another friendly hug. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he felt his face burn with embarrassment, but he didn't protest, and Kagome let him go an instant later.

"Well," she said cheerfully, standing, "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Just shout if you need to talk again, or anything, cool?"

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said. "Are we going to school tomorrow?"

"After tonight?" Kagome asked, "You and your nightmare? Hell no. You'll be too freaking tired."

"Oh," he said.

"Goodnight Inu-Yasha," she said, and she started to head up the stairs.

Inu-Yasha bit his lip a little. Once again, the insane notion of blurting out that he was a hanyou to her hit him.

"Kagome?" he called, but not loudly enough because she obviously didn't hear him.

He sighed.

_Some other time then,_ he thought.


	14. A Look Into The Past II

Chapter 13: A Look Into The Past (#2)

* * *

Until daylight came, Sessho-Maru was still pondering over where the hell he and Inu-Yasha could be. He had barely managed an hour's rest; he couldn't sleep in this strange new place.

_Well, we're still in Japan, because the humans speak the same language I do,_ he thought. _But how can it be that there aren't any other youkai? _

"The humans… They have such strange technology," he muttered.

He felt Inu-Yasha beginning to stir against his chest and he looked down at his brother. The small hanyou's hand was clinging tightly to the fur on Sessho-Maru's tail, and he snuggled deeper into the fur as he began to wake up. Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes and sighed. He saw Inu-Yasha's eyelids begin to flutter, and he groaned slightly.

x

"Sessho-Maru?" he asked quietly.

He slowly forced his eyes open and looked up at his older brother.

"Sessho-Maru? Where's Mother?"

Sessho-Maru looked down at him and sighed.

"Your mother isn't here," he said.

"She's not?" Inu-Yasha asked sadly, "But… why?"

"I don't know," Sessho-Maru said honestly.

"Nii-san, what're you wearing?" Inu-Yasha asked with puzzlement.

"Human clothes," Sessho-Maru responded simply.

"They look strange," Inu-Yasha commented.

Sessho-Maru didn't answer and sighed again. Inu-Yasha continued to stare up at his brother, and then frowned a little. Slowly, he heaved himself up onto his feet on Sessho-Maru's knee, and then leapt from the tree onto the ground. Sessho-Maru watched him curiously. The young hanyou started to walk away.

x

"Where the hell do you think you're off to?" he inquired.

"To find Mother and Father," he said simply.

"You aren't going to find them that way Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru said.

"How would you know?" Inu-Yasha asked grumpily, looking up at him.

"Because I don't smell their scent anywhere for miles, that's why," Sessho-Maru said.

Inu-Yasha's eyes became wide and round.

"You sure?" he asked.

Sessho-Maru nodded. He could see Inu-Yasha begin to tremble, and then he sat down on the ground on his haunches, his ears drooping and his bangs hiding his eyes. Sessho-Maru could smell his brother's tears. He quickly slid himself out of the tree and landed by Inu-Yasha's side. He frowned and tilted his brother's face upwards so that he could look at him. There were tears flowing from his amber eyes and he was biting his lip to keep himself from sobbing aloud.

x

"Crying again, half-breed?" he inquired, "What for now?"

"It's just…" Inu-Yasha whispered, "It's just… I don't think I'm ever gonna see them again, am I?"

Sessho-Maru shook his head and Inu-Yasha looked down and sighed sadly.

"I miss them though," he muttered.

"You'll get over it," Sessho-Maru stated.

Inu-Yasha sighed again and wiped his eyes.

"Damn it to hell," he muttered.

"Where on earth did you learn that?" Sessho-Maru inquired.

"Learn what? ...Oh... 'bad words'?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and Sessho-Maru just rolled his eyes again.

"You do that a lot," Inu-Yasha commented.

His brother stayed silent. He sniffed, blinking some more tears out of his eyes.

"I wanna go home…" he muttered.

"You'll get over that too, eventually," Sessho-Maru said.

"Feh…" Inu-Yasha grumbled. "No I won't. I'm not heartless like you."

"Oh yes, I'm just _so_ heartless Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru stated sarcastically, "That's why I'm taking care of you."

"Feh!" Inu-Yasha scoffed, though his voice was starting to become choked as more tears filled his eyes, "I don't need you! I don't need anyone!"

"Of course you don't," Sessho-Maru said.

Inu-Yasha bowed his head and began to cry again. Glancing at him briefly, Sessho-Maru reached to Inu-Yasha and lightly ruffled his ears. Inu-Yasha's only reaction was to cry more, that feeling reminding him of his mother.

Sessho-Maru grimaced, not knowing how to deal with his younger bother.

"Hey Inu-Yasha?" he asked, attempting to cheer him up, "Do you want to play a game?"

Inu-Yasha looked up at him and sniffed.

"It ain't "Dodge The Rocks", is it?" he asked quietly.

"Have I ever played "Dodge The Rocks" with you?" Sessho-Maru asked a bit smoothly, "Who did?"

"Humans…" he replied quietly.

Sessho-Maru frowned just a little and shook his head. Then, he raised his eyebrow a little. Reaching to Inu-Yasha, he gave his nose a hard tweak, and then clenched his fist and stuck his thumb out between his fingers.

"Heh, I've got your nose Inu-Yasha," he said with a grin.

Inu-Yasha stared up at him, rage boiling in his eyes, and he gasped.

"You _what_?" he demanded, getting to his feet, "You took my nose? What the hell? Give it back!"

"No," Sessho-Maru said, turning his head away from Inu-Yasha, but watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Inu-Yasha growled.

"Gimme my god damned nose back, you jerk!" he yelled, lunging at Sessho-Maru's fist.

Sessho-Maru moved his hand and Inu-Yasha tripped, and then he stood and snarled angrily.

"GIVE IT BACK!" he yelled.

"Uh-oh, Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru said slyly, forcing his venom into the claw on his thumb to make it glow green, "I think it's dying."

Inu-Yasha gasped in horror.

"GIMME MY GOD DAMN FUCKING NOSE!" He roared.

"Tsk tsk, such language," Sessho-Maru chided.

Inu-Yasha growled and ran at Sessho-Maru, flailing his fists at him. Sessho-Maru smirked and put his hand on Inu-Yasha's head, easily holding him back. Inu-Yasha snarled, and then Sessho-Maru released him and he fell on his face.

"Ow!" Inu-Yasha moaned as he sat up, rubbing his face, "Ow, that hurt my n… MY NOSE!"

He looked daggers at Sessho-Maru and rubbed the end of his nose tenderly.

"YOU LYING SCUM! YOU… YOU NEVER HAD MY NOSE, DID YOU?" he demanded loudly.

Sessho-Maru laughed slightly.

"You're only figuring that out now?" he inquired, "My, you really are thick… It was my thumb, moron."

"Shut up, bastard!" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Where did you hear all these words?" Sessho-Maru questioned, "Certainly not from me."

"Shut it," Inu-Yasha muttered again, "…I… heard it from Mother and Father…"

"Really," Sessho-Maru said.

"Hai," Inu-Yasha replied, "I heard them say it when to some humans when they called me "half-breed". They were really mad."

"I assume that they were," Sessho-Maru said, "Gods… You're only two, idiot..."

"Keh," Inu-Yasha snorted. "That's it, I'm outta here."

Inu-Yasha stood, brushed himself off, and then began to head deeper into the woods.

"I told you, you're not going to find your parents that way," Sessho-Maru said.

"You think I don't know that!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, his voice sounding choked again, "I have a good sense of smell too, idiot."

"Oh really? I keep forgetting," Sessho-Maru said, "Seeing as you're-"

"I KNOW, I KNOW, BECAUSE I'M HANYOU! NOW SHUT UP!" Inu-Yasha yelled. "I'M GONE."

"Where?" Sessho-Maru questioned.

"Far away from you," Inu-Yasha growled tearfully, marching off into the trees huffily.

Sessho-Maru watched him leave, not even attempting to stop him.

_He'll be back_, he thought.

The youkai leaned back against a tree and folded his arms and closed his eyes, awaiting his younger brother's return.

oOoOoOoO

Within ten minutes, Sessho-Maru's prediction came true. First, he heard a loud noise, like an explosion of some sort, and then he heard the familiar shriek of Inu-Yasha's voice. Suddenly, he could smell Inu-Yasha's blood, and his eyes shot open.

"That can't be good," he muttered, standing, "Inu-Yasha?"

He could smell his brother's tears on the wind, and could hear him sobbing as he stumbled through the foliage back to him. As soon as Inu-Yasha was in view, he collapsed onto his knees, his small body wracked with sobs.

"Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru questioned.

Once again, he felt his paternal instincts start to rise, and he rushed to his brother's side and scooped him into his arms.

"Whelp? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked.

"Humans," Inu-Yasha choked, "They… They… had this little metal thing… and it shot an… an arrow head or something at me and… Oh… Nii-san, it hurts…."

Sessho-Maru sat on the ground again and placed Inu-Yasha in his lap. His arm was bleeding badly, and he bowed his head and continued to cry. Sessho-Maru frowned slightly, angry that a human would dare shoot something at anyone in his family.

x

Carefully, he pulled Inu-Yasha's shirt off of him and inspected the wound to his arm. It was fairly deep, and Inu-Yasha turned his head so as not to look at it. Sessho-Maru frowned again, and pulled the small metal object out of Inu-Yasha's skin, causing him to shout in pain and slump forward into his brother's chest, still crying.

"Shush… Whelp, cut it out," Sessho-Maru muttered quietly, "You'll live. You'll be fine in a day or so."

"Yeah… but it _hurts_…" he muttered through the tears.

"I know," Sessho-Maru said, placing his hand on Inu-Yasha's head and lightly ruffling his ears.

"…Please… stop it…" Inu-Yasha begged, "Please… It reminds me of Mother so much…"

Sessho-Maru nodded.

"As you wish, hanyou," he said, pulling his hand away slowly.

"Thanks…" Inu-Yasha muttered, sniffing.

He picked up his white under-kimono and pulled it on, but then hugged his haori to his chest and buried his face in it, trying to cry himself out. He didn't want to cry anymore.

"Would you like me to treat your arm?" Sessho-Maru inquired.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"No… thanks," he said, "It… doesn't hurt so much anymore."

He looked up and sniffed heavily, and then pulled the rest of his kimono on.

"I think I'm done crying now," he said.

"Good," Sessho-Maru said with an approving nod.

Inu-Yasha sighed and closed his eyes, now exhausted from being put through so much stress. He clumsily slumped forward into his bother's chest, half-asleep. Sessho-Maru looked down on him almost fondly and put his arm around him.

_I'm never, ever mentioning any of this to him when he's older,_ Sessho-Maru thought for a second time.

Suddenly, Inu-Yasha started to sniff, and his eyes shot open with fear.

"Nii-san!" he cried, looking up at Sessho-Maru, "We have to leave! It's _them_!"

"It's who?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Those humans with the thing that shoots things… _Them_! They're coming!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

He glanced over his shoulder fearfully.

"Can't you smell them?" he inquired.

"My nose has been swamped with human stink since we arrived here," Sessho-Maru grumbled.

"Wait… Smell that thing, the one that smells almost like ashes and fire and metal? That one? That's _bad_," Inu-Yasha said, "Please, can we leave?"

"I smell it," Sessho-Maru said, hefting Inu-Yasha into his arms as he stood.

He took the sack that contained his possessions and carried it over his back.

"We'll wait… We'll meet them here."

Inu-Yasha looked up at his older brother in terror.

"But… why?"

"Because I want answers," Sessho-Maru said calmly.


	15. Morning Craziness

Chapter 14: Morning Craziness

* * *

It was half an hour after Kagome had left him to go to bed, and Inu-Yasha was face down on the couch. He couldn't help it. He was still blushing; he could feel it.

"Good god," he mumbled, "What the hell's wrong with me? Why can't this damn blush go away?"

He didn't know what was wrong with him, and it was pissing him off.

_God, all that happened was Kagome hugged me… It's not that big of a deal, friends hug… What the crap?_

He bit his lip in frustration, rolling over onto his back.

"Keh," he said grumpily, "I have issues."

x

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. His cheeks were still burning, and he rubbed at them slightly. He didn't know how to make himself stop blushing. With a groan, he heaved himself upright and then stood, heading to the kitchen. Trying to relieve the burning on his face, he opened the fridge door and sat in front of it and stuck his head in. He hit his head on what seemed to be a carton of juice, and he frowned in irritation. He could still feel the blush on his face. Growling angrily, he grabbed the juice carton and opened it. Orange juice. Cupping one hand, he poured some juice into it with his other and then, after closing his eyes tightly, he splashed it on his face. It didn't help. With another growl, he closed the carton, put it back in the fridge and moved to the sink and splashed water on his face. It still did nothing for him; he could still feel that he was blushing.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed.

He rubbed his temples, trying to subdue his irritation.

"Why am I still blushing?" he wondered aloud, "What's going on with me?"

_Maybe you like her,_ a tiny voice in the back of Inu-Yasha's mind said.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in shock.

_No way, I can't like Kagome. Not like that anyhow. Goddamn, I've only known her for a week! I can't like her like that after only knowing her for a week!_

He put a hand to his forehead and he couldn't stop his mind from racing away with him

_She's the only person I've ever trusted like this. C'mon, I was going out with Kikyo for less._

Inu-Yasha bit his lip. It would make sense but…

"Goddamn, I can't… I can't like her like that! It's only been a week! What am I, a pervert?" he said aloud, "Shit!"

_It's probably just testosterone or youkai instincts or something… It's just because she's a female is all,_ he told himself.

His mind raced. He told himself that, but he knew he didn't believe it.

x

Inu-Yasha sighed and placed himself back down on the couch. He put his face in his hands and his ears drooped with bafflement.

"So… I'm… infatuated…? With Kagome…?" he whispered, "What the crap?"

He sighed.

"This makes no sense. I've never even seen Kagome, and I know she doesn't like me that way," he said.

_How do you know that? Did you ask?_ The little voice inquired.

"It's not like that!" he growled at himself

"It's not like what now Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked all of a sudden.

She had come down the stairs dressed in black nightwear, and she held a glass of water in one hand. Inu-Yasha yelped in shock and toppled off the couch onto the floor. Kagome raised her eyebrow.

"K-Kagome!" Inu-Yasha stammered as he sat up quickly, "You fucking gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, sorry dude," she said, "I couldn't sleep. What's with the shouting?"

"Nothing, nothing's with the shouting," Inu-Yasha said swiftly.

He pushed himself onto his feet and looked in her direction.

"Why? Did you hear any of that?"

"No," she said, and then yawned slightly, "Why?"

"No reason," Inu-Yasha replied. "It… Nothing, no reason."

Kagome looked at him inquisitively and yawned once more.

"Yo… Why's your face red?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha's heart jumped nervously.

"I… hit myself in the face," he said.

"With what?" Kagome asked curiously.

"The... umm... the wall," Inu-Yasha lied, frowning, "Why do you ask?"

"It's all on your cheeks dude," she said.

Oh, for god's sake! Inu-Yasha's mind yelled, I'm still blushing? Good lord!

Inu-Yasha shrugged. Suddenly, he felt like he needed a cold shower. But then he remembered he had broken the bathroom door.

"Kagome?" he asked, "Any convenience stores around here?"

"Yeah," she replied, "Down the street, on the corner to the left."

"Cool, and do you have a lighter?" he inquired.

"Yeah," she replied.

She fished around in her pocket until she found it and then passed it into his hand.

"Why, you going for a shower?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened.

"How did you-?"

"I do that a lot too," Kagome said, "Grab a lighter and hold it under the sprinklers. Gets you in shit sometimes, but it's worth it."

She grinned.

"Want me to come with?"

"Would you?" he asked.

"Sure," Kagome said, "No prob."

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said with a bit of a smirk, "Thanks."  
x

Kagome didn't bother to change and she went to the front door. She pulled on a dark green sweatshirt for warmth and then her large black boots. She handed Inu-Yasha his leather jacket and he slipped into a pair of sandals that had belonged to Kagome's father, but he had never worn them. They were a little big for Inu-Yasha, and he had to make sure that he didn't stumble over them as he put his jacket on.

"You sure you don't want to go buy shoes?" Kagome inquired.

"I'm fine," Inu-Yasha said. "Sandals work."

"Cool," Kagome said.

She opened the front door and herded Inu-Yasha out of the house before stepping out into the fresh air herself and locking the door.

"Still dark?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Yeah, it's probably about one in the morning," Kagome told him.

"Oh," he said. "They open?"

"Should be," Kagome said with a shrug.

She helped Inu-Yasha down the steps, and he inhaled the night air contentedly.

"Wow, this is great," he muttered.

"What is?" Kagome inquired.

"The fresh air. It's great," he said, "We were cooped up inside for nearly a week. I thought I was going to go insane."

"Oh," Kagome said understandingly. "Right…"

"Do you think the police would've stopped looking for me yet?" he asked.

"Us," Kagome stated, taking his hand.

"Us?" Inu-Yasha asked puzzledly, "Whaddya mean?"

"It's not just you Inu-Yasha," Kagome said, "Now that they've seen me, it's us. We're in this together, whether you like it or not."

Inu-Yasha glanced at her and raised his eyebrow.

"Why do you sound so glad about that?" he inquired accusingly.

"Meh," Kagome said. "Well, what? You want me to be scared out of my mind?"

"Well, that's what I'd expect," Inu-Yasha commented as they started down the street.

"Truth?" Kagome said a little embarrassedly.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I am scared out of my mind," Kagome admitted.

"You sure don't sound it," he commented.

"I know, but neither do you," Kagome pointed out.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Well… I'm kinda sorry for getting you involved," Inu-Yasha admitted.

"Screw it," Kagome said, "I got myself involved, it wasn't you."

Within ten minutes, they had arrived at the convenience store. Kagome quickly ushered Inu-Yasha in through the sliding door. The store clerk looked up from his newspaper as they walked in.

"Uh oh," he mumbled, "Higurashi, you aren't here for what I think you are, are you?"

"I'm not," Kagome said with a grin.

She pointed at Inu-Yasha.

"He is."

The store clerk sighed and pulled out an umbrella from behind the counter and opened it. Kagome laughed slightly.

"Inu-Yasha, pass me that lighter, would ya?" she inquired.

"Sure," Inu-Yasha said.

He pulled Kagome's lighter back out of his pocket and handed it to her. Kagome gave a slight wink to the store clerk.

"Don't worry, we'll make it worth your while," she assured him.

She swiftly leapt up onto the counter and flicked her lighter open, waving it under the sprinklers on the ceiling. The water turned on, showering them in a cold spray. Kagome sighed happily and Inu-Yasha turned his face up to the water.

"Wow, that's great," he said.

The store clerk sighed.

"Higurashi, it's because of you I can only have packaged products here," he muttered.

"Oh, lighten up!" she laughed. "Dude, I'm no shoplifter, and I pay you for letting me do this; you should be happy."

The store clerk shrugged and sighed again, ducking lower under his umbrella.

"And now you've worn off on someone, great," he muttered.

"Hey, she didn't wear off on me," Inu-Yasha protested. "I do this anyway."

"Why though? Why me?" the store clerk whined.

"The bathroom door got smashed and you're the closest dude with sprinklers," Kagome explained, and then she jerked her thumb at Inu-Yasha who was sitting on the wet tiles, looking considerably happier than before. "Dude's blind and he's rooming with me."

"Oh," the store clerk said, and then sighed heavily, "This should be illegal."

"I believe it is," Kagome said cheerfully.

"Yeah, that's what the guy near my house keeps telling me," Inu-Yasha commented, "Never does anything about it though."

"Did you threaten to kick his ass?" Kagome questioned.

"No," Inu-Yasha stated indignantly, "I paid him."

Kagome laughed and then reached into her pocket and pulled out forty dollars. She passed it to the store clerk.

"Have fun," she said, grinning.

She looked back at Inu-Yasha. He was now lying on the floor, his hands behind his head, drenched. He blinked up into the water. Kagome grinned and approached him, squatting by his side.

"You always wear something over your head, don't ya?" she inquired.

"Yep," Inu-Yasha said, glancing in her direction, "What of it?"

"Fashion statement?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded, and yawned a little. Kagome grinned and brushed her wet hair out of her face.

"Cool," she said.

"Thank you," Inu-Yasha said, trying to ignore the sudden pang of anxiety he felt.

"Ready to go yet?" Kagome inquired.

"Soon," Inu-Yasha said.

He sat up and cocked his head, cracking his neck a little, and then looked hopefully at Kagome.

"Could we buy more candy? I finished my stash a few days ago," he said.

"Only a few days ago?" Kagome asked, surprised, "I finished mine the night we got it."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, grinning a little, "So is that a yes?"

"Yeah, that's a yes," she said.

She grabbed his hand and helped his to his feet, making sure that he didn't slip on the wet floor. She looked up, and then the sprinklers stopped. The store clerk sighed in relief and then closed his umbrella, but then slipped on the wet floor and fell to the ground with a thud. Kagome laughed quietly at him as he regained his feet. Quickly, she gathered up an armful of chocolate bars and some Coke, paid the man, and then they left with their candy stuff in a plastic bag.

x

On the way home, Kagome handed Inu-Yasha a can of Coke.

"You aren't gonna sleep tonight anyway, so you may as well have one," she said.

"Thanks," he said, pulling the tab on top to make it open.

He chugged it quickly and then blew his wet bangs out of his face.

"That was really fun," he said.

"I know," Kagome said with a smile.

"See," Inu-Yasha started, "If I ever get another girlfriend, that's gonna be our first date. Abusing the sprinkler system at a convenience store."

Kagome laughed and took a Coke out of the bag, and sipped at it carefully.

"Yeah, but you'd have to find a girl who likes that kind of thing," Kagome pointed out. "Which might be a tad of a problem."

"Oh yeah…" Inu-Yasha said, but then smiled and shrugged. "Feh, whatever."

"Know what?" Kagome said, "I've never heard anyone say "feh" before you. Did you make it up?"

"I might've," Inu-Yasha said with a shrug, "It's just sort of a sound I make, I dunno."

"I like it," Kagome commented, "It's cool."

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said, laughing a little.

Then, something dawned on him and hit himself in the forehead with his fist.

"Damn!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"You paid again, didn't you?" He exclaimed, "Aw man! You aren't supposed to pay for my stuff!"

"Oh, stop it!" Kagome said, punching his shoulder lightly, "It was my treat. You can pay me back later."

"But you won't accept the money if I try to pay you back!" he said.

"That's the point, idiot," Kagome laughed.

Inu-Yasha sighed, and brushed his hair back a little.

"Hmm… wet," he commented.

"No shit," Kagome smirked, "Now what d'you wanna do? Go home or hang out more?"

"Wanna hang out more?" Inu-Yasha asked, "I'm totally wired now."

"I could tell," Kagome said, laughing slightly, "C'mon, let's go do something rediculous."

"Sounds fun," Inu-Yasha said with a grin, "Just… what did you have in mind?"

"Um… graffiti, playing in a public pond or fountain or something."

"Are you serious?" Inu-Yasha asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Kagome said with a grin, "Ever done that?"

"No," Inu-Yasha said.

"Oh, it's easy," Kagome said, "And fun. There's a wall downtown where tons of people paint on it. It's not a big deal."

Inu-Yasha laughed and shook his head.

"You're bonkers," he said, tapping the side of her head.

"Heh, I know," she said, lightly pushing his hand away, "Just gotta go home and change first, cool? I'm soaked."

"So am I," Inu-Yasha said. "Let's do it though, it sounds like fun."

"You mean it?" Kagome asked, delighted.

"Sure," Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed, "No one else I've even know would ever come with me!"

"But it sounds like fun," Inu-Yasha said.

"You aren't just pulling my leg, are ya?" Kagome questioned.

"No," Inu-Yasha said honestly.

"God! You're the best!" She exclaimed, giving him a quick hug.

He blushed a little and beamed at her.

"Man, you been hugging me a lot lately," he commented with a grin.

"Whatever," Kagome said dismissively, but continued to grin. "So, let's go then."

Inu-Yasha nodded. His eyes were alight with anticipation.

"C'mon, we'll run back," he said, squatting "Get on."

Kagome laughed a little and then clung to his shoulders, and he hefted her onto his back. He grinned slightly.

_Man, I can't help it,_ he thought,_ I just keep liking Kagome more and more._

She was thinking the same thing about him.

"Okay then, onward!" she said, and Inu-Yasha grinned and nodded, starting to jog back the way they had come.


	16. First A Bike, And Now This

Chapter 15: First A Bike, And Now This…

* * *

Kagome waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for Inu-Yasha to change out of his wet clothes. It always took him a while, just because he couldn't see. She often wished that she could help him, but he was a guy. Enough said. She had already changed into a long-sleeved black shirt and some old, baggy dark blue jeans, which she favoured because of their ripped knees. She lightly tapped her nails against the wall, and then twiddled her silver chain between her fingers impatiently.

"Hey, Inu-Yasha!" she called, "You nearly done?"

"Yeah!" He answered, "Just gotta get my jeans on-"

His sentence was cut short as she heard a loud thud and then heard him yelp in pain.

"You okay?" Kagome called.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he yelled back, "Tripped over myself; no biggie."

x

Kagome waited for another two minutes, and finally Inu-Yasha emerged from his room. He had fixed his black hat backwards over his ears again, and he had just grabbed whatever jeans and t-shirt that he could find. It turned out that his jeans were his original ones and the shirt was a white one. He pulled his jacket back on.

"Nice gangster look," Kagome joked.

"Gangter? Hah, it's just a coincidence."

Inu-Yasha grinned slightly and shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Do you have everything we need?" he questioned.

"Ah… yep, I think so," Kagome said.

She knelt to her bag and looked through it.

"Let's see… we got spray paint, a towel… some tape, just in case, a gun-"

"A gun?" Inu-Yasha asked, eyes wide, though before he could even asked where she had gotten such a thing, Kagome laughed loudly, announcing, "Just kidding!"

"Phew," the boy sighed, and again, Kagome laughed, nudging him with her elbow.

"Don't be dumb, of course I wouldn't-"

She was cut off by the phone ringing, and she jumped with surprise before saying, "I'll get it," really quickly and rushing off, leaving Inu-Yasha puzzled by the door.

x

He followed her curiously, his ears shifting under his hat to hear her conversation as she began with a curious, "Hello?" There was a man on the other end of the line, asking for Kagome's mother, and it was soon clear that the man was from Kagome's young brother's school. He needed someone to be a supervisor on a school trip for young kids, but the other volunteers had backed out suddenly. Kagome swiftly lied about her age and volunteered. When she hung up the phone, she grinned at Inu-Yasha, who looked at her curiously.

"So?" he asked.

"We're gonna volunteer on a school trip for little kids!" she said brightly, "Adventure time!"

"Oh! Can we do that?" he wondered.

"Technically, no, but they wanted my mom and I said I'd do it. The kids can't go on an adventure without someone extra to watch out on the bus. Apparently the teachers have to go separate or something.

"Is this your brother's class?"

"Nah, a couple years younger. I guess they really trust my mom."

Kagome shrugged and then stooped to pick up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder with a smile.

"What d'you think? Graffiti first?" Kagome inquired.

"Sounds cool to me," Inu-Yasha agreed.

oOoO

Twenty minutes later found Inu-Yasha and Kagome in a dark alley, painting on the walls while laughing hysterically. Inu-Yasha, even though he couldn't see Cho, did his own impression of her on the wall. The person wasn't _really_ a person- more of a skinny, cartoon rat, and Kagome had added a speech bubble that said, _"Lookit me, I'm so great, I'm a goddamn bitch who hits on blind guys because they're the only chance I'll ever have at getting a proper boyfriend." _She had read it aloud to Inu-Yasha, and it had sent him into a fit of laughter so strong that he had fallen over.

"It's funny 'cause it's true," Inu-Yasha laughed.

"Yep," Kagome agreed, seizing his hand and helping him to right himself.

She turned and shuffled through her backpack, pulling out the red, silver and black paints. She shook the silver cap and flicked the lid off.

"So, what're you doing now?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Oh…" Kagome said, as she started to paint, "This… um… big silver dog."

"A big silver dog?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

He didn't know why, but his heart jumped a little.

"Yeah," Kagome replied, letting out a small cough from the paint fumes, "It's this dog that I see in my dreams a lot. My mom thinks he's my spirit guide or something."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, "Well… what's he look like?"

"Uh… Kinda like a big, demonic spaniel," Kagome attempted to explain, "He's got… This sort of mane thing over one of his shoulders and a blue moon shape on his forehead. There's stripes on his face too."

Again, Inu-Yasha's heart jumped.

That sounds freakishly like Sessho-Maru, he thought, Or… like Dad.

"That's cool," Inu-Yasha said, "You'll have to show a drawing or something when I can see."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, and then added with a laugh, "If I remember. We can come back here."

"You'd better," Inu-Yasha threatened jokingly, "Pass me the red, would ya?"

Kagome nodded and shook the red paint for Inu-Yasha and then passed it into his outstretched hand. Then he flicked off the lid, and to Kagome's surprise, sprayed it on his fingertips. As she finished off her demonic dog, she watched him curiously as he stood and ran his now reddened nails down the wall, leaving perfect red claw marks behind. He wrote the kanji for "Inu" beside them and grinned proudly.

"Hey," Kagome commented, smiling suddenly, "Nice one. That's your signature?"

"It is now," he said, "You should sign the wall too."

"And so I shall," Kagome stated.

Inu-Yasha wouldn't know, but her signature was strikingly similar to his own. A blackened half-moon with silver claw marks from her nails across it. She wrote the kanji for "crazy miko" to the side as a joke and smirked.

"Ready to leave?" she asked, examining the silver paint that encrusted her fingertips.

"Just about…" Inu-Yasha said, picking up the red paint again.

x

This time, in youkai characters unknown to humans, he scrawled the words "Half-Demon Inu-Yasha was here and" across the wall. Kagome didn't see however; she was busy digging in her backpack for soap and a water bottle. Using both, she scrubbed the drying paint off her hand.

"Here," she said to Inu-Yasha, "Gimme your hand."

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha said, holding his clean hand out to her.

Kagome smiled, amused.

"Other hand, idiot," she said, and she grabbed it and began to scrub the paint off his fingers with the water and soap.

He looked a little embarrassed.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"You are very welcome," she said with a grin, "You're really weird, you know that?"

"Thanks?" Inu-Yasha replied, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

"In my eyes, that's a good thing, don't worry, Inu-Yasha," Kagome laughed as she gently chipped the paint off his skin with her nails.

Inu-Yasha blinked a little puzzledly and nodded.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Getting the paint off you," Kagome stated, "Duh. You're a little slow today, ain't ya?"

Inu-Yasha just blinked as Kagome began to laugh again and gently poked him in the ribs. Inu-Yasha couldn't help it; his mind had been drifting ever since Kagome had mentioned the silver dog. What could it mean?

x

Kagome grinned and seized his hand again after shoving their paints into her backpack and shouldering it quickly. Listening carefully, Kagome could swear she heard sirens in the distance. Inu-Yasha could hear them too.

"You hear that?" he asked quietly.

"Sirens? Yeah," Kagome said, "They're coming this way. C'mon."

She smirked with amusement.

"Someone must've phoned about us, eh?"

"I guess," Inu-Yasha commented, "But just about graffiti? I thought you said-"

"No," Kagome said, "It was probably some paranoid old bat who thinks we're gonna rob her."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said.

"Let's motor our butts, huh?" Kagome suggested.

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Let's get out of here," Kagome said, rolling her eyes, "Duh… Man, you really are slow tonight."

"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere," Inu-Yasha muttered.

"Yeah, like in a garbage can,," Kagome joked, "C'mon, we're so gone."

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha said absently as Kagome started to lead him away from the scene of their crime.

But his brain was still wandering, and it wouldn't stop. What did the silver dog in Kagome's dreams mean? It couldn't possibly be a mere coincidence that both Inu-Yasha's father and Sessho-Maru could look almost exactly like the dog Kagome had described to him. It was starting to bother him.

_Was I destined to meet Kagome?_ He wondered, _This is some extremely freaky-ass crap… Or could it be that her mother was right and he's her spirit guide?_

oOo

Kagome continued to drag Inu-Yasha along with her; he seemed to be slowing down a little. Kagome frowned at him, not exactly sure what was wrong with him. Shrugging it off, she pulled him out into an open street, heading towards the park. It was the next destination on their "hit list".

"You okay?" She asked.

"Hmmm?" he responded.

"You're zoning out again dude," she told him.

"Oh, sorry," Inu-Yasha apologized embarrassedly, "Sorry, I was just… thinking…"

"About?" Kagome inquired, raising her eyebrow.

Inu-Yasha gave her a slight smile and he shrugged.

"Nothing important," he said, "Forget it."

"Okay," Kagome said.

She poked her temple hard and cringed.

"Forgotten," she stated proudly.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow at her and then laughed.

"Good girl," he said, raising his hand and ruffling her hair.

"Pah!'" she exclaimed with a grin.

Glancing to their right, Kagome looked across the dark street to the park on the other side.

"C'mon, we're crossing the road now," she said.

She helped him off the curb, and still holding his hand, started to lead him across the street. Since it was dark, Kagome didn't notice the bike. Inu-Yasha did.

"Hey, Kagome watch out f-" he started, but he was too late.

The kid on the bike sped between him and Kagome, breaking his grip. The bike tore open the back of Inu-Yasha's hand. With a growl, he drew back, his nose wrinkling a little.

"Oh my god, you okay?" Kagome asked hurriedly.

Inu-Yasha nodded, saying, "yeah, fine, don't worry," before he began to suck on the wound a bit absently. Kagome whirled, watching the receding form of the kid on the bike with fury in her eyes.

"Hey you little bastard!" she shouted, jumping to the other side of the road and running forward a few steps, "Get you ass back here! I know you can hear me! Hey, are you listening-?"

Inu-Yasha, for one, certainly wasn't listening. His ears were pointed in a totally different direction. He could hear the quiet noise of an extremely silent car's engine headed straight towards Kagome. Kagome, whom he knew had moved away from him.

"Kagome," he said slowly, "Um…"

"Not now Inu-Yasha, I'm yelling," she growled.

x

Kagome didn't even know the car was there. It was black, for one thing, with no headlights. And it was going way too fast for these roads. Inu-Yasha could tell just about everything about the car other than its colour from its sounds and smells. He knew what model it was. He knew that it was in bad condition, that the oil was leaking. He could even tell what the driver had eaten for breakfast. But none of that shit mattered. It was headed straight for Kagome. And she didn't know.

"Kagome," Inu-Yasha said again, a little louder.

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said in an irritated tone, "Don't bug me for a minute, okay?"

"KAGOME. YOU. MORON," Inu-Yasha said loudly, but calmly, "GET. OFF. THE. ROAD."

"What?" Kagome asked.

She turned to see what Inu-Yasha was making such a big fuss about. And then she saw it. The car. Headed straight for her. Only a few feet away. Kagome was so shocked that she couldn't move. She couldn't have avoided it.

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha yelled.


	17. Twice And Counting

Chapter 16: Twice And Counting

* * *

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha yelled again.

"Oh god…" Kagome breathed.

She closed her eyes, ready to be struck down. She suddenly felt something slam into her side and send her sprawling on the ground, but it wasn't the car. It was another body. She quickly flipped onto her back to see what had happened. She gasped in horror.

x

Inu-Yasha knew the car was coming. He knew Kagome was going to die unless he stepped in. Without a second thought, he flung himself at her, in front of the car. He felt her get knocked aside. He couldn't help but smile as he felt the car connect with his ribs. The wind was knocked out of him. He knew they were broken, but hey- he was hanyou; a few broken ribs were nothing to him. And Kagome was safe; that was all that mattered. Only half-conscious, he swiftly threw himself down on the pavement, keeping his hand held firmly over his hat and bruising his face and scraping his cheek. He pressed himself as close as possible to the ground and stretched his body out. He felt the top of the car scraping him, but it didn't matter. When the wind from the car passed, Inu-Yasha breathed out heavily and closed his eyes.

x

_Oh god… That hurt…_ he thought shakily, _But at least… Kagome's okay…_

Kagome saw Inu-Yasha get hit by the car. She saw him go down.

"Oh my god!" she almost screamed.

x

The car was gone within a matter of seconds, not even stopping to check if the guy it hit was okay. Kagome felt fury boiling inside of her again. She yowled, and then shakily forced herself to stand. She blinked down at Inu-Yasha's bleeding body. He was face down on the ground, bleeding from the side heavily through his white shirt and jacket.

x

_Oh my god…_ she thought, _He… pushed me… He just saved my life, again._

"Oh god," she choked.

She swiftly ran to her friend's side and knelt to him. With shaking hands, she grasped him by the shoulders and rolled him onto his back. He face was bleeding; his cheeks scraped and a small trickle of blood flowing from his mouth.

"Oh god…" she whispered again.

Using her sleeve, she gently wiped the blood from his lips.

"Inu-Yasha…" she whispered, "Oh… Inu-Yasha don't be dead… If you're dead, I'll… I'll…"

She began to shake again, and she wrapped her arms around his torso and collapsed on top of him. She pressed her head to his chest.

"Oh god… Inu-Yasha you stupid, God damned moron," she whimpered, "I'm gonna kill you if you're dead."

She closed her eyes, listening for a heartbeat, and to her utter shock and joy, found one.

_He's alive?_ She thought, stunned.

Swiftly, she raised herself off him and cupped her hand to his cheek.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked, "Inu-Yasha, are you conscious? Can you hear me?"

Inu-Yasha let out a feeble groan, but his eyelids didn't even flutter.

"God damn it, dude, answer me," she growled softly, "Wake up… Don't you dare die on me Inu-Yasha, don't you dare die."

Kagome didn't realize it, but tears had started to flow from her eyes.

"If you die I'm gonna fucking kill you, you God damned idiot," she said softly, "C'mon, wake up Inu-Yasha…"

x

_I'm not dying,_ he thought, _I'm just tired and sore as hell. I'll get up in a minute…_

_Maybe you should say that out loud?_ His subconscious voice suggested, and he agreed, _Right. Yes. Out loud. Sorry. Fucking idiot._

Just then, the scent of salt water hit Inu-Yasha's sensitive nose. Salt water...?

_Oh god, she's crying!_ Inu-Yasha thought in dismay, _No! Bad Kagome! Bad! No crying! Stop!_

_x_

Slowly, Inu-Yasha forced his eyes open, despite the fact that he couldn't see.

"Ka…gome?" he said weakly, a little more weakly than he had intended.

Kagome gasped and nearly fell over with shock.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked, her voice sparking with excitement, "You're… You're okay?"

She stared at him and lightly stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"Yeah…" he said, "Yeah… I'm fine."

Kagome watched him and pulled her hand away from his face, her hazel eyes wide as he gritted his teeth and tried to force himself up into a sitting position.

"Oh no you don't idiot," she snarled, "Stay down! You shouldn't be moving yet!"

"But…" he said, "You're… Stop crying then."

"I'm not crying," Kagome protested, , "Your brains just got fucking rattled."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're crying there Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

To prove his point, he laid his hand on her cheek, feeling the wetness against his palm. Kagome could feel it too.

"Well I- Shit," she said, wiping her face on the back of her hand

Inu-Yasha choked out a weak laugh and tried to sit up again.

"Stop, Inu-Yasha… Stop moving," Kagome said gently.

"Then, help me up then!" he insisted.

Kagome sighed.

"You idiot," she whispered, grabbing his arms and slowly pulling him upright.

His body shook, but he smiled at her thankfully. Kagome just stared.

_Inu-Yasha, how are you alive? I thought you were gonna…_

She could feel the tears welling up this time.

"Oh my god," she whispered, and then before she could stop herself, she put her arms around him again and hugged him to her chest.

Inu-Yasha looked surprise, but he smiled and leaned his head on Kagome's shoulder.

"What's with this?" he asked quietly.

"You goddamn fucking stupid idiot bastard," Kagome laughed, "You stupid… stupid…"

"You're hugging me 'cause I'm a-"

"No," Kagome said, still laughing, "No… You're… You're alive."

"Why… wouldn't I be?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"You idiot! You fucking mental jackass!" Kagome exclaimed, "You got hit by a car! God damn, you pushed me out of the car's way when I was being too stupid to listen to you!"

"I'll be fine Kagome," Inu-Yasha assured her.

"Whatever!" Kagome exclaimed.

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Well, you're a lot comfier than the ground, I must say," he said.

Kagome just laughed and squeezed him tighter.

"Twice…" she whispered.

"Twice what?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"You've saved my life twice," Kagome said, "You gotta stop doing that."

"No way," Inu-Yasha said, "You're saving my life every single fucking day. I owe you… and besides…"

He leaned against her a little more, comforted by her embrace, much more so than he had expected to be.

"…You would've died if you were hit by that car. Your body's built a lot lighter than mine. You're more… delicate…"

"Delicate!" Kagome exclaimed, "I'm not delicate!"

"Not you, the way your body's built," Inu-Yasha continued, "It's got nothing to do with you. But when that car hit you, you would've been snapped like a twig, kid. I knew I'd live if I got hit… But I knew that you wouldn't."

"Oh, you bastard!" Kagome exclaimed, laughing again and hugging him tighter, "You risked your life for me! Oh man…"

She paused, reddening a little.

"Just… tell me if I'm squeezing to hard, okay?" she said.

"You'll be able to tell, don't worry," he laughed, "I'll be yowling and twitching in agony."

"Okay," Kagome said.

She sighed.

"Oh hell, what would I do without you?" she whispered, "I… Oh Goddamn, you're… I'd be so fucking screwed without you."

Inu-Yasha laughed and then lightly started to embrace Kagome in return.

"You ain't hurt at all, are you?" he inquired softly.

"You ass!" Kagome exclaimed, "First, you save me from being hit by a car, then you practically get crushed by it, and now you have the nerve to ask me if I'm okay! God! You are a moron!"

"Thanks Kagome," Inu-Yasha laughed.

"God…" Kagome whispered, sniffing back her unwanted tears, "I thought I was gonna lose you, dude…"

Inu-Yasha's amber eyes widened with surprise.

_She… thought she was gonna lose me?_ He thought, _Is that what she's so… weird… about? She really though I was going to die?_

"I'm sorry," he said, biting his lip and holding Kagome closer, "I… You won't lose me, Kags."

"Heh, don't jinx it," Kagome joked.

Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded, unable to stop himself from leaning further against Kagome. Man, was she comfy! And her scent was pretty decent too…

"Um… Inu-Yasha, are you okay?" Kagome suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Inu-Yasha asked, "What do you mean? Other than my ribs, I'm okay."

"You were… growling… sort of," she commented, her eyes showing amusement.

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said, laughing embarrassedly and blushing, "Sorry."

x

He hadn't realized it, but a low-dog purr had come out of him while his was busy being comfortable in Kagome's arms. He bit his lip, his face crimson with embarrassment. He hadn't made a sound like that since he had been separated from his parents. He attempted to pull away from Kagome just a little, but his body was so sore…

"God… I don't wanna move…" he whispered.

"Huh?" Kagome said, surprised, "You… what?"

Inu-Yasha looked up at her, his face becoming an even deeper shade of red.

"S-Sorry…" he muttered, "I… I…"

"You what?" Kagome asked.

"I… I… I'm just sore and… and well…"

"It's okay," Kagome assured him, laughing quietly to herself, "It's okay Inu-Yasha. Forget it. You don't need to be so embarrassed."

He nodded and Kagome held him away just enough so that she could look into his lifeless, golden eyes. She suddenly felt like crying again as she thought of him lying on the ground. Not just hurt though, but dead. She bit her lip and starred up at him. She felt something inside her as she looked at him though. Something weird that she'd never felt before… Except for when she was talking about her cat Buyo. This feeling of caring. Of wanting to look out for him. Of almost unbearable worry.

x

_What the fuck?_ Kagome demanded,_ What's wrong with me? That's so extremely stupid… It's almost as if I…_

Kagome bit her lip, her eyes widening with shock.

_Oh god… Do I have feelings for him?_

Kagome brushed the feeling aside and grinned at Inu-Yasha.

"I owe you my life, dude," she said.

"Feh," he commented, shrugging.

Kagome laughed.

"Look at us… we've been sittin' here hugging for about ten minutes… God. How weird can we get?"

"Pretty damn weird," Inu-Yasha agreed, "C'mon… Let's get out of here… I guess we're still in the middle of the road, huh?"

"Huh?" Kagome said, and then looked at their surroundings.

She had been so caught up with how Inu-Yasha was that she could've been on fire and not noticed.

"I guess we are," Kagome chuckled, "Can you walk?"

"I think," Inu-Yasha said.

Inu-Yasha pulled his arms away from Kagome reluctantly. She was extraordinarily comfy to lean against. Kagome released him as well and took him by the hand, slowly helping him to his feet. Inu-Yasha cringed slightly and clenched his teeth, but as soon as he was up again, his ribs didn't hurt nearly as much.

"I'll be fine," he assured Kagome, whom he knew for a fact to be giving him worried looks.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive," Inu-Yasha stated, "God… It was only a car Kagome."

Kagome smiled with relief at her friend's attitude and pluck considering what had just happened to him. She laughed quietly and squeezed his hand.

"My hero," she laughed.

He smiled shyly, reddening a little.

"Oh, c'mon, you know it's true," Kagome said, giving him a very gentle push.

"You owe me now," he said.

"Owe you what?" Kagome asked.

"Ramen."

"Ramen?"

"For whenever we get back from our little bus adventure thing."

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha, her brown eyes wide with shock.

"You're still up to that?" she demanded, sounding completely surprised, "It... we could go home, I can call them back and say we can't go."

Inu-Yasha grinned and shook his head.

"Wouldn't miss it," he stated.

Kagome gave him an "I'm-proud-of-you" look despite the fact that he couldn't see it. Then, she looked up at the sky. It was still very early in the morning.

"Well…" Kagome said, "School doesn't start for another few hours… You wanna go sit in the park? Maybe not actually in the foundation this time."

"Fine with me," Inu-Yasha agreed.

"Yeah, just don't bleed on me too much," she joked.

"I think I already did, Kags," Inu-Yasha pointed out.

He lightly touched her shirt at stomach level. Kagome followed his hand, and then looked at her shirt. It was partially covered in his blood because she had been hugging him.

"Huh, guess you're right," Kagome said, "But… Inu-Yasha how…?"

"Listen Kag," Inu-Yasha said, "I'm not hurt, okay? I ducked under the damn thing."

Kagome frowned at him slightly, worried.

"But are you positive you're okay for this?"

"Yep."

He grinned.

Kagome couldn't help but smile at him and she squeezed his hand.

"All right then," she said happily.

OoOo

Kagome had always found the park to be a lot better at night that it was during the day. It was mostly grassy fields, but there were small, forested areas that she usually favoured whenever she went there. There was also a fountain pond. It was fairly large and the water was always nice and warm; Kagome had jumped in it before. The water was about shoulder height if you were sitting down near the edge, and deeper the further along it got. Kagome quickly hurried Inu-Yasha there, always watching him with worry playing behind her eyes. He had just been hit by a car! … But he seemed totally fine. He wasn't even limping or anything, and he wasn't bleeding at all save for his ribs and the small scrapes on his cheek and hands.

x

Inu-Yasha walked on, oblivious to her concerned stares.

"Are we nearly there?" he asked as they entered the park.

"Nearly, give it about two minutes and we're there," Kagome assured him.

She cut across the grass instead of using the path and they jogged up a small hill to the other side to find the fountain.

"There, we're here," Kagome stated.

"You lied," Inu-Yasha said.

"I did?" Kagome asked, giving him a puzzled look.

"You said two minutes," Inu-Yasha explained, "That was only a minute and thirty-four seconds."

"Oh, you just had to get technical," Kagome joked, rolling her eyes.

Inu-Yasha shrugged as she led him down the hill to the fountain and proceeded to take off her boots and socks before she sat on the edge of the fountain and dipped her feet in.

"I'm just gonna dunk my feet," she said, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, that actually sounds pretty good," he admitted.

Inu-Yasha nodded and slipped out of the sandals and and took his jacket off as well. Kagome cringed as she saw the amount of blood that had soaked through his white t-shirt.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome asked again.

"I'm fine Kags, really," Inu-Yasha assured her.

"You also said you were fine when you had a swelling bullet wound in your leg and a rib sticking out of your side, remember?" Kagome reminded him.

"Keh," Inu-Yasha scoffed, shrugging.

Kagome just sighed and shook her head. Inu-Yasha was a lunatic. Seizing his hand, she guided him to the edge of the pond.

"Watch your step," she advised.

He stepped on the ledge cautiously at her behest and she guided him to sit down and he placed his feet in the water. He was surprised to find it rather warm and pleasant, and he let himself relax a little as Kagome sat beside him. She didn't release his hand though, instead choosing to squeeze it tighter. He couldn't see her frown into the water and grimace.

"Inu-Yasha?" she said quietly.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I'm sorry," she said.

He looked surprised.

"Sorry? Sorry for _what_?"

"It's… my fault… that you got hurt… If hadn't been so stupid and listened to you…"

"Kagome, stop," Inu-Yasha said, covering Kagome's mouth with his hand, "Cut it out. It was my choice to jump in front of the car. Stop blaming yourself."

Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand and pulled it away from her face, but held it tightly, glaring at him.

"Yeah but you wouldn't have had to if I hadn't been so stupid," she said.

"Feh," Inu-Yasha growled, "Just… drop it okay?"

"Only 'cause you know I'm right," Kagome said, poking his nose with the end of her finger.

Inu-Yasha frowned.

_No, it's because you're too fricking stubborn to argue with, Kagome…_

He sighed and rolled his eyes, folding his arms to his chest. He couldn't even fathom the night going another way; no way he could ever have let Kagome get hurt like that. He gave Kagome a slight smile.

"This is nice," he admitted.

"So you forgive me?" Kagome asked, unable to stop herself from sounding a little anxious.

"Forgive you for what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

He stood up, much to Kagome's shock, and began to pace along the edge of the fountain. Kagome struggled to get up behind him, but her bare, wet foot slipped on the stone. She let out a squeaking yelp, her stomach dropping as she toppled sideways, but in an instant, she was jerked back onto solid, grassy ground before she even hit the water. She blinked with surprise to find herself held in close to Inu-Yasha, but before she could say anything, he laughed at her and said, "Be more careful, why don't ya?" She gawked for a moment as he released her and she said a quick, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome. Watch where you're walking next time."

He stuck his tongue out and her, and after a moment, she couldn't help but laugh.

"You're a good guy, you know, Inu-Yasha?"

"Well, I sure hope so," he replied.

x

He plopped down in the grass, leaning his back against the raised fountain barrier and Kagome dropped down with him. Her eyes roamed to the bloody patches on his shirt and she sighed, leaning back and resting her arms behind her head.

"So…" she said, "Inu-Yasha. I've been wondering…"

She glanced at him inquisitively.

"What do you plan to do once you get your vision back?"

Inu-Yasha shot a glance at her and shrugged, stretching his arms out in front of him and cracking his knuckles.

"Well… I haven't really thought about it that much," he admitted, "I guess… Well, the first thing I'm gonna do is stare at the sun."

"Stare at the sun?" Kagome laughed, "Why?"

Inu-Yasha smiled slightly and shrugged.

"Because I can. Then," he said, "Next thing, I'm gonna stare at you."

"At me?" Kagome asked, her eyes becoming round with surprise, "_Me_?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied simply.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Well, 'cause you'll be there," Inu-Yasha said, "Um… You will be there, won't you?"

"Well duh," Kagome laughed, "Of course I'll be there."

"Oh good," Inu-Yasha said, sounding relieved, "Because if you're not, I'm gonna close my eyes until you get there, and then I'm gonna stare at you."

Kagome raised her eyebrow, smiling puzzledly and then laughed.

"You have fun with that," she said.

"I will," Inu-Yasha stated matter-of-factly.

Then, his smile faded slightly and he glanced at Kagome.

"You really think I'm gonna get my sight back?" he asked quietly.

"Course I do!" Kagome exclaimed, pounding him on the back, "And I promise I'll be right there when you do."

Inu-Yasha smiled. Those words meant a lot to him. He didn't know why, but they did.

"Um… Well after this, it'll be really weird not having you around anymore," he said, "I think… I'll probably rent an apartment around here so we can still hang out… Unless you've gone back to your real house by then."

"You can… still stay with me if you'd like," Kagome suggested shyly.

"Even after I can see?" Inu-Yasha asked, surprised.

"Duh," Kagome said, rolling her eyes, "To tell you the truth, it'd be weird to not be awoken by your familiar swearing every morning. And as if I'd kick you out just because you can see."

She laughed and Inu-Yasha rubbed at the back of his head embarrassedly.

_Come to think of it, I'd really miss him if he left,_ Kagome thought.

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and smiled.

"I… I'd like that, actually," he said softly.

Kagome laughed again.

"Cool," Kagome said.

The boy's cheeks pinked and he tried to distract himself by staring blanking at the sky. He hoped she wouldn't notice.

_She'd really let me stay with her? That's… wow…_

"Kagome you're… you're amazing…" he whispered, "I've never met someone as nice as you."

Kagome laughed, blushing despite herself.

"I'm not that nice," she protested.

"You have been to me," he said, "No one else has ever…"

x

He didn't finish and just shook his head, smiling a bit to himself. Kagome inclined her head and stared at him: she wanted to know what he had to say, but she didn't push. She reached into her pocket and fished out her old MP3 player to check the time, and then stole a glance at the sky. After a moment, she nudged her friend in the side with her elbow and said, "I'll still be a little while, but are you up to going to the school to catch the field trip bus?"

"Sounds good," he said.

Kagome smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him up with her as she stood.

"Let's get the heck out of here."


	18. A Look Into The Past III

* * *

Chapter 17: A Look Into The Past (#3)

* * *

Inu-Yasha's small hand clung tightly to Sessho-Maru's shirt, and he trembled nervously into his elder brother's fur. Sessho-Maru couldn't help but hold the young hanyou closer.

"What are you so scared of Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru asked quietly, "They're just humans. I can take them down easily."

"Yeah…" Inu-Yasha whispered, "But there were lots of 'em and… and…"

"And?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Inu-Yasha blinked and shivered nervously, pushing his face into Sessho-Maru's tail and mumbling something.

"What?" Sessho-Maru asked, "So I can hear you please."

Inu-Yasha turned his head so his face wasn't buried in the fur anymore and sighed.

"They… seemed to know about youkai… and it was like… they wanted to kill them all," he whispered, "Almost as if that's all they're here for… Like it's a job or a game or something…"

Sessho-Maru's brow knitted.

"Taijiya?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"No… Not like that," he said, "Not like a taijiya at all."

He sniffed.

"I… I met one once," he said, "With mother… He was actually really nice… He said they only slay youkai who torment villages. If these humans were taijiya, they wouldn't have attacked me…"

Sessho-Maru nodded understandingly.

"You're right," he muttered.

He strained his ears through the other early morning noises and could clearly hear many heavy, human footsteps rushing towards them from all sides. Sessho-Maru nearly laughed.

Were they actually attempting to surround them?

"Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru whispered.

"H-Hai?" Inu-Yasha asked nervously.

"Don't scream, okay?" he said gently, "Promise me?"

"Uh-huh," Inu-Yasha replied nervously.

"Good boy," Sessho-Maru said, gently rubbing his hand over the hanyou's ears, but then stopped abruptly.

"Gomen, you wanted me to stop that, ne?" he said.

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said sadly.

Sessho-Maru sighed, and biting his lip, continued to gently caress his younger brother's head, trying to assure him that everything would be fine. Inu-Yasha shuddered and held onto Sessho-Maru's tail tightly. His ears perked up a little under Sessho-Maru's hand.

"They're here," he whispered fearfully.

Sessho-Maru's eyes darted to his right, and then to his left. A slight smirk played on his lips. He could easily see the humans through the dark, despite the fact they had attempted to hide themselves by wearing all black.

He could hear them whispering amongst themselves about not moving, about how he looked so much like a human that his vision couldn't have been much better than one's.

Feeling slightly offended, again Sessho-Maru nearly laughed.

How sadly mistaken these fools were!

Then, the amusement in his eyes died and his gaze turned to ice.

"Humans," he said, "You are foolish. I can see you all clearly."

He heard every human surrounding him tense.

He grinned.

"There are thirty-four of you, ne?" he said, "Come out, cowards. From your current positions, I doubt you'll put up much of fight for me. I'd like at least a little bit of a challenge, thanks."

Swiftly, exactly thirty-four humans emerged from the bushes, aiming the metal weapons Inu-Yasha had described at Sessho-Maru. Inu-Yasha yelped quietly and Sessho-Maru gently held him tighter.

"Don't be scared," he whispered to the hanyou, who nodded shakily.

Looking at the humans, Sessho-Maru's grin broadened.

"My, how amusing," he said, "Were you here to kill us?"

None of the humans responded, but Sessho-Maru heard faint clicks from the metal weapons.

"Oh come now," Sessho-Maru laughed, "You can't _all_ be so stupid that you can't speak."

Once again, his gaze hardened.

"Though you must be very pathetic," he said, "To shoot a child. How disgusting. I may have to kill you just for that."

Suddenly, there was a noise like a small explosion, and there was a short, sharp pain in Sessho-Maru's left arm. He glanced to his arm to see a tiny metal cylinder lodged in his flesh, causing a small, painful wound. The youkai didn't even cringe.

"Gomen," he said with a smile, "Was that supposed to hurt?"

"What kind of devil _are_ you?" a human in front of him gasped.

Sessho-Maru looked delighted.

"Oh! So you _can_ speak!" he exclaimed, "I was becoming worried that I had run into a small band of armed apes rather than humans. Thank you for assuring me that my nose is indeed still working after being brutally assaulted by human stink for over four hours straight."

He felt Inu-Yasha laugh slightly against his chest, and the humans seemed to be becoming aggravated.

"All right youkai, that's enough lip outta you-" one began, but was cut off by Sessho-Maru's laughter.

"And who are you to be telling me that?" He half laughed, half growled, "I _am_ Lord of the western lands, thank you, but I doubt that means anything to simple-minded monkeys like yourself."

He bared his fangs in a grin.

"And so you do know what I am. Is that why you're here, to kill my sibling and I? You're afraid of us, aren't you?"

The humans obviously didn't know how to respond. None of the other youkai they had hunted down had been this unconcerned about his situation, or had been able to withstand a bullet like this one had.

x

Sessho-Maru's amber eyes looked from startled face to startled face, unable to keep from smiling.

These humans were so pathetic, and just by talking to them and observing their reactions, he had gotten quite a lot of information. But he needed to quiz one of them. Releasing Inu-Yasha with one hand, he held up his hand and cracked his knuckles.

"And you wanted to fight, didn't you?" he sneered, "Or more like, you wanted to come here, shoot my brother and I down, and leave, ne?"

He forced acid into his nails and beamed.

"Gomen," he said, "I think you fools may be in for more than you bargained for. I hope your leader gives you all a raise. If you live."

Before the humans could react, Sessho-Maru rushed forward and easily cut down more than half of his opponents that were standing in front of him.

He felt Inu-Yasha jolt at the sudden scent of blood, and heard the other humans gasp. More small explosions erupted around Sessho-Maru, more small pinpricks of pain hit him in his arms and back. He ignored them and whirled, slicing more humans down.

More pain, this time in his lower stomach.

Okay, maybe that _did_ hurt a little more that the others.

Sessho-Maru paused for a brief instant and then leapt, keeping Inu-Yasha close to his chest. He twirled in the air, easily finishing off the rest of the humans with a long, whip-like beam of energy he summoned from his fingertip. He smiled slightly as his feet hit the ground again, and he flicked the blood off his fingers.

"See Inu-Yasha," he whispered consolingly, "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

The small hanyou looked up at him, and gave him a weak smile.

"Nii-san, you were great," he said, "But… you're wounded now, aren't you?"

Sessho-Maru shrugged.

"These metal… whatever-they-ares… They only hurt for a little while."

He smiled slightly.

"You were right hanyou, like an arrowhead."

Inu-Yasha grinned, relieved, but then looked frightened again.

"More are coming," he said worriedly, and looked up at his brother, "Sessho-Maru?"

Sessho-Maru titled his head a little.

"I'll catch one this time," he said.

x

Swiftly, the youkai leapt into the lower bows of a tree nearby. He could smell the humans approaching, and he carefully let Inu-Yasha down onto the branch.

"Don't leave me, okay?" Inu-Yasha said nervously.

"I wouldn't dream of it, hanyou," Sessho-Maru assured him with a gentle smirk, "I just need two hands to beat the living snot out of this vile monkey."

He ruffled his brother's hair and then peered onto the ground.

"Sessho-Maru, do you think all humans are vile monkeys?" Inu-Yasha inquired quietly.

"Not all, most," Sessho-Maru replied.

"What about my mother?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"She… was tolerable," he said slowly.

Inu-Yasha smiled and his ears perked up slightly. That was Sessho-Maru's way of saying he liked her.

"Am I tolerable?" he asked.

"Hai," Sessho-Maru replied.

"Sessh-" Inu-Yasha started, but Sessho-Maru gently but tightly covered his mouth with his hand.

"Sh-h-h… Don't speak," he said quietly, "There they are, the vermin."

Inu-Yasha followed his brother's gaze to the ground and he could see humans quickly passing beneath them, obviously heading towards where the shots had been fired earlier.

Slowly, Sessho-Maru pulled his hand from Inu-Yasha's mouth and glared down at the humans. Spotting a straggler, he swiftly reached down and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and whisked him into the tree. Before the human could cry out in terror, Sessho-Maru tightly grasped him around the throat, almost cutting off his air and greatly reducing the volume of his voice.

"Greetings scum," Sessho-Maru said almost cheerfully.

"Who… the hell are you?" the human croaked, trying to reach for his weapon.

Sessho-Maru quickly thrust the human forward so that his skull connected painfully with the tree trunk.

"My name is of no concern to you, fool," he snarled, locking his penetrating, icy amber gaze on the human.

"Y… Youkai…" the human gasped.

"Indeed," Sessho-Maru said curtly, "I see you aren't a complete idiot. I have a few questions I'd like you to answer."

"Never," the human spat, "You ain't getting any info outta me!"

Inu-Yasha tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Sessho-Maru, why haven't you pummelled him yet?" he asked, "He's being pretty rude."

"Sh-h-h whelp," Sessho-Maru said in a soft tone, "So were you, remember? I didn't pummel you."

Inu-Yasha looked a little embarrassed and Sessho-Maru turned a hard gaze back on the human.

"Listen," he sighed, "Either you give me the information that I want and I don't kill you, or you don't, I slowly rip your intestines out, and I go find someone else who will be more cooperative."

The human suddenly went paler than he already was from reduced air.

"Pleasant, ne?" Inu-Yasha giggled.

"You little bastard!" the human croaked out, and Sessho-Maru shoved his head back against the tree trunk again.

"I wouldn't talk like that to him if I were you, vermin," Sessho-Maru snarled.

He glowered threateningly at the human.

"Let us begin," he said, "You know how we got here?"

"Sort… of…" the human said.

"How?"

"I… don't know all the details but… there was a blast, a shock of some sort," he explained, "It's… sending humans and youkai from the past into this era."

Sessho-Maru nodded and made a small noise of comprehension.

"And why are you hunting us down? What have we done to deserve being… shot… to death?" Sessho-Maru questioned.

The human mumbled something about youkai taking over because of their strength, and how the public couldn't know what had happened. Both Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru's eyes widened.

"Wait!" Inu-Yasha squeaked, "You guys wanna kill us, just cuz you don't want people to know you made a mistake?"

"Clever little freak, ain't ya?" the human sneered.

Sessho-Maru sighed and tightened his grip on the human's throat.

"You don't get it, do you?" he said, "Why do you persist on being so… vulgar to the whelp when I clearly have you overpowered and could kill you at any time?"

The human shrugged slightly.

"Because… we're… gonna kill you… anyways…" he said, laughing weakly, "All you… bastard youkai…"

"Sure…" Sessho-Maru muttered sarcastically.

He tightened his grip further on the human, breaking his neck easily. He slumped lifelessly from the tree as Sessho-Maru released him, and he landed in a bush with a deadened thump.

Inu-Yasha winced.

"I'm sorry you have to see all this killing," Sessho-Maru said to him, looking a little guilty.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I would've seen it anyway," he said, "But… they really want to kill us all?"

"I guess," Sessho-Maru sighed, "C'mon, let's go."

He scooped Inu-Yasha into his arms once more and found him to be trembling. He sighed again.

"Whelp, I told you… Don't be scared, I'm right here," he said gently, "I'm going to protect you; I won't let them kill you. Okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and sighed, and Sessho-Maru held the small hanyou against his tail, knowing that for some reason, the warmth of his fur comforted the child.

"Thanks Nii-san," Inu-Yasha said.

Sessho-Maru shrugged and stood on the branch, perfectly balanced.

_I'll run right past those bastards_, he thought, _No need to get more blood on my hands._

_x_

Leaping from the tree, Sessho-Maru ran as fast as he could, right past the humans. They only noticed his passing approximately ten seconds after he had left them behind. He grinned as he heard their shouting.

Easily, he dodged through the forest, trying to avoid any other living thing.

He dodged right to avoid a tree.

Then left.

Right again.

The ground was a blur, and Inu-Yasha clung tightly to Sessho-Maru, his ears being buffeted by the wind.

Another left, and they were in a clearer part of the woods.

A human scent ahead, seeming to be that of a female.

Sessho-Maru tried to avoid it, but suddenly, the girl was in front of him. Unable to stop in time, he hit her with full force and bowled her over.

_Shit_, Sessho-Maru thought.

He swiftly skidded to a halt and eyed the human girl on the ground. She had pale yellow hair that was tied back in a bun and wore the same blue burlap-ish pants as he did, as well a short-sleeved shirt that said something about swimming on it.

"Uh… My apologies," Sessho-Maru said.

"What the crap?" the girl said, rubbing her head and stumbling to her feet, "You jackass! You just ran me over!"

"Uh…" Sessho-Maru said, blinking with puzzlement, "I'm a _what_?"

"You heard me!" she yelled grumpily, "A jackass! You know, a… a JACKASS."

"Okay…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, "I'm… just going to walk away now. Good bye."

"No your not!" The girl said, "I'm not done shouting at you yet! And when Syd's not done shouting at someone, they stay put!"

"_Syd_?" Sessho-Maru nearly laughed, "Your name is Syd?"

"Yeah, you wanna fight about it?" Syd demanded.

"Not really, no," Sessho-Maru said.

"Well, what, you gat a better name than me, jackass?" she growled.

Sessho-Maru shrugged.

"Hai," he said decisively.

The human female frowned, her eyelid twitching slightly. She made a strange cackling noise and raised one hand, making a poking motion in the air.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass, you hoe-slut-nanny-bastard-whore-man-thing!" she exclaimed.

"Unlikely," Sessho-Maru scoffed, "And for some reason, those terms you have just addressed me with seemed disrespectful. I may have to kick _your_ ass, as you put it."

"Oh, c'mon Sessho-Maru," Inu-Yasha piped up, "She's just some screwy human. Leave 'er."

The girl, Syd, blinked in astonishment as she saw Inu-Yasha in Sessho-Maru's arms, and she spotted his ears.

Her face lit up.

"OH MY GOD!" she squealed, pointing to Inu-Yasha, "Check out those ears! How freaky yet KAWAII is that?"

She raced forward, giggling, and seized one of Inu-Yasha's ears in each hand, gently tugging on them.

Both Inu-Yasha and Sessho-Maru looked totally perplexed.

"What… are… you… doing?" Inu-Yasha asked slowly.

"AW!! MUFFIN!" Syd exclaimed, getting another strange look from both the hanyou and youkai, "So kawaii! And you can talk! WOW!"

"No shit," Inu-Yasha smirked.

The girl gasped.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, "Swearing at such a young age! How… KAWAII! I wish I had ears like you, little dude!"

She giggled and released Inu-Yasha's ears and batted at the top of her head, imagining that she had doggie ears.

Still looking confused, both Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha watched the strange human Syd prance around, laughing and singing about dog-ears. Inu-Yasha looked up at his brother and gently tugged on his tail-fur.

"Quick, while she's not looking," he whispered, "Let's get out of here."

"Yes, let's," Sessho-Maru agreed, slowly backing away from the apparently insane human, "Humans just keep getting stranger and stranger, don't they?"

* * *


	19. Short Chatter

Chapter 18: Short Chatter

* * *

"Is it sunrise yet?"

It was Inu-Yasha's seventh time asking. Kagome sighed and shook her head.

"Was it sunrise the last time you asked me Inu-Yasha?"

"Well, no but…"

"And when was the last time you asked me?"

"I… dunno…"

"Five minutes ago. The sun does not rise in five minutes."

Inu-Yasha looked a little embarrassed.

"Well, sorry," he said.

"Forget it," Kagome said, patting his arm.

Kagome and Inu-Yasha had left the park, caught a bus, and walked from their stop to Sota's school. The girl wondered if she'd see her little brother there. She hoped so. She hoped he was doing okay.

x

She and Inu-Yasha stoof at the bus loading point, waiting- the kids were supposed to leave by 6am. The time was approaching, but it seemed like it was taking forever. Yawning slightly, Kagome walked along the curb and then back to Inu-Yasha. Sighing, she flopped down into the grass.

"Uh, Kagome where-?" Inu-Yasha began.

"On the ground, Inu-Yasha," Kagome replied, smiling up at him, "Just to your left."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, turning his head towards her.

He took a slow step in her direction and the sat down in the grass by her side.

"You there?" he asked cautiously.

"Yep," she said, reaching out and patting his leg to alert him of where she was laying.

"Oh joy," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome laughed quietly and rested her arms behind her head.

"It's a nice morning," she said quietly, "I wish you could see it."

Inu-Yasha smiled weakly.

"Yeah, so do I," he commented, "But whatever. No use whining about it… It's not like that'll change anything."

"You're right," Kagome replied, "But it'd be cool if it did. You know, you just whine for like, a day, and you get your vision back."

"Hah, I wish," Inu-Yasha chuckled.

He sighed, yawned and lay back in the grass as well. He shot a glance at Kagome.

"So…" he said.

"So," she agreed, "What's up?"

"Well, I assume the sky is," Inu-Yasha replied.

Kagome smiled slightly and yawned, saying, "That's such an old joke," with a snicker, and then brushed her hair back behind her ears. He shrugged and Kagome rolled onto her stomach, staring at him intently. The scrapes on his face were already much paler than they had been. Kagome frowned. Perhaps it was just the light.

x

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her a bit more blankly than usual and she pointed at his ribs, only to embarrassedly draw her hand back and say, "Your side, how is it?"

"Could be worse," he said; tried to keep his words vague on purpose.

Kagome raised her eyebrow and scooted closer to him on her belly and snuck a hand under his coat.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, and she quickly said, "Stop it, you baby, I just want to check."

"I'm fine," he insisted, edging away a little.

"How can you be fine? You got hit by a car," she said with a frown, "That's nuts. How about we just go and you go to a hospital?"

"Um... No, that sounds like a terrible plan," he said, and then cut his eyes at her, "Remember?"

"Right. Right..."

She sat up and scratched the back of her head embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry, it's just-"

"If you apologize to me one more time, I really _will_ go home," he said, folding his arms to his chest and looking at her quite seriously.

"I'm s- um..."

His face softened and he chuckled; she sighed with relief and couldn't help herself- she hugged him gently again. His cheeks went red immediately, and exactly as a question started to leave his mouth, Kagome said, "I owe you everything, dude. Thank you." His breath caught in his throat; he tentatively embraced her in return. For just a moment, his heart ached. He wanted to see her.

"Then we're even," he assured her with a smile.

When she pulled back, he knew he was staring her in the face. Somehow, at this moment, seeing nothing- not even being able to visualize something in his mind- broke his heart. He grimaced and felt Kagome's gentle hand at his side as she asked, "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, not at all," he replied quickly and then, pausing, unsure of what to say for a moment, confessed, "I just... I wish I could know what you look like."

Kagome frowned with confusion but before she could say a word, he said, "I can't even imagine you. I have no idea. You're... You know, you're my best friend. I'd like to know."

The girl bit her lip and put a hand to her forehead, running it through her bangs tiredly while muttering, "Of course."

She wished there was something, _anything_ that she could do for him.

"Well," she said awkwardly, "Selfish of me, but I'm sort of glad you can't see me right now. I look like a total mess."

He smiled despite himself.

"That's funny that you think I'd care about that."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Just that I honestly don't care what you look like, I just want to see you because you're... _you_. If that makes any sense."

The boy shrugged and Kagome felt her entire body heat up.

"R-Really?" she asked, "That's a surprise."

"Why?" he asked.

"It's just that... Okay, this'll sound awful, but you're pretty decent looking and I expected you to be a little more shallow than that."

She cringed, but he laughed and nodded, saying, "That does sound awful... You think I'm decent looking?" He perked up curiously and Kagome huffed, covered her face and grumbled, "Shut up, forget I said anything."

x

She flopped backwards into the grass and her friend stared in her direction for a moment before he grinned and mimicked her, putting his arms behind his head.

The two of them lay in the grass quietly as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, though only Kagome was able to see it. Inu-Yasha could begin to feel its warmth spreading over him.

"Sun's comin' up?" he asked.

"Yep," Kagome said.

She yawned quietly.

"Only an hour or so to go," she said with a grin.

"Awesome," Inu-Yasha yawned.

oOoO

Almost an hour later of quiet, tired chatting, children began to arrive at the bus stop. Kagome watched the from behind the bus, several of them looking at Kagome and Inu-Yasha curiously, but without paying too much mind.

" Almost time?" he asked quietly.

"It sure is," Kagome replied, stretching.

It was then that a young boy approached both of them, looking quite curious as he clutched his school bag close.

"Who are you?" he asked curiously, "Are you coming on the trip?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, smiling, "I'm Kagome and this-"

She gestured to the silver-haired boy beside her.

"-Is Inu-Yasha. My mom sometimes comes on these but she couldn't come, so we came instead."

"Oh, okay," the young boy said, "I'm Tori. I hope you're not bossy."

"Not at all," Kagome assured him, "Nice to meet you, Tori."

Tori grinned and waved bashfully at Inu-Yasha before he scampered back to rejoin his classmates.

"He reminds me of a hamster," Kagome commented absently.

"What?" Inu-Yasha laughed, and the girl shook her head, smiling shyly and saying, "Never mind."

Inu-Yasha's ear gave a sudden twitch to the right as he heard the sound of a large engine approaching.

"Bus should be here soon," he commented casually.

"Good, I wonder where we're going?" Kagome said with a stretch.

"You didn't ask?" Inu-Yasha asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope, forgot!"

"You dope."

"Sorry," she said, and then exclaimed, "Whoops! Don't go home!"

Inu-Yasha looked confused for a moment before he recalled the reference and snickered, shaking his head. She sighed, relieved; her attention was quickly drawn by a well-dressed man that she had never seen waving at her. Cautiously, she got to her feet as he reached them, and he asked, "Higurashi-san?"

"Um, yeah, hi, nice to meet you," she said, awkwardly but politely.

"We spoke on the phone," he said, "Thank you for coming on such short notice. You and... your friend? You'll be riding with the children. It's a long trip, so-"

"Don't worry, I'm pretty good with kids," she assured him, "Sorry my mom couldn't make it."

"That's okay. Thank you for coming."

He rushed off in a hurry, rubbing his short hair and shouting to another teacher.

Kagome turned to Inu-Yasha, who shrugged widely. She laughed and grabbed his hand to pull him upright. She held him for an extra moment though, stunned by his hand. The cut from the bike was gone. Kagome shook her head.

_Must've been the other hand._


	20. Field Trip

Chapter 19: Field Trip

* * *

The sun sprinkling dappled orange light over the school children and bus as they boarded slowly, Kagome watched them curiously and cautiously. She reminded herself she had actually been asked there for a reason; couldn't totally slack off.

x

She caught one kid playing around the other side of the bus and sent him in quickly, and checked around before boarding herself, Inu-Yasha in tow. The bus driver, a middle aged man who looked like he hadn't had a proper night's sleep his entire life, greeted her with a small smile and said, "You the parent volunteer? You look awful young."

"I'm the daughter of one. My mom was gone. I'm eighteen, though," she fibbed.

The driver nodded and shrugged, and beckoned to the seats behind him. Kagome nodded and took Inu-Yasha's hand and lead him to the back of the bus amongst the shrill children playing, chatting and throwing paper at each other.

x

They took a seat together near the back, waiting as the teacher Kagome had spoken with came on and read an attendance list. He then pointed her out, explaining she was there to watch out for the kids; they were surprisingly polite as a response.

x

It took another few minutes before the bus began to move, and the children seemed absolutely jubilant. The noise was a little much for Inu-Yasha, but he tried not to show it. He leaned against the side of the bus, wondering why Kagome hadn't kept the window seat for herself since she actually had working eyes. A pothole in the road sent the bus bouncing, and with a yelp, he had to lean against Kagome to support himself as the bus jolted suddenly. Kagome grinned.

"Aw, Inu, I had no idea you wanted to snuggle!" Kagome joked, giving the boy a rib-crushing hug around the waist.

Inu-Yasha grunted but grinned and ruffled Kagome's hair messily.

"Oomph… You're stronger than I thought," he said, "And you really like hugging people, don't you?"

"No, just you," Kagome said, "'cause you make funny faces or noises when I do. Like "Oomph"…"

She paused and snickered loudly.

"Do it again," she said.

"What?" Inu-Yasha said, "No way."

Kagome grinned malevolently and squeezed him tightly yet again, causing him to grunt and make that satisfying "oomph" noise.

Kagome laughed again.

"Gotta love that noise," she said, smiling.

She then regarded Inu-Yasha curiously, furrowing her brow.

"Haven't you ever been hugged before?" she asked.

"Not really," Inu-Yasha admitted.

"Hmmm…" Kagome said, tapping her chin, "Well… I guess we'll have to make it a routine then."

"Really?" Inu-Yasha asked, a little too excitedly, and then coughed, "I mean… uh… Cool, I guess."

Kagome laughed.

"You like being hugged, don't you?" she asked.

"Only by you," he confessed, "Because… we're friends, right? Best buds?"

"Duh," Kagome exclaimed, "Bestest, bestest buds."

Inu-Yasha smiled widely, and Kagome returned it, and then turned her attention to the window.

"Wonder where we're going," she said quietly.

The hanyou shrugged. He closed his eyes and let his head slump backwards onto the seat behind him. Kagome smiled.

"Tired, huh?"

"Yeah. You mind if I nap?"

"Nap away, man. You've earned it," she assured him.

x

The boy beside her was asleep before she knew it. She was glad for him, but she wondered if he was really in a lot of pain and keeping it secret. Kagome was good at detecting lies, and even though this didn't feel like a lie, she couldn't believe it. Carefully, she reached over and touched the spot she knew should have hurt him. He didn't stir, though, not even an inch. She frowned and drew back, confused, but was startled out of her thoughts by a young voice asking, "Is that your boyfriend?"

Kagome turned to see the little boy, Tori, had taken a seat across the aisle from her. She tried to hide her surprise as she shook her head and said, "Nah, just friends."

"Aren't you scared of cooties?" he asked.

"Aren't you?" Kagome retorted, looking at him with exaggerated suspicion.

He laughed and shook his head, and she gave him the thumbs-up.

"Good call, kid," she said, "So... Where are we going anyway?"

"Some old place," Tori said, shrugging, "A shrine, I guess? It's far, though."

"Huh," Kagome said, resting her chin on her hand.

x

Her job was pretty easy. She told a few kids to sit down and be quieter a couple times, but not much more than that. The trip was taking forever; she wished she had brought a book. She stole a glance at Inu-Yasha, envious of his nap, and closed her eyes.

x

A bump in the road caused Kagome's heart to jump and her eyes snapped open. The bus was relatively quiet, many of the children seeming to be asleep as well. She looked around; out the window, the city was completely gone, replaced by the green of grassy hills and clear, blue sky. She blinked quickly and stared. It was beautiful.

x

She could see an old shrine built into the hills coming up quickly; watched as a few cars ahead of the bus pulling up and parking before the entrance. Quickly, she nudged Inu-Yasha, who grunted out, "five more minutes."

"Nah, dude, get up," she said, "We're here. Looks kind of cool."

"Oh good," Inu-Yasha said tiredly.

He sat up straight and rubbed his forehead, blinking heavily.

"Where are we?"

"A shrine. A really, really old shrine."

Inu-Yasha frowned; tried not to show the sudden worry he was feeling. He hoped it wasn't a real shrine.

x

Upon exiting the bus behind the kids, Inu-Yasha quickly discovered that it was real. He could feel the spiritual energy hanging heavy in this place. It made his muscles tense and he hoped that he could weasel out of this "adventure".

x

Before them, the kids were guided up a long set of steps that went up and between several arches. Before Inu-Yasha could even protest, Kagome took his hand and started up after them.

"Wait, Kagome," he said quickly, "Wait a sec."

"What, are the stairs giving you trouble?" she asked worriedly.

"What? No, it's just-"

"C'mon, don't be a baby, let's get up there."

She pulled him up through the threshold before he could say another word. He winced, feeling the energy crackle along his body. The seal felt dampened though, like it should have kicked him out but didn't. Perhaps because he was hanyou? He couldn't be sure, but he did hope that he wasn't having any physical reaction to it.

x

Kagome noticed nothing, her attention captured by the high, beautiful, old building that seemed to reach for the sun, even the edges of its tented roofs flared upwards.

"This place is gorgeous," she told Inu-Yasha, "When your eyes work again, we should come back."

"That's okay, don't worry about it," the hanyou replied earnestly.

"Seriously," Kagome insisted, and Inu-Yasha simply replied, "No, seriously."

The girl shrugged and said, "Your loss," and, to her surprise, he nodded.

x

It didn't take long, following behind the crowd of children guided by an elderly man in traditional garb, to realize that Inu-Yasha was rather uncomfortable. She could feel it through his grip. As the older man began to tell the children a story about the shrine, Kagome couldn't help but feel a little trapped. She didn't want to be rude and interrupt, but she wanted to ask her friend what was bugging him. She held her tongue, but strained to listen to the old man's story as the group came upon an old statue in the center of a pond. It struck Kagome rather soundly in the brain; the statue looked quite a bit like the dog she had seen on and off throughout her childhood. She gulped and leaned in a little, only to be able to make out the man say the words "dog lord". Out of context, she couldn't figure out much. She bit her lip.

x

On the other hand, Inu-Yasha could hear everything. He knew, his stomach twisting, that the mythological, dragon fighting dog lord of the west that was being spoken about was his father. He was shocked, almost more so at the coincidence that he would be brought to such a place. He wondered what they really knew about him. He felt a little sick.

x

A sudden, cold hand on his shoulder caused him to jump and he whirled. He couldn't see the person, but the scent identified her as an older woman, one with strong spiritual energies. He gulped, fear ringing in his ears as everything Sessho-Maru had ever told him about human priests and priestesses raced in his mind. He was taken aback when the woman asked, "Young man, may I speak to you for just a moment?"

This drew Kagome's attention and she leaned around him to see the woman, eyes wide with surprise. Inu-Yasha had more questions than he could articulate, but he nodded. Kagome looked at him in surprise.

"You sure?" she said.

"Yeah, I'll be right back, will you wait?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied.

x

A bit nervously, Inu-Yasha followed the old woman- she lead him across a small, pond bridge and up to a building. He heard her slide off her shoes, so he did the same and trailed her into a small room in the shrine.

"You're so nervous," the old woman chuckled, "I don't bite. Do you?"

"What? No," he replied quickly, "No, of course not."

"Good," she said.

She folded her arms into long sleeves and Inu-Yasha could almost feel her looking up and down.

"How did you get in here?"

Inu-Yasha gulped. She knew what he was. Of course she did.

"I... I just walked in," he said, "I... I felt the barrier, but I went through it, I guess."

The woman "hmm-ed" and he heard her pacing a quiet, slow circle around him.

"You're different than the others," she said.

"I'm half," he said quickly, but the woman replied, "No, that's not it... Are you...? Why did you come here?"

"Honestly, I'm with my friend to watch kids on a field trip," Inu-Yasha replied, rubbing his forehead.

He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to tell this woman the truth. Maybe she was compelling him, but he felt that either way it was for the best.

"It was an accident?" she asked, "No, I don't believe it. Considering who... what you are."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"...You're his, aren't you?"

He heard her gesture; he wasn't sure what to. He frowned a little and said, "If you mean the western dog lord, then yeah. He's my dad. Or was. I guess he's dead now. What's this shrine for?"

"All the lords have one," the old woman answered, "Great stories of history. A pity that's what most think they are now. Just stories."

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, but why did you ask me here?"

"Curiosity, mostly," the woman admitted, "To make sure you weren't here to cause trouble."

She laughed when Inu-Yasha stammered out an "of course not!".

"I see that now, son," she assured him, "My, demons have changed over the years, haven't they?"

"I wouldn't know," he admitted shyly, and again, the old woman laughed, saying, "Yes, of course." She edged in a little closer; he heard her unclip something and rest it on her face- glasses, he suspected, and she rather quickly said, "Let me get a good look at you. Haven't seen a real demon close up in a long time."

x

She was quiet for a moment, and Inu-Yasha's nerves were finally starting to die down when she, gently now, asked, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"I'm blind," he replied.

"That's not natural," she said quietly, "You were attacked?"

"Yeah, I was."

He was surprised to feel her bony hand on his shoulder again, this time with a comforting air about it.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Thank you."

oOoOo

Kagome stared out over the pond, leaning her head on folded arms on the railing of the bridge, her eyes fixed on the dog statue in the center. It was such a strange design, so distinct, and so familiar to her. It creeped her out, if she were honest. She wondered if it were possible that this mythical dog was what she was seeing. That didn't make any sense, though. It didn't even seem possible.

x

She sighed and straightened, glancing around for Inu-Yasha, and was relieved to see him heading out of the small temple building to the side on his own. Perking up, she smiled and rushed to him, grabbing his hand as she reached him, asking, "Hey Yasha, what was that about?"

"Oh, not much, she thought I looked familiar," he said, "Probably knew my dad."

"Your dad?" Kagome said, "That's really cool!"

He shrugged and jerked his head at the way she had come.

"Should we keep going? Catch up?"

"Yeah, sure," Kagome said.

oOoOoOo

They caught up with the group of kids after a little while, watching as several older men in the traditional robes told the story of the great dog and the dragon with the use of themselves and puppets. Inu-Yasha seemed a little uncomfortable during the whole thing.

x

After that, the kids were divided into groups, escorted throughout the shrine. Kagome and Inu-Yasha followed one of the smaller groups into a large, open room lined with old paintings. As one of the very few teachers chased down children, trying to get them to not wipe their hands on the paintings.

x

Kagome was actually quite interested in the paintings, and, apologizing to Inu-Yasha, dragged him around the room to look at the images of the monstrous dog.

"This place is actually pretty cool," she admitted, "These pictures..."

She trailed off and Inu-Yasha looked at her curiously.

"What about them?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, they just remind me of _my_ dog," she admitted.

"Oh. Wish I could see it."

"Me too, man," she agreed, patting his hand gently.

x

They walked the perimeter of the room, Kagome's eyes roaming a tapestry of ancient art. In the center of one of the walls, curiously, a little out of synch with the style, sat the dog, staring out at the room proudly. The image made Kagome's pulse quicken just a little.

"This one's cool," she said, "It's... a bit different, the eyes are really detailed."

"That's cool, do you know how it's done?" he asked.

"Not a clue," she said.

Tentatively, she reached out and brushed the dog's head with her fingertips before baking away. She felt a little tingly and gulped; her friend looked at her curiously. She smiled to herself and continued them on their way.

oOoOo

The rest of the day was surprisingly calm, even with so many children to watch out for, but by the time the group was heading back to the bus, Kagome was feeling a little funny. She said nothing about it, though, and got Inu-Yasha to go back to their seat. However, she noticed, as they boarded, the bus driver looked a little funny. His face was red, and he was wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine, thank you," he said, but his breath seemed a little ragged.

Kagome raised her eyebrows, but said nothing, returning to her seat with Inu-Yasha. He looked at her curiously, asking, "What's up?"

"Nothing, it's fine," Kagome lied.

As the bus's engine rumbled to life, Kagome gulped. Something didn't feel right.


	21. A Literal Cliffhanger

Chapter 20: A Literal Cliffhanger

* * *

The bus ride back through the countryside was bumpier than Kagome thought it would have been. She couldn't believe she had slept through such conditions. She kept her gaze alternating from the window to what little she could see of the driver. He hadn't seemed well before they left. Things seemed to be going okay for now.

x

Kagome drummed her nails on the side of their sear, and looked at Inu-Yasha as he began to dig at his ribs with his claws.

"Oi, you're gonna hurt yourself if you keep that up," she said.

"Hrrm?" he inquired, looking in her direction, "What d'ya mean?"

"You're gonna make yourself bleed again," she said, "Scratching like that."

"But I'm itchy," he complained.

"Still, stop it," Kagome instructed.

"But Kagome…" Inu-Yasha whined.

"No way, don't you "but Kagome," me," she chided, "Here, I'll do it."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't be a baby."

"Stop telling me not to be a baby!"

Kagome merely laughed at him and scootched closer, and carefully, she began to scratch Inu-Yasha's side for him, a lot gentler than he had been doing to himself. He tensed at her touch, and then relaxed, slumping into the seat.

"Ohhh… Okay, yeah, that's better. Much better."

"Told you, you idiot."

Inu-Yasha had to keep his leg from thumping madly on the ground, but it felt much better. The wounds were closing fast, and it always made him itch something terrible.

"Better?" Kagome asked.

He nodded, muttering a shy, "thank you," as she smiled at him proudly.

x

Kagome yawned and leaned back in her seat.

"Here," he said, and he swiftly grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into his lap.

"Gwaa! Yasha, what're you doing?" she asked.

"Grooming," he stated simply, and he began to run his fingers through her hair to get the tangles out.

"Grooming?" Kagome asked, "What?"

"I'm grooming you," he repeated, "Duh."

"Oh… Okay," Kagome said, "Grooming?"

"Yes," Inu-Yasha said, "Grooming."

"Grooming?"

"How long are we gonna keep this up?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Dunno," Kagome smirked, "Grooming?"

Inu-Yasha chuckled.

"No, running pointy objects through this fur you call hair to try to get the mats and blood and stuff out of it before you get a disease," he said.

"Ohhh, that," Kagome laughed, "Okay, I understand perfectly now."

"Not that you have mats or blood in your hair," Inu-Yasha continued.

x

Honestly, he liked grooming people. Sessho-Maru had insisted that he groom a young girl at an orphanage one time, a girl named Rin. Inu-Yasha had found that it was fun. Kagome shrugged as Inu-Yasha continued to run his claws through her hair, like a makeshift comb.

"You know, girls usually comb other girls' hair," she said.

"Whatever," Inu-Yasha said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Kagome said, "Just stating some random fact."

"Oh."

She chuckled and leaned back into Inu-Yasha's chest.

"Damn, I thought you had thought of something to keep me awake, not put me to sleep more," she joked.

"I put you to sleep?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Wow, am I really that boring?"

"No, you're not," Kagome said.

"Then… You think I'm comfy? Aw, Kagome, I had no idea you felt like that!"

He laughed and hugged her around the waist, poking her shoulder with his nose.

"Don't overdo it," she warned jokingly.

"Not gonna," he said as he released her and continued grooming her, "I was just messin' with ya."

"I know," Kagome replied, and then she sighed and laughed.

"You know," she said, "…I've never let any of my other friends ever get that close to me?"

"No?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Well… Me neither. Not to say I had many other friends before you though."

He shrugged.

"I… like being with you Kagome," he said, "It's fun to be able to joke around with each other and stuff."

"I know," Kagome agreed, "I like being around you too. It's fun."

She turned her head and grinned at him over her shoulder, and found him to be grinning back.

"Don't move," he said, "Grooming…"

"Fine," Kagome said, turning her eyes back ahead.

x

It was then that she noticed something seemed amiss. Outside looked foggy to her, but despite that, where was the bus driver taking them? The mountains surely wasn't the right direction.

"Hang on, Yasha," she said quietly; seriously.

"What is it?" he asked, confused, and she shook her head.

"Give me a minute," she said.

She stood, though felt suddenly dizzy, and held to the tops of the other bus seats as she climbed forward to the driver. Before she could make it, though, the driver made a hard right, sending the girl tumbling with a yelp and the children screaming. Dazed, she found Inu-Yasha helping her up quickly, and she called, "Kids, don't scream!" to little avail. Hurriedly, despite more erratic driving, Kagome hurried up to the driver.

x

His face looked all but purple and he was sweating profusely.

"Pull over," she said.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine," he muttered.

"You're going to hurt everyone if you don't pull over," Kagome said, a bit shrilly, though trying to sound calm, "I need to take control from you."

The man looked at her with wide eyes and the bus flew over a huge bump. The kids screamed again and the driver's eyes rolled back and he was gone.

"Oh shit," Kagome said, and as quick as she could, reached over to grab the wheel, "Yasha, help!"

Inu-Yasha was with her in the blink of an eye, and she said, "This guy fainted, can you get him out of here?"

"Shit, okay," he said, and, hurriedly and with little effort, yanked the man from his seat and took him back to another as Kagome slid into the driver's position.

She didn't really know how to drive, but when she hit a pedal and they sped up, she knew the other must be the breaks. Breathing much too fast, she tried to straighten them out and hit the breaks hard. The screaming finally stopped and Kagome sucked in a deep breath of air.

"Okay," she said, "Okay, we should be fine..."

She looked out the window before her, but the fog was getting too thick. She gulped. She didn't even know how to put the bus in break. Her heart was beating far too quickly.

x

The fog swirled thicker and thicker, seeming to blanket the bus, and Kagome could hardly see anything but grey. It even seemed to be seeping into the bus. Then, she realized, she couldn't even see her own hands in front of her. She couldn't feel the seat underneath her, or Inu-Yasha. She just felt cold, almost like she was standing outside in an early morning drizzle.

_What the hell?_ She thought, her brow furrowing with puzzlement.

Out of the sudden fog that had clouded her eyes, a large, silvery form began to appear. Kagome squinted.

_What's… that? _She wondered

Slowly, the massive shaggy shape became clearer, and to Kagome's surprise, it was a dog. A huge, silver furred dog, with blue markings on his face. Kagome recognized him immediately. It was that dog she often saw in her dreams; that dog who always comforted her in the night after a traumatic event.

_It's him…? But… how…?_

By the way the dog was moving, he seemed to be attacking someone, leaping and clawing at a second, purplish figure. Soon, an impossible landscape unfolded before her. A large cliff side with a darkened sky, and a small forest off to the right. Kagome could hardly comprehend what she was seeing. The giant white dog leapt again at what seemed to be a deep purple dragon. The dragon creature laughed as it avoided the dog, causing him to snarl ferociously and leap again. The dragon soon had the dog pinioned to the ground, raking his back with his iron-like claws. The dog roared in anger and pain. Kagome still didn't understand. How was she seeing this in just fog? This was impossible. She tried to call to Inu-Yasha, but she couldn't move.

x

Paralysed, she watched the struggle between the dragon and the dog continue. Suddenly, the smaller figure of a woman appeared, running to the dog. She seemed to have a small child wearing red in her arms, but the scene was too far away for Kagome to make out more than that. The woman's voice cried out to the dog, a name that Kagome couldn't hear.

"Izayoi…" the dog panted, "Get… away… Get you and the pup away…"

Kagome blinked in puzzlement. So now the dog was talking? She really was going insane. But that dog's voice… She had heard it before. For some reason, it reminded her of Inu-Yasha's voice, but that didn't make any sense. The two of them sounded nothing alike… And in her dreams, she couldn't really remember the dog speaking…

"No way in all the hells!" the woman shouted to the dog, "I won't leave you!"

"How pathetic," the dragon creature sneered in a deep, sinister tone, "The dog lord with a mortal woman? This truly is sad. I pity your child."

He dug his claws deeper into the dog, who snarled in pain.

"Bastard," he growled, managing to heave himself to his feet, "Izayoi, please… Go."

"But-" the woman started, but the dog's large red eyes locked on her, giving her a pleading look.

"I don't want to lose you," he growled, "Not again."

Kagome saw the woman nod reluctantly and hold the child closer to her chest, starting to run off back towards the woods where she had come. The dragon made to chase her, but the gigantic dog launched himself at him, pressing his claws into his throat.

"Don't you dare," he snarled.

The dragon writhed in the dog's grasp, biting down hard on his leg. The dog didn't react this time. Even Kagome could see that his already red eyes had glazed over with rage. With a snarl, the dog bit down even harder on the dragon's chest. Kagome almost felt like cheering. For some reason, she desperately wanted the dog to win, whatever he was. He was her dog. The dog she always saw in her dreams. He had to win… Didn't he?

Then, suddenly, the dragon laughed manically. He kicked upwards, stabbing the dog through the chest, most likely fatally wounding him

_Oh god, no…_ Kagome thought in horror.

The dog choked, coughed up blood, but the rage was still in his eyes. As the dragon slipped from his grasp, he staggered sideways and growled. The dragon laughed again.

"Pathetic," he snorted.

"Yeah?" the dog spat, "We'll see… who's pathetic…"

With a final burst of strength, the dog lunged at the dragon, knocking him back against the cliff behind him. The dog's claw embedded into the dragon's chest, pinning him to the cliff. When the dog pulled back, his claw was torn out and stayed into the dragon, sealing him there as an unnatural glow erupted from the dragon's wound. When the glow faded, Kagome could see a thick red trail of blood leading from the dog as he limped back towards the forest.

_Oh my god,_ Kagome thought, _What just happened there…? Did… Did that dog just…? Is he going to die?_

Kagome had no idea how she had just seen all this, but that had been way more than just a hallucination. That was way too real…

x

All of a sudden, Kagome's vision dimmed to black and she felt herself becoming light-headed. She didn't realize when she hit the ground.

oooo

Inu-Yasha wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Kagome. He suspected something was amiss when she suddenly became oddly still, and her frantic breathing slowed. Then, he suddenly knew something was very wrong when she toppled sideways onto the floor with a thud.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed.

He clambered back and knelt to Kagome, feeling for her hand.

"Sorry, Kags, did you fall, are you okay?" he asked hurriedly.

She didn't reply. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened.

"Kagome?" he asked nervously, "Hello? Kagome?"

Footsteps approached him quickly.

"Inu-Yasha, what happened to Kagome-chan?" Tori asked.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"I don't kn-"

He was cut off by Tori's, and multiple other children's screams.

"What?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"Oh… Oh my gosh!" Tori cried, "I… Inu-Yasha, we're headed… We're headed straight off a cliff!"

Inu-Yasha glanced towards the kid.

"Tell me you ain't serious," he pleaded.

There was a huge bump as the driverless bus creaked and tipped forward, rolled over a rock, and then started downwards on a steep slope. More screams.

"Oh shit…" Inu-Yasha muttered.


	22. A Substitute For Chloroform

Chapter 21: A Substitute For Chloroform

* * *

Inu-Yasha had no idea what to do. Bus? Kagome? There were more screams from the back of the bus, so Inu-Yasha chose bus, then Kagome. Reluctantly, he left the girl on the ground and leapt into the driver's seat. There was another jolt of the bus as it fully went off the cliff's edge and began to roll.

"Damn it, Tori, get your ass over here!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

He reached over the back of the seat where he knew the young boy stood, petrified, and yanked him into the front seat.

"Tell me where to turn!" Inu-Yasha instructed.

"What?" Tori demanded.

"I'm blind! Tell me where to frickin' turn!" he exclaimed.

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Tori screeched.

"Just tell me where to drive kid," Inu-Yasha growled.

"What the hell-!" the voice of the bus driver, who had woken up, screeched, and then joined the screaming.

Inu-Yasha sighed.

"Go left!" Tori instructed quickly.

More screams and Inu-Yasha sharply veered the bus left.

"Now right!"

Inu-Yasha turned right, and the screams grew.

"NO, your other right!"

"Dammit, get the directions straight!" the hanyou hollered as he turned the bus left at the last second, before hitting a large rock in front of them.

He was tempted to just jump out of the bus, pick it up, and run down the hill, but that was too dangerous for the occupants.

x

At Tori's instruction, Inu-Yasha turned the bus right, then left, and the right again. Then, they reached the bottom of the cliff, and finally the screaming subsided. Inu-Yasha sighed and slammed on the breaks, and then shifted the bus into park. He turned back over his seat, and a wave of cheering met him. He blinked in puzzlement.

"Wha…?" he mumbled, and then shook his head, "Hey, everyone okay back there?"

More cheers.

"Guess I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled.

He took a deep breath, and then suddenly, his rushed mind turned back to Kagome… who was still on the floor.

"Shit!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

He jumped from the seat and squatted to Kagome's side.

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha questioned anxiously, "Kagome!"

The humans in the bus had become quiet with worry, and the bus driver peered over the seat.

"I think she's unconscious," the bus driver said.

"Oh god," Inu-Yasha gasped.

He fell down onto his knees and cupped his hand to Kagome's cheek.

"Kagome?" he asked quietly, hoping desperately for a response.

There was none, and he could feel cold sweat beginning to accumulate at the edge of her hair. He bit his lip.

"Shit… Her skin's goin' cold," he whispered, "Kagome, what the hell happened to you?"

He put his arms around her and cradled her in his lap, slowly rocking her back and forth. The children in the bus watched them in concerned silence. Inu-Yasha bit on his lip again, laying his hand on Kagome's head and slowly running his palm over her hair.

"C'mon girl," he whispered, "C'mon, wake up damn it. Wake up Kagome."

"Did you see what happened to her?" the bus driver asked worriedly.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"No… I didn't see," he muttered quietly, "I didn't see a thing..."

He rubbed Kagome's back lightly, clenching his teeth tightly.

"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome…" he whispered, shaking his head, "… Idiot… What happened?

Still no response, not even a groan. Baring his fangs, he suppressed the urge to growl and slid his arm under her knees, lifting her up as he stood.

"I think… she needs air…" he mumbled.

The bus driver's eyes widened and he nodded quickly, jumping over his seat and opening the bus door.

"Don't you drive," Inu-Yasha ordered, "Radio in for help. You're in no condition to drive."

x

Inu-Yasha stepped slowly down the stairs, trying his very best not to trip. He felt his foot hit gravel at the roadside at the base of the cliff and sighed, running his hand over Kagome's head once more. Slowly, he sat down, cradling the girl in his lap again. He had no idea what to do with her. A bit hesitantly, he leaned over and stuck his face close to Kagome's.

"Kagome?" He asked quietly, "Kagome? Can you hear me?"

He cupped her cheek and carefully inhaled her scent. It was altering slightly, a sickly-sweet smell beginning to intermingle with her own.

_Oh god…_ Inu-Yasha thought, his eyes widening, _She's getting sick… Kagome…_

"Kagome… Wake up girl… C'mon," he said quietly.

Then, to Inu-Yasha's utter joy, he heard the girl in his arms groan quietly. His ears perked and he grinned.

"C'mon, Kags, wake up," he instructed gently, "C'mon…"

She groaned again, and her eyelids fluttered slightly. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked up at him puzzledly.

"Inu… Yash…a…? she asked quietly.

"Yes, oh thank god! Kagome!" he exclaimed, and without really thinking, hugged her tightly to his chest, "Fuck… I was so worried about you, idiot…"

Kagome blinked puzzledly, surprised that she was suddenly finding herself squished against her best friend's chest, and smiled weakly.

"What'd I do?" she chuckled quietly, "Must've been bad, eh Inu?"

"You passed out, stupid," he said, "God… I thought you had gone into a freaking coma or something…"

"Oh…" Kagome said understandingly, "S… Sorry."

"Don't apologize, you idiot," Inu-Yasha scolded, "Wasn't your fault. What happened though?"

Kagome blinked up at Inu-Yasha slowly. _That vision… with the dog…_ She frowned.

"I'll tell you when we get home, okay?" she said, "It'll sound like I'm nuts though."

"I don't care," he said, "Just next time you decide to pass out, don't drive us off a cliff, okay?"

"I drove us off a cliff?" Kagome asked in surprise, "Whoa, that's a new one. I'm sorry. Is everyone okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Everything's fine," he assured her.

Kagome smiled, but then felt a wave of nausea hit her. She hiccupped.

"Um, Yasha, can you let me go?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Because, I don't wanna puke on you," she laughed.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, "Okay."

He was about to release her, but then she sighed and sunk into his arms again; for some reason she didn't feel sick to her stomach anymore.

"Never mind, false alarm," she said, "I'm okay."

x

Carefully, she eased herself out of Inu-Yasha's lap and shakily forced herself to her feet. Inu-Yasha stood with her and grasped her by the shoulders, keeping her steady.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Fine," Kagome laughed, "A bit disoriented though."

She sighed and looked to the bus driver, who was regarding them worriedly from the door of the bus.

"Good to see you seem okay, too" she said with a small laugh.

"You should get in here and sit down kid," he said, "I'm getting a pickup from the depot. Might take a little while. Do we need an ambulance, too?"

Kagome shook her head.

"I'll be okay," she repeated, "Maybe for you, though, you fainted at the wheel."

The driver sighed and nodded, rubbing his forehead and said, "Good idea."

"You sure you're okay?" Inu-Yasha asked Kagome softly.

"Uh-huh," Kagome replied, smiling, "But sitting down would definitely be a good idea. "

Kagome took a small step, but nearly plummeted into the dirt again. Inu-Yasha caught her and scooped her into his arms.

"Idiot," he mumbled.

He carried her into the bus, carefully placed her on a nearby seat, next to the window, and sat beside her.

"You sure you're alright?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome nodded and sighed, weakly leaning onto Inu-Yasha's shoulder.

_What's going on with me?_ She wondered.

"You know…" Inu-Yasha said at a whisper, "If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

"I know," she said, sighing again, and then gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

"Do you know… what made you faint?" he inquired.

Kagome blinked at him for a moment, trying to determine how to word her answer.

"You know how I mentioned that dog… from my dreams, a little earlier?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"I saw… first, there was all this fog around me… It was really cold, and then, I saw the dog… fighting this dragon. It was like I was actually seeing them, and not just in my mind," she said at a low whisper, "I saw… I saw him get wounded, and then defeat the dragon… and… try to save a human woman from it… I… I'm confused…"

Inu-Yasha's eyes had become a little wide, and Kagome had begun to shiver. Worriedly, the hanyou shook off his surprise and held Kagome close, sharing his body warmth with her.

"Now who's the one who likes hugging?" she laughed.

"Oh shut up you," he joked, "You're so cold."

"I'm not that mean," Kagome protested.

Inu-Yasha chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I mean temperature-wise. Your skin's freezing," he said, "It's my job to keep you warm until we get home. Then your bed can take over."

x

Quickly, before she could protest, he whisked off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, and then hefted her into his lap once more to keep her as warm as he could.

"Now you just relax," he ordered.

"But…" Kagome protested.

"No buts Kagome," he said.

"But…" she repeated, "But, but, but…"

Inu-Yasha shook his head and laughed.

"Shush," he said, holding her closer to his chest, "Be quiet and… and relax, idiot!"

"Aw, do I have to?" she whined.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Inu-Yasha sighed, "Kagome, I'm just trying to help."

"I think you're just trying to snuggle," she teased, poking his chest.

"Oh, of course Kagome," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "I'm just so, completely in love with you. Wow. I mean… Wow."

Kagome burst out laughing and let herself relax against him.

"Well, admitting it's the first step…" she giggled.

"What's step two?" he asked.

"Shutting up and letting me sleep!" she exclaimed through another snicker and closing her eyes.

"That's a good girl," the hanyou said, patting her hair.

x

The two were silent for a couple minutes. Inu-Yasha had become positive that she had fallen asleep, and was about to yawn, when she said his name and he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Holy crap, don't do that!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry," Kagome said sleepily, opening one eye, "But… how're your ribs?"

She couldn't help but feel extremely worried about Inu-Yasha despite everything.

"Fine. Now shut up and go back to sleep or I'm putting you back on the seat."

Fear tugged at Kagome's heart.

"No, don't do that…" she whimpered drowsily, clinging onto his shoulder, "Don't… leave me alone…"

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise as she edged closer to him, and the brow of his nose became red.

"K-Kagome?" he stammered.

"D-Don't leave me Yasha…" she whispered quietly, nestling against his chest, her voice soft and frightened, "Please?"

Inu-Yasha blinked again.

"Kagome? You okay? I was kidding," he said quickly.

Wow, she must really be feeling sick, he thought, If she's taken to snuggling…

Kagome shuddered and closed her eyes again. Soon, she was most definitely asleep, and Inu-Yasha sighed.

What had that been all about? Was she actually delirious? Had he upset her?

He sighed and his blind eyes looked down on her.

"Poor girl," he muttered, "What happened to you, Kagome?"

x

It didn't take nearly as long as he had expected for the ambulance to come and take the bus driver away, and his replacement arrived soon afterwards to take everyone home after getting addresses, and Inu-Yasha knew that it would take a couple hours to reach the house. He shifted Kagome in his lap and sighed. Guilt gnawed at his insides like an angry he upset her? Had he hurt her feelings or something? That was the last thing in the world that he had wanted to do. Part of him couldn't wait for her to wake up, so that he could apologize. The other part of him wanted her to keep sleeping, because she needed to, to help her get better.

x

He gave her a tentative sniff. He scent had, to his relief, mostly returned to normal, but it was still intermingled with the strange sweet smell that told him she was sick.

"So she's a bit better then…" he mumbled to himself, "Good."

Without thinking, the hanyou began to gently groom her again.

He sat quietly with Kagome in his lap, grooming her for almost an hour, before she stirred and opened her eyes a crack, and then blinked puzzledly at him.

"Grooming again?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nearly jumped in surprise, and then gave her a look that was filled with guilt.

"Kagome, I'm sorry," he said.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, "Wha…? For grooming? I told you I didn't mind though."

"No, not that," he mumbled, shaking his head, "I… I made you freak out, and I'm sorry."

Kagome tilted her head, baffled.

"When the hell was this?" she asked, "I don't remember you freaking me out."

"I had told you that if you didn't go back to sleep, I'd put you on the seat. I had been joking," Inu-Yasha explained, "But then you started… begging me not to. I'm sorry I upset you."

Kagome blinked at him in surprise.

"I don't remember that," she mumbled, and then shrugged, "Oh well. Apology accepted."

Inu-Yasha nodded and sighed, but his eyes dropped to the floor sadly. Kagome became even more confused and twisted in his lap so that she was facing him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I said it's okay," she said.

"But…" he muttered.

"No buts!" Kagome exclaimed, "Holy butts! Don't you dare start going all mopey on me now!"

She frowned.

"Do you want me to hug you?" she threatened, "Because I will, I swear."

"I'd like a hug," he whispered in a disheartened sort of way.

"Oh, okay then," Kagome said, and then gave Inu-Yasha a gentle squeeze, "How's that?"

Inu-Yasha gave a small contented sigh.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"I don't understand you," Kagome laughed, "You're so weird."

Inu-Yasha cracked a small smile, which made Kagome beam. She had no idea why the hell he had suddenly gone into depressed-super worry mode, but it got her so frustrated when he looked so sad, and when he blamed himself for stupid things.

"You, my dear Inu-Yasha, are a screwball," she said.

"I know," Inu-Yasha replied, looking slightly happier, "Thank you."

Kagome gave him a smile and then turned her head to look out the window. Her eyes lit up.

"Hey, we're almost home!" she exclaimed.

"Thank god…" Inu-Yasha sighed, "What a messed up day."

"Wanna do it again sometime?" Kagome asked.

"Nooottt really," Inu-Yasha chuckled.

"Understandable," Kagome said.

She scooted herself out of Inu-Yasha's lap and onto the seat beside him, but then suddenly found that she was wearing his jacket.

"Whoa, where'd…. Why the heck do I have your jacket?" she asked.

"You were cold," Inu-Yasha said simply.

"Oh…" Kagome said.

Slowly, her eyes traced to the red bloodstain that stood out clearly on his white t-shirt. She cringed and gently poked him in the ribs.

"Does that hurt?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"No, why?"

"Are you positive that you're okay?" she inquired, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm fine," he said, smiling at her, "Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you."

"Why?" Kagome asked curiously, "I feel fine."

The hanyou frowned and placed his hand against her forehead, and then put his other against his own.

"You have a fever," he said.

"Aw, that sucks," Kagome complained, "What a bummer."

"So you're going to bed as soon as we get home," he instructed.

"What? But it won't be bedtime at all!" she exclaimed, "No way!"

"Yes way," Inu-Yasha said.

"Nuh-uh!" Kagome said, shaking her head.

"Uh-huh!" Inu-Yasha retorted.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh, times infinity!"

"Uh-huh, times infinity plus one!"

"There isn't an infinity plus one! It's still infinity!"

"Too bad!"

The two companions glowered at each other, before both frowns gave way to quiet laughter.

"You'll still have to fight me," Kagome snickered.

"I intend to," Inu-Yasha assured her.

He wagged his forefinger under her nose.

"Don't think I'm gonna go soft on you just because you're a girl."

"No, I think you're just gonna go soft on me because I'm ill," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to protest, and then changed his mind, and slight blush staining his cheeks.

"Ah, you're right, you crazy bitch," he said affectionately, ruffling her hair.

Kagome snickered and grinned at him.

"Crazy bitch. I like it," she said, "Or then again, it could just be the deliriousness."

"Both?" Inu-Yasha suggested.

"Most likely," Kagome agreed, nodding.

x

Within ten minutes, the house was in sight. The two of them quickly dismounted the bus, and Inu-Yasha carefully escorted Kagome into the house, making sure that she wouldn't trip and fall on her face. Once they were inside, he felt her forehead again and looked at her with concern.

"You still have a fever," he said.

"I know… And I still need to phone someone to fix that door… And clean my blood off the floor," she said.

"I'll do it," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "Clean the bathroom, I mean."

"Forget it, I'll do it," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"No… You have to go to bed," he insisted.

"No way," Kagome said, and then tilted her head as she looked at his worried expression.

"Hey, why do you look at me?" she asked.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked, confused, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, usually, with blind people, it seems like they're looking right past you, or through you or something," Kagome explained, "With you, you look right into my eyes when we talk. It's kinda creepy."

"Well, where do you want me to look," he asked.

He turned his head to the right and raised his eyebrow.

"Over here?"

Kagome chuckled and shook her head.

"No," she said, grabbing his face and turning his head back in the proper direction, "Whatever's natural. I was just saying…"

She frowned and poked the end of his nose.

"I think, you have some sort of power," she said.

Inu-Yasha jolted in surprise.

"Wh… Wha…?"

"There's something weird about you Yasha, and I… I'm gonna figure out what it is!" Kagome stated.

"Sure you are Kagome…" Inu-Yasha said, suddenly sounding calm, as if he was talking to a patient at an asylum, "Of course. It's just me and my crazy albino-ish powers. Now you go to bed, crazy bitch. Where do you keep your chloroform?"

Kagome tilted her head.

"Well, right under the…" she started, and then stopped abruptly and began to laugh, wagging her finger at him.

"Oh, you almost got me there Inu-Yasha, but there's no way I'm letting you knock me out with chloroform," she scolded, "And actually, we don't have any. So there."

"Darn," Inu-Yasha said, snapping his fingers, "Okay…"

Then, he had another idea to get the girl to sleep. He could make a sleeping draught out of herbs, couldn't he?

"Right, where do you keep your tea then?" he asked.

"Tea?" Kagome inquired, "In the cupboard."

Stifling a chuckle, she joked, "Right next to the chloroform." Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Thanks," he said.

x

Quickly, he felt his way into the kitchen, to the cupboard that held teas, as he heard Kagome drop down sleepily onto the couch. He knew that she wouldn't sleep though; probably just to spite him. With a smirk, he sifted through the teas: multiple herbal ones, blueberry, and green. Carefully, he took a bowl and put a tiny bit of warm water into it, and then dissected some teabags with his claws. He mixed the proper herbs into the water, and then dunked a cloth into his concoction. He knew it would work; Sessho-Maru had taught him how to make a quick sleeping potion; it was mostly to be used to knock someone out for emergency medical treatments. Inu-Yasha definitely considered this to be an emergency.

The rag in hand, he walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh Kagome?" he called in a singsong voice.

"What?" she inquired.

He smirked.

"C'mere," he said.

Kagome, puzzled, stood from the sofa, stifled a yawn behind her hand, and walked towards Inu-Yasha.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked.

"Sorry about this," he said.

x

Quickly, he grabbed her and held her to his chest to prevent her from moving. Before she could protest at all, he clapped the herb-saturated rag over her mouth and nose, forcing her to breathe it in. In an instant, her eyelids drooped, and with a soft groan, she fell asleep in his arms.

"Sorry again, but you'll thank me later," he said quietly.

Carefully, he placed her back down on the sofa, and then poured the remainder of his potion down the sink and rinsed off his rag. Then, he returned to Kagome's side and picked her up again. Slowly and carefully, he took her up to her room and placed her under the covers of her bed, and then returned to the living room.

x

He did feel a little bad for tricking Kagome like that, but it had been necessary.

_The dumb girl needs sleep, for god's sake!_

With the dose he gave her, she would get at least a good three hours in bed without waking up. Inu-Yasha found the diskman he had been using previously and sat back down on the couch. He had a feeling that he was safest there; Kagome, most definitely, would come and tackle him as soon as she had awoken. With a sigh, partially of guilt and partially of relief, Inu-Yasha placed his headphones around his neck and turned up his music.

oOoOoOoO

Three-and-a-half hours later, in bed, Kagome's eyes suddenly opened and she sat upright quickly.

"What the hell?" she demanded, and then looked around in puzzlement at her surroundings.

She was in her room, tucked into her bed.

"Wha…?" she muttered in surprise, and then she slowly realized what had happened.

"Inu-Yasha!" she growled, "That jerk; he knocked me out!"

She remembered his tea inquiry and her mind wandered. Could he have made something from the herbs in the old-fashioned teas?

x

With a frustrated, "Why didn't I think of that?" Kagome swiftly leapt out of her room and then bounded down the stairs. She found Inu-Yasha sitting on the couch, and with a growl, she pounced on him, sitting on his legs and grabbing him by the shoulders. Not looking at all surprised, Inu-Yasha gave her a warm smile.

"Hello Kagome, did you have a good sleep?" he asked.

"Wha…? What, you just knocked me out! With tea!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, and his smile turned apologetic, "Sorry about that. It was a thing my brother taught me that's actually supposed to help you get better quicker. And also, that was over three hours ago. So, did you sleep well?"

Kagome poked his nose with the end of her finger, about to yell at him, but then realized that, yes; she did feel a bit better than she had before. Sighing, Kagome let her frustrations go, and gave him a hopeful smile.

"Yeah actually," she said "Umm, Inu-Yasha?"

"What?" he replied.

"Teach me?" she asked hopefully.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head.

"Oh, of course," he said, "Just get off of my legs, and I'll show you how."

Kagome nodded and moved off of Inu-Yasha, and he stood, took her hand, and led her into the kitchen.

x

Kagome was awed by Inu-Yasha's knowledge of herbs, which easily surpassed her own. After he had finished explaining the sleeping draught to her, she burst out laughing.

"Wow, and I thought I knew stuff," she said, "Was I ever wrong."

'What d'you mean?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"I thought…" she started, and then shook her head, "Well, let's just say you kick my ass when it comes to herb uses."

"I do?" he asked, puzzled, "Since when?"

"Since right now," Kagome said, "And you're a way better teacher than my grandfather… Will you teach me?"

"Sure," Inu-Yasha said, "It'll be easier when I can see… but I'll do my best for now."

"Thanks," Kagome said with a relived sigh.

oOoOoOoO

A few hours later, the sky was getting dark, and Inu-Yasha and Kagome were arguing. Much to the hanyou's exasperation, Kagome wasn't going to bed. She still smelled _off_, but she wasn't taking any time to relax.

"Kagome, please… you need rest," Inu-Yasha said.

"I'll be fine Inu-Yasha," she said, "You worry too much."

"Kags…" Inu-Yasha sighed, running his fingers through his bangs in frustration, "You… just fainted. Please, just go to bed."

"Why do you worry so damn much?" Kagome laughed.

"Because," he said, grabbing her shoulder and leaning in close to her, "You're my best friend. If I'm not gonna worry about you, who will?"

"Um, internet?" Kagome suggested.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Kagome said.

"You're not making any sense, Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

"You just leave that to me," she said, winking, and then burst out laughing, "Ohhh, I love doing that!"

Inu-Yasha held back a chuckle and shook his head, sighing.

"Look," he said.

He approached the girl and laid his hand on her forehead.

"You still have a fever," Inu-Yasha said.

"Aw man," Kagome whined, "Well… I guess I do feel a little weird."

"See!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, exasperated, "Go to bed!"

"But I'm not tired, Inu-Yasha," Kagome protested.

"Yes, you are," Inu-Yasha said, "You are going to bed. Now."

"But-" Kagome protested, but was cut off as Inu-Yasha swiftly heaved her into his arms.

She let out a startled yelp, and looked at him, surprised.

"Inu-Yasha, what the heck are you doing?" she inquired.

"Taking you to your room, again, moron," he said.

"But-" she started again, but Inu-Yasha was already walking down the hall to her room.

He entered and swiftly dropped her down onto the bed.

"Stay here," he said swiftly.

He grabbed her desk chair and left the room before she could protest any more. He closed her door and placed the chair in front, sitting in it and jamming the doorknob to prevent her from opening it.

x

Kagome blinked in puzzlement at the closed door, and then stood up off her bed. She proceeded to the door and took a hold on its knob. It would hardly turn.

"Huh?" she said, "Inu-Yasha, you out there?"

"Yep," he answered, "What's up?"

"Did you lock my door?" she asked.

"Sort of," he smirked.

"Can you let me out?" She asked.

"Well, I could, but I'm not going to," he said.

"Why not?" Kagome inquired.

"'Cause you're sick," the hanyou explained, "And you need sleep."

"Aw… But, Inu-Yasha-" Kagome whined.

"No 'buts', Kagome, you need to sleep, and I'm not moving away from this door until you're asleep."

"You know, I could go out the window," Kagome stated.

"No, you'll fall," Inu-Yasha said, "Please don't. I don't know if I can run out there to catch you in time."

Kagome sighed, moved her hand from the doorknob, and laughed sleepily.

"Okay, okay, you win," she chuckled, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Kagome," Inu-Yasha replied.

He smirked.

"Want me to tuck you in too?" he joked.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I'll be okay."

She flopped down in her bed, curled up in the covers, and then sighed.

"Okay… Inu-Yasha, I'm in bed… You happy now?"

"Semi," he replied, "Are you hungry?"

"Kinda," Kagome replied.

"I'll make you some soup, okay?" he asked.

"Sure," Kagome said absently, and she heard Inu-Yasha stand up from outside the door and walk downstairs.

"Wait…" she mumbled, "Just how the hell does he plan to make soup?"

Kagome slipped out of her bed and tried the doorknob again, but Inu-Yasha had propped the chair against the door in such a way that her knob wouldn't turn. She sighed and returned to the bed.

"This isn't fair, Yasha!" she shouted.

She began to grow a bit worried as she heard a few crashes from downstairs.

x

Ten minutes later, Kagome had changed into sleepwear, and she was half asleep. Inu-Yasha cautiously opened her door.

"Oh, hey, Inu-Yasha," she said.

He gave her a warm smile, and slowly walked towards her, holding out a mug of soup.

"Careful, it's hot," he said.

"Thanks," Kagome said, but then she noticed that his hands were cut up.

"What happened to your hands?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh," he said, smirking, "Got in a fight with the can opener. I won though."

"I hope so," Kagome said.

She sniffed at the soup tentatively and frowned at Inu-Yasha.

"You didn't drug it, did you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, hell no," he replied, "I've knocked you out once today; I don't need to do it again."

He sat down on her bed and stared into her face. He pressed his finger against her nose.

"Now you drink that, and then get some rest. Okay?" he said.

Kagome smirked and grabbed his finger.

"Yeah, yeah, Yasha. Whatever. I'll sleep," she replied.

"Promise?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"All right, I promise," she said with a sigh, rolling her eyes, "Jeez, Inu-Yasha…"

The hanyou's face lit up and he beamed at her.

"Thank you," he said, sounding relieved, "Now, I'm going to bed soon. But shout if you want me to get you anything."

"Inu-Yasha, you're blind," Kagome said, "Don't bother. I can get whatever I need."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Positive," she said, grinning.

He smiled and then stood.

"Good night then," he said as he left her room.

"Night…" she said quietly.

She saw him smile and then close her door, and then heard him walk down the hall to his own room. She sighed, took a sip of her soup, placed it on her bedside table, and leaned back into her covers.

x

Soon, the dizziness and slight delirium of fainting returned to Kagome. Her room just seemed to be getting colder and warmer, and as it grew darker outside and the moonlight danced in strange patterns across her floor, Kagome had trouble telling if she was awake or asleep. She blinked sleepily at the shadows on her floor, cast from the dead tree outside her window. After a few minutes, the shadows began to swirl, and wind, sounding almost like a canine, howled around her window.

x

She blinked again as the shadow slowly twisted themselves into the silhouette a dog, facing sideways. Kagome knew that silhouette immediately, and smirked.

"So he's back, huh?" she mumbled to herself, "Good timing doggie."

After a moment, the wind died down, though there was a slight rattling at her walls. A large, silvery dog's head, as large as a horse's, somehow shoved its way through Kagome's closed window. Kagome glanced at it, and with no surprise on her face at all, smiled.

"Hey, it's you," she said cheerily.

x

The dog's lips pulled back, revealing his long fangs in a smile. He shoved his neck forward and pulled the rest of his body in through the window, shaking himself off as soon as he was through. He was fully the size of a large horse. He tilted his head and smiled, locking his red eyes on Kagome.

"Good evening, my dear," he said gently, "How're you feeling?"

Kagome shrugged.

"I'm okay, I guess," she replied, "You?"

The dog snorted a quiet laugh and padded to Kagome's bed. Carefully, he stepped onto it, hardly causing it to sag under his weight at all. He nuzzled her cheek. Slowly, her arm raised and she lazily patted his head; he chuckled.

"I'm fine, my dear, just fine," he said.

"You're pleasant today," she commented.

"Am I ever not?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head.

"Nah… It's just that…"

She trailed off and shook her head.

"You had a vision, didn't you?" he said, tilting his head.

It was more of a statement than a question. Kagome nodded.

"I guess," she said.

He carefully lay down beside her and eyed her sighed.

"I think it was about you," she said, "'Cept… you were bigger."

The dog chuckled.

"Yes, I can alter my size," he said.

Kagome nodded.

"Cool," Kagome said, "It was… you were fighting a big purple dragon thingy and… well…"

"I died?" he asked.

"I think so," she said quietly.

The dog nodded understandingly and curled his body around Kagome.

"That happened many years ago," he assured her.

"It really happened?" she asked.

He nodded.

"So what? Are you… a spirit or something?"

He nodded again.

"Bright girl, aren't you?" he said affectionately.

"And this… is it a dream or what?" she asked.

"Depends how you want to look at it," he said, nuzzling her cheek again, "You can believe that I'm really here, or you can think this is a dream, whichever."

"But I believe that you're really here talking to me, either way," Kagome said, "Whether it's in my mind, or if you're physically here, I believe that you're real."

"Good," the dog said.

"So… why're you here?" she asked.

The dog shrugged one shaggy shoulder.

"You've had a rough few days," he said simply, "To be honest though, I was debating whether you needed me or not."

"Why?" Kagome asked, suddenly alarmed, "Oh shit, don't tell me it's one of those things when you disappear after I turn a certain age or whatever, 'cause if it is, then-"

"Relax, relax," he said gently, "It's not."

Kagome sighed in relief.

"Thank god," she mumbled, "'Cause then I wouldn't get to muss up your ears anymore."

She grinned and took a hold on each of his long, floppy ears and played with them a little. The dog sighed.

"The things I put up with," he said, hiding a smile.

Kagome chuckled, but then cut her eyes at him.

"If you aren't gonna ditch me, then why-?"

"Well, since your new friend got here, it seems… that you've become more relaxed with life," he said, "Even if neither of you realize it… he's been doing my job."

"He has?" Kagome asked, puzzled, "Wait, what do you know about Inu-Yasha?"

The dog smiled, his red eyes shimmering.

"Quite a lot, my dear Kagome," he said, "Quite a lot."

"Don't you dare start pulling riddles on me," she joked.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled, "No riddles."

He smiled at her again.

"It's just… I sense great things from both of you. And if you combined your strengths, you two could be an invincible pair."

Kagome blinked in puzzlement and the dog continued.

"He's…. different from anyone else you'll ever meet Kagome, and… in time you two will come to care deeply for each other."

Kagome blinked at him again.

"Are you telling me I'm gonna fall in love with Inu-Yasha?" she asked.

"No," the dog replied, "I can't say that for sure. It's a possibility, just like a lot of other things. Like, it's a possibility that you could be hit by a plane… Just, you two need to look out for one another, that's all."

He locked his eyes on hers, giving her an intense stare.

"Promise me something, " he said, "Promise me you won't leave him."

"Leave him, why would I do that?" Kagome asked, "He's my best friend."

"Promise me," the dog repeated.

"I promise," Kagome said, "But why?"

"Because he's different," he said, "He… needs someone. And his difference has driven almost everyone away from him, and has hurt him deeply. One day, he'll tell you about it himself."

Kagome tilted her head in puzzlement.

"Wait, are you talking about him being all partially-albino, 'cause already told him that I-"

She was cut off by the dog shaking his head.

"It's not that. It's something more," he said, "But you'll find out soon enough."

"I thought you said you weren't gonna riddle on me," she sighed.

The dog smiled.

"I apologize," he said.

"Damn, why can't you spirit people ever just say what you're talking about?" Kagome asked.

The dog shrugged.

"You shouldn't know too much, or you might not do what you should," he said, "You know-"

"I know, you'll drastically alter your fate and all that crap. It's always the same," Kagome sighed, "Okay, I'll stick by Inu-Yasha, no matter what. Damn, I was planning on doing that anyways, you know."

"I know," the dog chuckled, licking her cheek, "You're a good girl."

"Ugh, that sounds so unbelievably corny," Kagome said, though she was unable to hide a grin.

"He really does need you Kagome," he said, "You know, you've really changed him."

"I have?" Kagome asked.

The dog nodded, and then yawned.

"How so?" Kagome asked.

"Didn't he tell you what he was like before he met you?" the dog asked.

Kagome shook her head.

"After he was hurt at sixteen," the dog said quietly, "The poor boy went into seclusion and… almost became a mute."

"Inu-Yasha, a mute? No way," Kagome said, "…Really?"

The dog nodded.

"He wouldn't let anyone, not even his own brother, touch him," he continued, "He…. loathed just about everything. I'm a bit surprised that it didn't kill him."

Kagome's eyes had become wide.

"But… that doesn't sound like him at all," she muttered.

"Exactly," the dog said, "You… Meeting you probably saved his life you know. I mean… well, other than saving him from those men that are after him of course…"

Kagome's eyes dropped to the side.

_Oh Yasha… Why didn't you tell me?_ she wondered.

"You're troubled now, aren't you?" the dog asked.

"Well yeah," Kagome said, "…The poor guy."

The dog smiled and nuzzled the top of her head.

"That's why he met you," he said, "Someone who'd care about him."

"Well duh I care about him," Kagome said.

The dog chuckled, stretched out one front paw and yawned slightly, before his flopped ears perked slightly.

"Oh yes," he said, "I almost forgot; there's another reason why I'm here."

"And what would that be?" Kagome asked.

"There's a dormant power inside of you my dear, one that needed to be awakened," he said, "My presence has awakened it, I'm sure you'll find a pleasant change in yourself once you wake up."

"So this is a dream?" Kagome asked.

"I never said that," the dog protested, "I could mean once you fall asleep and then wake up again."

"Tricky," Kagome laughed, "What d'you mean by power though?"

"You'll see," the dog smirked, standing.

He touched the end of his snout to her forehead.

"Now sleep, Kagome," he whispered.

Before Kagome could reply, her eyelids had become heavy, and they slowly drooped shut as a warm sleep overcame her.

x

The dog smirked down at the child who had been in his care since she had been born, though he sighed. There was so much she would be put through… He just hoped that her gift would help.

"I wonder, will you think this was a dream, Kagome?" he asked her sleeping figure.

He smiled fondly at her and licked her face before turning to the window and padding out of the room through the wall.


	23. The Day Before :flashback:

* * *

A/N: Hi! I just **really** want to thank everyone who's been reading my story and reviewing (or just reading), because you guys are all so awesome! And the feedback rocks! Thank you!

Feel free to ask any questions (except if Inu's gonna stay blind, because I can't tell ya. Heh heh heh...)

Oh, and just to let you all know, the character Syd is actually a real person. Or based very closely on her.

AND NOW ONTO THE STORY! (Apologies for the short chapter)

* * *

Chapter 22: The Day Before (Flashback)

* * *

He _was_ going to do it this time. He'd have control. He wouldn't stop until he had. The last time… had been close. He had almost gotten control. Tonight… Tonight would be different…

Carefully placing his beloved sword, Tetsusaiga, beside him on his bed, Inu-Yasha reached under his mattress and pulled out a short knife.

This time, he'd get control…

Cringing and growling softly, the boy ran the knife's blade across his one wrist, and then the other. It hurt horribly, and he watched grimly as the blood oozed down his arms and onto his shirt and he jeans, sprinkling his shag carpeting.

Then, he felt it.

The light-headedness… The darkness setting in…

He shook his head violently from side to side.

No! He wouldn't… lose… control!

His innards burned, his eyes stung, his blood felt like it were a living flame churning inside him, rushing through his veins.

_I've got it this time…_

His nails itched, and mechanically, his head tilted to look at them. He watched them grow out and purple stripes form on his wrists, and he felt his fangs lengthen to the point where they wouldn't completely fit inside his mouth anymore. He blinked as amber faded into a clouded red.

His body felt stiff, almost not his. But at least he wasn't moving without being able to control himself. With some effort, he lifted his hand to look at it. He flexed his fingers and smirked with satisfaction.

"Good…" he mumbled, or attempted to.

His tongue felt heavy and awkward, and speaking wasn't exactly an easy task. His words came out as more of a groan than anything.

Puzzled, Inu-Yasha jerkily raised his hands to his mouth, feeling over his fangs and tongue.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong…

Maybe he didn't have enough practice speaking in this new form. But he would.

Slowly, he forced himself to stand, and look around his bedroom. The multiple shades of red on his walls were clear now; unlike they had been all the other times.  
Most of the time, the hanyou had blacked out by then.

He took one step, and then another, and he approached his window, where he knew his reflection would be clear. He had never actually seen himself as a full youkai before.

As he reached the window, he blinked in surprise at his own reflection.

The large, red eyes that stared back at him almost frightened him; he hardly looked like himself at all.

"Well, that's… weird…" he said to himself, but once again, only growls emerged from his throat.

-

He brushed his silver hair out of his eyes slightly, but then stiffened in alarm.

The scent of his brother… The sound of his brother's panicked heartbeat…

_Oh my God… He… I thought he was out!_

Inu-Yasha wasn't ready to regain his hanyou form yet, and he was considering hiding under his bed when the older youkai, Sessho-Maru, burst wide-eyed into his room.

"Holy shit… Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru gasped.

"I can explain," Inu-Yasha said quickly, but still his speech was garbled, and his brother couldn't understand a word of it.

Sessho-Maru took one look at the blood on Inu-Yasha, and the knife, and then pounced.

In an instant, he had a writhing Inu-Yasha pinioned underneath his body, his knees keeping the boy's arms down and his one arm hugging his head to his chest.

"Inu-Yasha, damn it! Snap out of it!" he snarled.

"Sessh! Lemme go!" Inu-Yasha choked out, but still, only growls.

"Calm… Calm down little brother… Calm down…" the older youkai cooed in his quivering ears, "Please Inu-Yasha… I don't want to lose you like this."

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise.

"S-Sessho?" he gasped out.

Finally… Words…

Though his voice was slightly deeper and more gruff than normal.

He felt his elder brother jolt and cradle his head slightly.

"Inu-Yasha?" he asked.

"I… I'm fine!" the boy spluttered, "Let me up!"

Swiftly, an extremely freaked-out Sessho-Maru released Inu-Yasha and sat beside him as he forced himself upright and shook his head.

Scrunching his eyes shut, Inu-Yasha panted and reached out his arm onto the top of his bed, grabbing Tetsusaiga.

It automatically reverted him back to being a hanyou, and he blinked puzzledly at he flustered, panting older brother.

"Why did you stop me?" he asked quietly.

Sessho-Maru stared at Inu-Yasha in shock.

"What…? Why did I stop you? I thought you had lost it!" He said.

Inu-Yasha shook his head slowly, and looked at his healing wrists.

"No… I did it on purpose," he mumbled.

"Why?" Sessho-Maru demanded, "Inu-Yasha don't… don't you realize what could happen if you do _that_?"

"I know what happens," the hanyou snapped, "I've been doing it for years."

Sessho-Maru blinked at him in shock, and Inu-Yasha sighed and tightened his grip on his sword.

Time for some explanations…

"Look…" Inu-Yasha muttered, "I… It's nothing to do with you. It's…"

"Why does it have nothing to do with me?" Sessho-Maru asked, glaring at his younger brother, "Inu-Yasha, I'm supposed to look after you… and I find you doing _this_…"

He shook his head.

"_Why_?" he asked softly.

"Because… I hate it," Inu-Yasha growled, looking Sessho-Maru in the eye, "When… When _they_ caught me… I remember becoming like that… But I couldn't control it. I hate it… more than anything. Not being in control of my own body. But of course, you youkai wouldn't know what that's like…"

He sighed, squeezing Tetsusaiga so tightly that Sessho-Maru was afraid that he would hurt himself again.

"I… do this so I can control myself. So that next time… if I have to change, I'll have strength, and my mind there," he said, "And so… that I won't… hurt someone I don't want to hurt."

"Inu-Yasha…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, "There… There has to be another way."

Inu-Yasha merely shook his head.

"No," he said simply.

Sessho-Maru looked at him, pained.

_Little brother… Why does it have to be like this?_

He sighed.

"Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry I butted in," he said slowly, "Look I… I just don't like seeing you hurt, okay?"

Inu-Yasha looked at Sessho-Maru, tilting his head slightly.

"I…" Sessho-Maru continued quietly, "I know… you must hate me… for two years ago… for not… getting there sooner… I'm sorry, I really am…"

He blinked sadly at the shocked hanyou boy in front of him.

"But words won't change anything, now will they?" he asked calmly, standing slowly and using his one hand to brush himself off, "I just… I just don't want to lose you again little brother. Not again."

Quickly, the youkai left the room, quietly closing Inu-Yasha's door behind him, leaving the baffled hanyou still sitting on the floor, his ears drooping.

"Hate you? I don't… hate you Sessh…" he whispered, "I… wouldn't even be here… if it wasn't for you Nii-san…"

The boy's ears drooped as low as they possibly could, and he was surprised to find the scent of saltwater pricking in the air. He raised his hand to his eyes, but they were dry.

"Sessh?" he asked aloud.

Was… Sessho-Maru the one who was…?

No, there was no way. Sessho-Maru didn't cry. Inu-Yasha had never even _thought_ of Sessho-Maru crying before.

He wouldn't have dared to.

-

Sighing, Inu-Yasha ran his hand through his bangs in confusion and frustration.

Did… Sessho-Maru really think he hated him?

What was wrong with that guy?

Suddenly, something hit Inu-Yasha…. hit him like a steamroller.

The next day was Sessho-Maru's birthday.

"Damn! How did I forget?" the hanyou chided at himself.

He looked around his room, suddenly feeling horrible. He had nothing even close to a suitable gift for his older brother. Cursing himself again, he slammed himself in the forehead several time with his fist.

"Stupid! BAKA!" he exclaimed, but then, he got an idea.

Maybe, he could make up with his brother, be a little more social… _Something_!

He still could hardly believe that Sessho-Maru thought that he hated him.

Okay sure, he _had_ hardly spoken to him, or anyone, since he had returned from –shudder- captivity, but that didn't mean he hated everyone he didn't talk to!

Okay, _sure_, he did resent quite a lot of things.

Like most humans… and needles, and rope, and doctors, and anything that even resembled something that could prevent him from speaking.

And muzzles. God help anyone he came across walking their dog with a muzzle on…

-

Inu-Yasha sighed again. Okay, maybe he _was_ a bit off… But he'd make it up to Sessho-Maru.

Quickly, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write frantically.

_Sessh_, he wrote,_ I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Look, I don't hate you, okay? I don't know where you got that stupid idea you idiot, but I don't hate you. I'm sorry for making you worry. I've just… been trying to get over things by myself. If you really want, I'll let you help me. It's just, that being alone is usually what works best for me. I never intended to lock myself away from the world in my room for the rest of my life. Starting now, I am officially going to be more social and all that crap. _

_Hey, maybe we can even do some brotherly bonding. You know, save some kittens, get ice cream… Whatever. Oh, and can I have a kitten by the way? I really want a kitten._

_  
Anyway, I DON'T HATE YOU. You're my big brother you numbskull. And what do you want for your birthday by the way? By the time you find this, I'll be outside. I'm going for a walk for a bit, to clear my head. Tell me what you want when I get back, okay? I'll see ya later._

_  
Your crazy hanyou brother, Inu-Yasha._

_-_

With his note in hand, Inu-Yasha quietly tiptoed down the stairs of their large house and made his way into the kitchen. He knew Sessho-Maru; he always went for his coffee as soon as he woke up.

Inu-Yasha left the note facedown beside the coffee machine, and then, ignoring his shoes, exited the house through the back door, and then ran off into the woods that surrounded their three-story mansion.

oOoOoOoO

Sessho-Maru went into the kitchen two hours later, while it was still dark outside, but the note was nowhere to be found.

The youkai waited, but Inu-Yasha didn't come home…

* * *


	24. A New Power

* * *

Chapter 23: A New Power

* * *

It couldn't have been later than five in the morning. Inu-Yasha slowly walked down the hallway upstairs, one hand placed against the wall while the other was grasping a glass of water.

Garbed in his nightwear; a pair of red boxers and a baggy white t-shirt, Inu-Yasha stopped for an instant. He leaned against the wall and kicked at his opposite leg with his short, claw-like toenails.

"Damned itch," he grumbled.

He squatted and dug at the itch with his claws, and then carefully felt up his bare leg.

There was no evidence what so ever of the bullet wound or any of his bruises. He smirked triumphantly and stood again.

The boy felt fairly safe; he wasn't wearing anything over his head, but he did have a bandana in his pocket, just in case.

He took a sip from his water and then padded down the hall to Kagome's room. Carefully, he rested his ear against her door, listening to her calm breathing.

She was still asleep. Good.

He sniffed at her scent, sifting through its complex meanings.

So… she wasn't sick anymore. Even better.

The hanyou smiled, relieved, and then downed the rest of his water, turning to head back to his own room. Then, a faint, high-pitched noise met his ears, causing them to give a tiny quiver. His right ear flicked towards the sound, and his head turned towards the stairs.

The phone was ringing.

Frowning, and thinking, _Who the hell would be calling this early?_ Inu-Yasha carefully edged his way down the stairs and into the kitchen to pick up the annoying object.

His initial intensions were to not have it wake up Kagome, but he heard her begin to awaken as he walked down the stairs, so he decided to pick it up anyway.

-

Quickly, he whisked out his bandana and tied it down over his ears, and then after placing his glass down, fumbled blindly for the phone. It rang again, giving away its position, and he smirked and picked it up.

"Hi, um…"

He yawned in the middle of his sentence.

"Ah, gomen. Higurashi residence, what's up?"

There was a seven-second silence, and then there was a noise of a woman clearing her throat.

"Oh… So I do have the right house, right?" The woman's voice inquired a bit hesitantly.

Inu-Yasha's ear perked slightly.

He knew that voice from somewhere…

He shook his head, and then yawned again.

"Uh… Depends who you wanna talk to," he said.

"Higurashi Kagome?" the woman asked, "Is she there? I'm her mother."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said in surprise, his eyes widening, "Kagome's mom. Hi. Okay, hold on, I'll see if she's… I'll see if I can find her."

He perked up his ears and listened for Kagome. She was still in the process of waking up.

"Um… I think she's in the washroom," Inu-Yasha said, "Can you wait a minute?"

"Oh, sure," Kagome's mother said, "Um… Who're you?"

"Oh, my name's Inu-Yasha. Sorry," he said, "Should've introduced myself before… Sorry, I'm a bit out of it."

"That's quite all right," Kagome's mother said cheerfully.

Much too cheerfully for someone at five in the morning.

To be frank, Inu-Yasha wasn't quite sure why she hadn't questioned him for being at her daughter's house so early in the morning.

"So, who picked up?" another voice said at the other end of the phone.

It was a voice of an old man, and Inu-Yasha knew that if he hadn't had dog-ears, he would have hardly heard him at all.

"Oh, this pleasant boy named Inu-Yasha," Kagome's mother replied to the old man, "He seems quite nice."

"A _boy? With Kagome?_" the elderly man demanded.

"Yes," Kagome mother said, sounding a bit confused, "Why?"

"Give me that phone!"

"Hey-"

Suddenly, Inu-Yasha heard shuffling at the other end of the line.

"YOU!" the voice of the old man shrieked into his ear, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THAT HOUSE WITH MY PRECIOUS GRANDAUGHTER? HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE HOOLIGAN! IF I FIND YOU'VE LEFT YOUR SEED IN HER I'LL CASTRATE YOU, YOU-"

By this point, Inu-Yasha had held the phone approximately a foot away from his ringing, sensitive, fuzzy ears.

As well, Kagome had walked, yawning and rubbing her eye, down the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, she blinked in surprise at the cringing Inu-Yasha, holding the phone as far away from his head as possible, and the phone that was spewing out cusses and oaths to neuter and defenestrate him in her grandfather's voice.

She sighed in frustration, pounding herself in the forehead. The hanyou looked at her and gave her a relieved smile.

"Hey, you're up," he said pleasantly, "Um… A little help?"

Kagome nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, pass it here," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Gladly," he said, passing the cursing phone to her.

Kagome flinched and held it to her ear.

"JI-CHAN!" she shouted into it, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The man at the end of the line suddenly grew silent, and both Kagome and Inu-Yasha sighed in relief.

"Thank you," Kagome said.

"Kagome? Is that you? Are you all right? What did that horrible boy do to you?" he grandfather demanded.

"He did nothing to me you baka!" she exclaimed, "He's here working on a Language project with me. God Ji-chan! What did you think he was doing?"

"Uh… Well…" he said slowly.

Kagome's face contorted in disgust.

"You sick, sick old man…" she mumbled, shaking her head, "Ji-chan… You have a perverted mind, you know that? Now pass me Mom."

"But… that boy…"

"Pass. Me. Mom," Kagome said, emphasizing each word.

Ji-chan grumbled and reluctantly passed the phone back to Kagome's mother.

"Kagome?" she asked anxiously, "Kagome, oh… I feel horrible. Poor Inu-Yasha. Is he all right?"

Kagome nearly laughed. Obviously, her mother had already taken a liking to Inu-Yasha.

"Well, I dunno…" Kagome said slowly, "You all right Yasha?"

Inu-Yasha delivered an incredibly fake, upset sniff.

"Oh… I'll live… I guess…" he whimpered.

"He's fine," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha grinned and chuckled.

"Thank God," Kagome's mother sighed.

She heard her give Ji-chan a sound whack on the head with something hard, and heard the old man yelp and scurry from wherever the two were seated.

Kagome snickered.

"So, how are you Kagome?" her mother inquired.

"Oh, I'm okay. Dad-type-person hasn't been in the house for about a week though," she said, "But that's fine with me. Inu-Yasha's been keeping me company."

"Has he? That's nice," her mother said cheerfully, "Um. Just wondering, what is he doing there so early? Ji-chan told me you said it was for a Language project…"

By the amused tone of her mother's voice, she knew that she hadn't bought a word. Kagome laughed.

"He's rooming with me," Kagome said simply, "He's blind, so I decided to help him out. We're great friends, right Yasha?"

She grinned at the hanyou sitting behind her, who gave her a smile in return.

"Aw, that's so nice of you Kagome. And you made a friend! I'm so proud!" her mother said happily, "And how are Sota and Buyo?"

"Not sure," Kagome said with a shrug, "I sent them off with one of Sota's friends, but I was planning to check up on them either today or tomorrow."

"Okay," she replied, "Kagome, would it be all right if I speak to your friend again for a minute?"

"To Inu-Yasha? Kagome asked, surprised, "Sure."

She poked Inu-Yasha with the phone and put it in his hand.

"My mom wants to talk to you," she said.

"She does?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Okay."

He put the phone to where a human ear would've been on his head.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello Inu-Yasha," Kagome's mother said cheerfully, "Look, I really want to apologize for what my father said to you. He gets a little… protective…"

"Oh, that's fine Mrs. H," he said, and then joked, "I've only been scared for life. No biggie."

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled.

"You're the fist of Kagome's friend to ever call me that," she said, "And that sounds a lot like something Kagome would say. You two must get along well."

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Yeah, pretty well," he said.

"And… I heard you're blind?"

"Yeah," he said, "But it's all right. It's not permanent."

"Ah," Kagome's mother said, " well, that's good then. You don't have to worry you know. Kagome will take care of you if you let her."

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise, but then smiled.

"Yeah, I know; she's a good friend," he said.

"And…" she said slowly, "I was wondering… Would you… take care of her, too?"

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Don't you worry Mrs. H. I got you covered," he said.

The woman gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Inu-Yasha," she said.

"No problem," he replied, "You wanna talk to Kagome again?"

"Hai," she replied, "Thanks."

Inu-Yasha grinned and passed the phone back to Kagome.

"My God Kagome, he sounds so nice," her mother said quietly.

Kagome chuckled.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy," she said, smiling.

"By the way," he mother said, "Just to tell you… If you two… you know… I think I approve."

Kagome blinked in shock, her face suddenly becoming red.

"Mom!" she exclaimed.

Her mother laughed.

"I'll talk to you later dear. Bye," she said.

-

"Wha…" Kagome mumbled, and then there was a click and the line went dead.

Kagome rubbed her forehead as she hung up the phone.

"I can't believe she just said that…" she mumbled.

"Hmm?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Said what?"

"Nothing… nothing…" the girl sighed, "So… What d'you want for breakfast?"  
Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Anything," he said, "Oh, and I cleaned the bathroom while you were asleep, by the way."

"Oh okay, now all we have to do is fix the door," she said, "Okay… um…"

She walked to the fridge and peered through it.

"Omelette and coffee okay?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Anything. I'm easy," he said, shrugging again.

"Good," Kagome said, pulling out the milk and a carton of eggs, "Prepare to be blown away by my most excellent omelette making skills!"

"Aye aye, ma'am," Inu-Yasha said, saluting her.

Kagome grinned at him.

"Now you go busy yourself with something," she instructed.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head.

"Can I stay here?" he asked.

"If you stay out of my way," she said.

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Okay, I will," he said.

He leaned back and sat cross-legged on the kitchen table.

"Am I out of the way enough?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Kagome replied, "What d'you want in your omelette? Something weird?"

"Sure," Inu-Yasha said, "Whatever."

"We want sweet or salty?" she asked.

"Salty," Inu-Yasha said decisively.

Kagome grinned.

"Salty it is then," she said.

With that, she began to shuffle through her cupboards and fridge, pulling out a can of tuna, some teriyaki sauce, and some feta cheese.

Inu-Yasha sniffed tentatively, and looked at Kagome curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Hmm? Tuna, cheese and teriyaki," she said, "That okay?"

Inu-Yasha blinked at her in surprise.

"I… That's what I make at home," he said quietly.

Kagome stared at him, her mouth agape.

"Really?" she demanded.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Another thing we have in common," she laughed, putting her hand on her hip, "Wow, that's really weird, isn't it?"

The hanyou nodded in agreement and smirked.

"Wow, we're cool," he said sarcastically.

"Oh, the coolest," Kagome agreed with a laugh, "Ano… Yasha?"

"Hai?" He replied.

"Any more nightmares?" she inquired softly.

Inu-Yasha smiled and shook his head.

"None that I can remember," he said, "Don't worry about me Kagome."

Kagome gave him a concerned frown, and then pulled out a frying pan and proceed to make omelette.

"Because…" she said after a while, "You know you can tell me, right?"

"I know," Inu-Yasha replied, "Thanks. But that was two nights ago Kagome. I'm fine now."

"I know… But it seems like a reoccurring thing," she said, "Is it?"

"Sometimes," Inu-Yasha admitted.

Kagome snorted and turned her head over her shoulder to look at him.

"If it happens again, feel free to come into my room and wake me up, okay?" she said.

Inu-Yasha blinked at her in surprise.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said.

The hanyou smiled slowly and nodded.

"Thanks Kagome," he said.

"That's what friends are for, right?" she laughed.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Because…" Kagome continued, "Um… This is going to sound insane… In fact, I think I'm insane."

"That's okay," Inu-Yasha assured her, "I don't."

Kagome sighed and smiled thankfully.

"You know that silvery dog... The one I told you about?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, "What about him?"

Kagome sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"He… came to me last night. He… He told me some things about you, Inu-Yasha…" she said quietly.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened, his mouth going dry.

"Wh… Like what?" he asked.

"He told me…" she continued, "…He told me that… You put yourself into seclusion for two years…. That you nearly died…"

She turned to him, her hazel eyes wide and shimmering with concern and sadness.  
"He's never talked to me with words before… But he's never been wrong… Is it true Yasha?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha blinked at her and drooped his head.

"Hai," he said, "I… tried to heal by myself. That's all. It didn't… work too well…"

He bit his lip and a tiny smile spread on his face.

"I guess you weren't joking about that dog, huh? That's… There's no way you could've known that," he said, "That's sort of cool, actually."

Kagome sighed and walked to Inu-Yasha, staring into his lifeless golden eyes.

"Anything's bugging you, you tell me, okay?" she said, "I used to do that too. Put myself in seclusion to heal. Usually, the only living creature I'd see for weeks would be my cat. But you and I, we understand each other, don't we?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"So," Kagome said, "There's no need for either of us to be alone, right?"

"Right," Inu-Yasha agreed, his smile growing, "…Kagome… um… Thanks."

-

Kagome smiled, and then turned back to her omelette making. Suddenly, something jolted through her memory and she hit herself in the side of her head.

Inu-Yasha looked at her in surprise at the thud.

"Damn!" she exclaimed, and then looked at Inu-Yasha apologetically, "I'm sorry Inu-Yasha, I forgot. I promised to make you Ramen."

"Oh, that's okay," Inu-Yasha assured her, "I'll take omelette instead."

He grinned and Kagome sighed in relief.

"Cool," she said, "Oh… and Inu-Yasha?"

"Hmm?" he replied.

"The dog… also said I had… some sort of "power"… Could you tell me if you notice anything different about me today?"

"Sure," Inu-Yasha said, "Ano… What kind of "power"?"

"No clue," Kagome said, "He left or whatever before I could really press him for answers."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, "You think it's true?"

"Coming from that guy, yes," she replied as she flipped the eggs, "If it wasn't, I'd have been rolling around on the floor laughing."

"Ah," Inu-Yasha said with a comprehending nod.

He smiled.

"You trust this dog a lot. And I… do believe you Kagome. How long have you known him? He asked.

"About as long as I can remember," Kagome said, shrugging one shoulder, "He's got nice, fluffy ears."

Inu-Yasha tilted his head. It was funny how Kagome talked about this dog as if he were a physical creature.

Was it possible that he was?

Spirits were things out of legends, things that shouldn't exist like that… But who was he to be talking?

Technically, he shouldn't exist either.

Carefully, he slid off the table.

"I'm… going to my room for a second," he lied, "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Kagome said, "Be careful at the stairs."

Inu-Yasha nodded and laid his hand on the wall. Carefully, he walked up the stairs, but went into Kagome's room instead of his own.

Squinting, he sniffed delicately, sifting through every scent in the room. As he neared the window, he detected something out of place. He sniffed again and squatted at the windowsill.

There it was.

The faint scent of dog…. Almost the scent of an inu youkai… similar to the scent of his brother.

Inu-Yasha couldn't help his ears perking in surprise and his eyes widening.

"So…. There was someone here then?" he asked aloud, "That's… Wow…"

Carefully, he ran his hand over the carpet to his left. Again, to his surprise, he found deep, damp paw marks squished into the carpet. The hanyou blinked in shock and gulped.

Kagome's dog spirit was very real. He'd have to show her.

He forcibly squished his perked ears down under his bandana and made his way to the top of the stairs.

"Kagome?" he called.

"Hai?" she replied, "What's up?"

"Can… Can you come up here a second?" he inquired, "There's, ah… There's something you should see."

-

Kagome cocked her head over her shoulder towards Inu-Yasha's voice and raised her eyebrow.

"Can you give me a minute?" she asked.

"I guess…" Inu-Yasha said slowly.

Kagome opened a cupboard and took out two bowls and some chopsticks. She scooped the omelette into the bowls and placed the frying pan in the sink. She turned it on and ran cold water over the pan, causing billows of steam to rise up from it.

"Okay, I'm coming," Kagome said.

She left the kitchen and walked up the stairs to join Inu-Yasha.

"So… what'd you want to show me?" she asked.

"Just… Look," he said, taking her hand.

Swiftly, he retraced his original steps and then squatted again, feeling blindly for the paw mark. His fingers landed on damp and he grinned triumphantly.

"Kagome, look," he said, gesturing to the dampness.

"See what?" Kagome inquired puzzledly.

She squatted beside him and tilted her head.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, "Ano… Sorry, I mean feeling?"

"This, look," he said, taking her hand and guiding it over the deep paw mark, "Feel it?"

Kagome frowned, puzzled, until her fingers really began to trace around the damp shape in her floor. It was in the shape of a paw.

"Holy hell," she gasped, her eyes becoming wide, "Inu-Yasha… A…. A paw print?"

Inu-Yasha nodded vigorously and ran her hand over another spot on the carpet, allowing her to feel another.

"See?" he asked quickly, his voice becoming excited, "See? You're not at all crazy Kagome… Unless we both are."

Kagome nodded, stupefied, and fell back onto her rump. She ran her fingers through her bangs and gulped.

"I… He's real," she muttered, shaking her head, "He… He wasn't in my dreams at all… He's real… Holy fricking s-something…"

Inu-Yasha smiled at his bewildered companion, and she turned her wide-eyed gaze on him as well, a tiny smile forming on her lips.

"He's real," she said, begging to giggle, "Holy hell, he's real…"

Soon, she was leaning back against the wall in full-blown laughter, clutching her side.

"He's real!" she exclaimed, grabbing Inu-Yasha by the shoulders and giving him a joyous hug, "Holy crap Inu-Yasha! He's really real!"

Inu-Yasha grinned and patted her back.

"I know," he said, "And um… If you go by the widow… You can even smell dog. That is, if you know what dog smells like."

Kagome nodded and laughed, releasing Inu-Yasha and falling over backwards, lying on the floor and continuing her giggling-fit.

"I bet you can," she said, nodding, "I bet you can, Inu-Yasha."

Kagome herself could smell dog on the carpet, and couldn't stop smiling.

"Why didn't that baka dog ever tell me?" she wondered, "I'm… I'm really not crazy after all!"

She sighed in relief and snickered, closing her eyes.

"Did you honestly think you were?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah actually. My grandpa actually had me go to a shrink for a couple months…" she said, "But then that shrink ended up going to a shrink because he said a giant silver dog appeared and told him to leave me alone…"

She laughed and wiped tears of mirth from her cheek and shook her head.

"I should've guessed," she said, "But… A giant talking dog that can walk through walls? That shouldn't exist."

"Well… some things… are kind of like that," Inu-Yasha said quietly.

"I know," Kagome said, "But… Wow… I actually feel really lucky right now… That he chose me of all people."

Inu-Yasha grinned at her and she grinned back.

"Let's go eat breakfast," she suggested.

She sat up and brushed her hair back over her shoulders.

"I was just about to suggest that," Inu-Yasha said.

"Good," Kagome commented with a grin.

She stood and reached down to take Inu-Yasha's hand. She pulled him to his feet and tilted her head at him.

"I'm really glad you found this," she said.

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Yeah. Lucky I tripped and fell on your carpet, eh?" he said.

He felt a tinge of guilt at lying, but how else was he going to explain stumbling into her room?

_Yeah… Kagome, I wanted to check it out, so I went into your room to see if it smelt like a dog or not._

Kagome chuckled and nodded.

"Very lucky," she agreed.

-

With that, she led him out of her room again and down the stairs to the kitchen. He sat at the table as she handed him a bowl of omelette, and then she took a seat opposite him.

The two companions ate in almost complete silence. Kagome, for one, was contemplating just how impossible this whole "dog" situation was.

Unless it was all some very intricate, highly structured hoax involving hallucinogens and whatnot, that dog was proved real.

Kagome had always known that he was "real", in a sense. She had just never really thought that he was physically there.

And how was it possible for a talking, horse-sized, can-pass-through-walls dog to exist?

She didn't doubt that he did, but how exactly was that at all possible?

She sighed. It all happened so fast that it was hard to have it sink in properly, and she began to giggle again.

"What's so funny?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Nothing," Kagome replied, "Is the omelette okay?"

"It rocks," Inu-Yasha said with a smile, "Way better than any of my poor excuses for cooking."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Kagome said, "I bet yours is just as good."

Inu-Yasha merely laughed and shook his head.

"Not even close," he said.

He then blinked and looked around the kitchen. For some reason, the hanyou had a bizarre urge to listen to the news.

"Kagome? Can we turn a radio or something on?" he inquired.

"Sure," Kagome said.

There was a small, battery-powered radio on the kitchen counter and she stood and brought it back to the table. She turned it on to the news station.

"-And police continue their search for a girl, around fifteen, who was allegedly kidnapped over six days ago from the Shiro Mall," a man on the radio said, "The police are withholding most information, though the perpetrator is said to be male, sixteen or seventeen years of age, over six feet tall and has yellow eyes."

Kagome and Inu-Yasha both blinked at the radio in surprise as the man continued to ramble about another police case.

"So... They're still after you, huh?" Kagome said, "That's really weird."

"Tell me about it," Inu-Yasha agreed with a sigh, "But... they have more information on me than that. I wonder why they didn't say it..."

He frowned and pointed to his eyes.

"And they're gold-amber, damn it, not yellow," he growled.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head.

"Touchy," she said with a laugh, "But... I still can't imagine what you could've done to make them come after you like this."

"I dunno. Being alive, maybe," Inu-Yasha grumbled.

Kagome sighed sympathetically.

"Well, at least they don't know your name," she said, "And… you said you don't even have a family name."

"My brother and I, we... had to make ours up," he said, "I guess I'm gonna use the one you made up for now. Tachisuji. I like it. But usually we use Taishio, our father's name."

Kagome shrugged.

"Either way, it's T. Inu-Yasha," she said, "That's easy."

Inu-Yasha smirked and nodded in agreement.

"Tachisuji Inu-Yasha. I kinda like the sound of that," he said.

Kagome smiled, and then tilted her head.

"Taishio... That name sounds sort of familiar..." she said, "Hey... You... Or your brother wouldn't happen to be that big corporate guy, would he?"

"You mean that guy who owns most of the largest companies in Japan?" Inu-Yasha asked with a smirk, "Taishio Sessho-Maru? Yeah, that's my big brother."

Kagome gaped, and then smiled widely.

"No way!" she said, "That's so cool!"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed, "He even has his own little secret police thing. Pretty cool."

"Then can't they cancel out this search the regular police have on you?" Kagome asked.

"They probably could if Sesshy knew it was me being chased," Inu-Yasha said, "But... I can't call him from here. I know from experience they'll have all the lines around this area tapped."

"Tapped?" Kagome demanded, "But... Oh hell, you already-"

"No, don't worry," Inu-Yasha assured her quickly, "It'll only react if someone calls my brother's house. Not his cell though. I'd call him, but he changes the number every week, just in case. They... know he's my brother, but they don't even try to come after me if he's around. He's too important... They've... probably tried to check my house already..."

The two of them sighed simultaneously.

"This sucks," Kagome said, "Like I said, you may be eighteen, but you are way too young for this."

Inu-Yasha laughed.

"I don't really feel eighteen," he said, "Sometimes I feel like I'm thirty. Sometimes I feel like I'm fourteen. Depends on the day."

Kagome laughed quietly.

"Life is weird," she said, "I don't really feel fifteen either... Like you said, sometimes I feel way older too."

"Kagome?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "Um... You remember your offer before, for me to stay?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, "Why?"

"If... it still stands-"

"Why the hell wouldn't it?"

Inu-Yasha smiled brightly.

"_Since_ it still stands... I'd like to take you up on that," he said, "If... it's not to much trouble. I'll even pay rent if you want."

Kagome stared at him in surprise and then began to beam.

"You mean it? You'd stay?" she asked excitedly.

"If that's all right," he said quietly.

"Yeah, of course!" Kagome said, "and forget the rent. No rent."

"But... what about money?" he asked, "What if-"

"Relax," Kagome laughed, "Yasha, I have my dad's credit card. He may be a lazy-ass drunkard, but he's got money; I don't know from where. We can just use that."

"You sure?" the hanyou asked tentatively.

"You bet," Kagome said.

"Thank you," Inu-Yasha said, smiling, "Because to tell you the truth... I'd be really lonely without you Kagome."

Kagome's cheeks became slightly tinted with red and she grinned at Inu-Yasha.

"I'd be lonely without you too," she said, "I'm glad that you'll stay."

-

Just then, the radio station's cheesy theme song began to play, catching the attention of both teens.

"And in other news," a woman's voice said after a full minute of awful music, "Rindou High will be closed today."

Kagome coughed in surprise.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"What what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Rindou... That's our school..." she said, "Now shush, I wanna hear this."

"The school was ravaged last night by vandals, and will take hours to clean up," the woman continued, "The crime has police baffled. "It looks like a giant dog came in and trashed the place; huge paw prints and claw marks everywhere," says the head of police."

Inu-Yasha and Kagome looked at each other in surprise.

"You don't think..." Inu-Yasha said slowly.

"It couldn't be..." Kagome agreed.

"Most surprising was a message on the wall in dried mud that said, "Kags, you need rest. No school for you. Does this prove I'm real?" The police have no idea who "Kags" is, or who is responsible."

Kagome gaped at the radio.

"That... He... Wow..." Kagome stammered.

Inu-Yasha glanced at her and began to laugh.

"I don't believe this," she mumbled, running her fingers through her bangs, "Inu-Yasha, I have a giant talking dog looking out for me."

Inu-Yasha nodded and continued to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kagome demanded.

"That you were doubtful before," he said, "He left those paw prints on purpose Kagome. He wants you to know and believe that he's real."

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha for an instant and then began to laugh as well.

"You're right," she said, "I just can believe that he would go to such an extent to keep me home..."

"He cares about you Kagome," Inu-Yasha said.

He shrugged one shoulder.

"Besides; he's a spirit, he can do whatever the hell he wants."

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"I guess you're right," she said, "Anything else on the radio you want to hear?"

"Music?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

Kagome nodded and switched the radio to a J-rock station.

"How's that?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded his approval, since his mouth was full with the remainder of his omelette.

"Like I said; great omelette," he repeated as he swallowed.

Kagome smiled and took his bowl from him, and then stood to dump both his and her own in the dishwasher.

"Know what?" Kagome asked, "I was actually planning on going to school today. And it's cancelled."

She chuckled.

"Weird, huh?"

Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded.

"So..." he said, "If there's no school, what do we do?"

"Ano... We could buy candy again," Kagome suggested.

Inu-Yasha's face brightened immediately.

"Awesome!" he said, "And we can go to the park again."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, "Can you believe that was only a week and a bit ago? It feels like I've known you so much longer..."

She shrugged as the hanyou beamed at her.

"Agreed," he said, "So when do we go?"

Kagome glanced at the clock on the stove.

"It's only 6:30 Inu-Yasha," she laughed, "It's not even open until 11:30."

"Darn," Inu-Yasha said, "What do we do now?"

"Let us use the all-mighty T.V," Kagome said, "We can watch/listen to something, how's that?"

"Sounds good," Inu-Yasha said, "Let's watch something happy; I'm tired of being stressed out."

Kagome laughed.

"All right, but anything but "Hamtaro"," she said.

"I was thinking more of a "Wayne's World" type thing," he said, "You ever seen that? It's an English movie."

"Who hasn't seen that?" Kagome asked with a laugh, "Okay, crazy comedies, here we come! I actually have that move, and the sequel."

"Sweet," Inu-Yasha said with a grin, "What are we waiting for?"

oOoOoOoO

The movie-fest lasted for a few hours, with the two teens keeled over laughing for half of it.

Everything just seemed so funny after their traumatic few days. Nearing the end, Inu-Yasha was standing on the sofa, playing a fairly accurate air-guitar with a pillow. Kagome watched him and burst into laughter for probably the hundredth time.

She ran upstairs and fetched her real, acoustic guitar out of her closet, and then slipped it into his hands.

He easily played along with any song the movie could throw at him. Kagome had tears of mirth coursing down her face by the time he was done, and then he preformed some eccentric bows, which had her laughing even harder.

"I... didn't... know you played..." she wheezed out between her laughter.

"You didn't ask," he replied, a large grin plastered across his face, "But there's something I didn't ask."

"Oh really?" Kagome inquired, "What's that?"

"Are you ticklish!"

With that, the hanyou carefully plopped the guitar onto the ground and launched himself at Kagome, he fingers finding her ribs and swiftly beginning the tickling.  
Kagome choked and yelped, and then her laughing resumed.

"How dare you?" she hollered, "Gwaa!"

Unable to escape, she tried her only means of self-salvation; tickling him back.  
She shoved herself forward, knocking him onto his back with a grunt, and she began to attempt to find his ticklish spot. She hit his ribs and she could see his eyes widen. He bit his lip and tried to hold in the laughter.

"AhHAH!" Kagome exclaimed, "Got ya!"

The boy shook his head and clapped one hand over his mouth, refusing to laugh.

"Oh, I _will_ get you Inu-Yasha," she assured him.

He shook his head and tightened his hold over his mouth. Kagome frowned and then sat on his chest, glowering down at him.

"I _will_ find some way to make you laugh Inu," she said.

He shook his head again and Kagome could tell that he was grinning smugly behind his hand. She sighed, and then smirked, carefully edging her fingers towards his neck.

_Got ya_, she thought.

Gently, she prodded the sides of his neck. That got him.

Obviously ticklish there, the hanyou turned his head and smacked both hands to his neck to keep her away.

"Hey!" he protested, holding in a snicker.

Then Kagome tickled his ribs again, and he lost it. The hanyou was sent into a full-blown giggling fit, and he flailed weakly at her in a feeble attempt to stop her.

"Oh... Kagome," he moaned, "Please... S-Stop… St-Stop, it t-tickles..."

"That's the point baka!" she said.

"Aah!" he whined, "Kag, please? I'm DYING! ARG!"

"Well... If you're dying..." Kagome said slowly, "Nah!"

-

She continued to tickle the poor boy's ribs until they were both exhausted and she collapsed, snickering, on top of him.

"I think... we're way too hyper..." she panted.

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement.

"Who needs sugar when you can get hyper off of air?" he asked.

Kagome chuckled and poked his nose.

"Hey, you started it," she accused.

"I know," he said, grinning up at her, "I'm not sorry."

He rested his arms behind his head and yawned.

"Damn, now I'm tired again," he laughed.

"Serves you right," Kagome said, "You and your... air guitar... and tickling... and jellybeans..."

"Jellybeans?" Inu-Yasha asked, raising his eyebrow, "Whatever you say Kagome."

She snickered as he reached one arm up around her to pat her head.

"Crazy girl," he said.

Kagome smiled and turned her head to look at the clock.

"Hmm… It's 10:54. Wanna head out?" she asked.

"Sure, sounds fun," Inu-Yasha replied, "Let's go."

"Right," Kagome said, rolling off of him and landing with a thud on a carpet.

She rubbed her side where she landed and stood as Inu-Yasha forced himself to sit up and stand as well. She looked at him, and then looked at herself.

"Hey, we're both still in pajamas," she said.

She poked his bare leg with her foot.

"Hmm… I suppose we are," Inu-Yasha agreed, "We should probably change before we go out huh?"

"No way, I was thinking we could run around like this Inu-Yasha," Kagome joked sarcastically.

Inu-Yasha smirked and stretched his arms out above his head.

"Okay then; we'll change and then get candy," he said.

"Indeed," Kagome agreed.

-

She guided the hanyou up the stairs to his room and picked out some clothes for him so he wouldn't have to feel around for anything. She lay them on his bed.

"There," she said, guiding his hand to the clothes, "I put them facedown so they're not backwards when you pick them up, okay?"

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said with a smile.

Kagome gave him a smile as she left his room and closed the door for him.

In her own room, she changed quickly into some dark green cargo pants and another black t-shirt. Kagome shot a glance through her clothes. It seemed almost everything she owned was either black, or dark green or blue. The brightest thing she owned was dark red.

She smirked and sighed.

"Wow... I really _do_ look like a Goth, don't I?" she asked aloud, "Hrrm… Oh well."

She shrugged one shoulder.

-

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was struggling to get both his legs into his jeans. After putting one in, he fell onto the floor with a grunt.

"This is getting tedious," he growled at himself.

After righting himself, he finally managed to put his clothes on without tripping over himself again.

He barked out a triumphant laugh.

"Take that, jeans from HELL!" he yelled.

"Nice one Yasha," Kagome said through the door.

Inu-Yasha jumped, literally, and hit his head on the ceiling.

"Ow..." he mumbled, rubbing his head and cringing.

"What was that?" Kagome asked.

"What, the jeans from hell or the thud?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

He opened his door and raised his eyebrow at Kagome.

"The thud," she said.

"My head," Inu-Yasha replied simply.

"Oh, that's nice," Kagome said, "I got my dad-type-person's credit card; let's go."

oOoOoOoO

The streets, Kagome noticed, were fairly unoccupied for Tokyo, probably because it looked like rain. Obviously, Inu-Yasha could tell as well, and was greatly relieved.  
Crowds bugged him.

He clung to Kagome's hand cautiously, sniffing the air around them for any potential threats.

Or food. Whichever.

His ears tweaked slightly under his bandana to the sound of two cats fighting over scraps in an alleyway nearby.

_"It's my meat damn it!"_

_  
"I found it first!"_

_  
"Did not you mangy flea-ball!"_

_  
"DID TOO!"_

Inu-Yasha sighed.

He knew it was weird, for an inu hanyou to understand cats, but he could, easily. His whole family going back generations had been able to communicate verbally with both cats and dogs.

_Dumb cats..._ He thought, _Split the meat you bakas..._

But unknown to Inu-Yasha, he wasn't the only one who could hear the two bickering felines.

-

When an argument concerning meat reached Kagome's ears, she at first thought that it was some sort of joke. Looking around, she could see no humans close enough to be speaking.

Maybe it was a radio?

But no, they were between the street and an alleyway, and the shops on either side of the alley were closed.

Kagome slowly stopped walking and Inu-Yasha looked at her curiously.

"Kag? What's up?" he inquired.

"I… hear someone talking…" she mumbled.

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise. Only those two squabbling cats were within Kagome's hearing range.

Was it possible... that she could hear them too?

Kagome turned her head and saw the cats.

_"Mange-ass!"_

_  
"Housecat!"_

_  
"Smelly!"_

_  
"Tail-sniffer!"_

Kagome gaped at the felines. Their mouths were moving in sequence with the voices. Kagome shook her head in disbelief and she dropped Inu-Yasha's hand.

"Kag?" he asked.

"I see talking cats…" she whispered.

Inu-Yasha jolted in surprise.

"You… do?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so," Kagome said quietly.

Slowly, she approached the cats. They bristled at her approach, but didn't move. Kagome squatted and gulped.

"You… can talk?" she asked.

The two cats blinked at her.

_"Crazy human, of course we can!"_ one exclaimed, _"But how do you talk our language?"_

Kagome shook her head.

"No clue," she said.

_"Well, if you dumb humans would learn to listen..._" the other grumbled.

"Hey, she was just asking a question," Inu-Yasha growled before he could help himself.

Both the cats and Kagome looked at Inu-Yasha in shock.

"I-Inu-Yasha?" Kagome stammered, "You… can hear them too?"

"I… uh… I guess I should've told you," Inu-Yasha said shyly, rubbing the back of his head, "I um… can talk to dogs and cats…"

_"Well, not surprising, seeing as you're a-"_ the first cat started, but the hanyou gave him a warning growl and he swiftly shut his mouth.

"Wow… That… is just crazy…" Kagome muttered.

"Tell me about it," Inu-Yasha agreed with a chuckle, "And you two…"

He pointed at the cats.

"You morons; split the meat; don't be so damned greedy."

The two cats looked at each other and blinked.

_"I... suppose that works..."_

"Good," Inu-Yasha said, "C'mon Kagome."

He grabbed the shocked girl's hand and pulled her upright. He started to lead her away down the street, and then he found a bench and sat them both there.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, caressing her hand, and then shook his head, "No, of course you're not. You're suddenly able to talk to animals. I wouldn't be okay."

Kagome sighed and looked at Inu-Yasha.

"I… am suddenly able to talk to animals…" she repeated, and then began to giggle quietly, "And you too…"

"Just dogs and cats," Inu-Yasha said, "I'm sorry; I should've mentioned it before."

Kagome shook her head.

"No, it's okay; it never came up… But wow…" she mumbled, "And how do you know… it's not just cats?"

"Well," Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Look up. Any birds around?"

Kagome glanced skyward and squinted through the clouds. She could see a tiny black speck soaring around through what little sunlight was glinting through the thick mists in the air.

"I… think there's a hawk," she said.

"Good," Inu-Yasha said, patting her shoulder.

He took her hand and held it out in the air.

"Now, keep your hand like this…" he instructed "And… Call 'im."

"Call him?" Kagome repeated.

"Yeah, birds of prey have excellent hearing," Inu-Yasha explained, "If he can understand you, he'll come to you."

"Okay…" Kagome said a bit nervously, "Um… Hawk-bird-thingy… If you can hear me… um… come down? Please?"

Inu-Yasha tilted his face upwards and Kagome stared at the black speck in the sky. Inu-Yasha sniffed.

The scent of the bird was growing closer. He smirked and held onto her arm to help her hold it up.

Kagome blinked at the dot in the sky, and was surprised to find that it was growing bigger. Soon, the outline of a hawk was visible, and it was right over their heads.

Quickly, the bird became completely visible and dove slowly towards where they sat.  
Carefully, the large tawny-feathered hawk landed on Kagome's outstretched arm as she blinked in shock and Inu-Yasha smiled.

"See?" he said smugly.

Kagome on the other hand, was still staring in shock at the bird.

He tilted his head and clacked his beak.

_"You called?"_ he asked, _"It was you, right?"_

Kagome nodded slowly and the hawk ruffled his wings, pleased.

_"Good,"_ he said.

Inu-Yasha looked to Kagome.

"Can you understand what he's saying to you Kagome?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied quietly, and then slowly reached out a finger towards the bird's head.

She gently ran her finger across his smooth feathers, and he seemed quite content to let her.

"Why… did you come to me?" she asked quietly.

_"Ah,"_ the hawk replied, _"Because, a human who can speak our language... It's very rare, to say the least. You've been chosen by the gods."_

"Well that's nice of them," Kagome said.

_"Isn't it?"_ the hawk inquired cheerfully, _"Along with speaking, you... you gain automatic trust from my kind... and probably from others as well."_

"Wow, good thing you know about this," Kagome said, smiling.

_"All of my kind know," _he said simply, _"There are legends about Chosen like you. Was that why you called me?"_

"I… just wanted to know… if it was more than just cats I could speak to," she said slowly.

_"Ah,"_ the hawk said, giving a quick bow of his head, _"… Is that all then?"_

Kagome nodded slowly, still not quite believing that she was having a conversation with a hawk.

The hawk clacked his beak again and spread his wings.

_"Good luck then."_

With that, the hawk lit from her arm and took off back into the sky. Kagome watched him go and sighed.

"I can't believe it," she said, "Inu-Yasha…"

"You can talk to animals Kag," Inu-Yasha said cheerfully, "That must be your gift. Just like your silver dog said."

Kagome nodded and sighed again.

"Inu-Yasha? How is this possible?" she inquired.

"No clue," he said, "But… isn't it cool?"

Kagome tilted her head to look at Inu-Yasha. He had a wide, innocent smile on his face, almost like a young boy. It was contagious, and Kagome smiled as well.

"Yeah… Yeah, it is pretty cool," she said, "I just…"

"Just what?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

Kagome pondered for a moment and then shook her head.

"I guess it's no use trying to convince myself that this can't be happening, huh?" she said.

"Right," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome sighed.

"Okay. I can talk to animals. Fun," she said, smiling, "Now what do we do?"

"Buy candy?" Inu-Yasha suggested.

"Okay, buying candy works," Kagome said with a laugh, "Let us wander to the store of food then!"

She rose form the bench, as did Inu-Yasha, and he took her hand again, grinning at her.

"This is probably one of the weirdest days of your life, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Kagome said, "But that's okay. Suddenly, my dog spirit guy is real and I can talk to animals. It's no biggie."

"Are you sure?" Inu-Yasha inquired, suddenly looking concerned.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "Let's get candy."

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement and patted her hand with his other one.

"I'm proud of you," he said.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

He smirked and shrugged as they started off down the street.

"I just am," he replied after a little while.

He looked to the sky and sniffed.

"Smells like rain," he commented.

"I noticed," Kagome said, "Let's hurry… Or not. Actually, I like rain."

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Me too," he said.

-

Soon, small droplets of rain began to sprinkle the two companions, and Kagome looked up, letting the rain bathe her face.

"It's so nice," she sighed.

"Uh-huh."

Inu-Yasha nodded in agreement and blinked into the rain as well.

"I was thinking," he said, "We should call a repair guy... for that door."

"Oh, you're right," Kagome said.

She gazed around the street quickly and found some payphones. She led Inu-Yasha to them and then searched through the phonebook for a good repair company.

Inu-Yasha didn't even bother to ask what she was doing.

When Kagome found one, she picked up the phone, used her credit card to pay, seeing as she didn't have any change, and dialled the number.

After a brief conversation with a receptionist, she managed to get someone to go to the house to fix the door.

She told them they had left the door open and it was the bathroom door on the ground level that needed fixing. They'd pay whoever it was as soon as they got back.

"There we go," Kagome said triumphantly, "Consider that door fixed!"

"Thank God," Inu-Yasha said, "Finally, we can have showers again."

"Indeed," Kagome agreed, "I think I need one too."

"Well, you don't smell," Inu-Yasha said helpfully.

"Oh, well you don't either," Kagome said.

"Oh good," Inu-Yasha sighed.

-

The two of them walked for another few minutes before arriving at the store that sold junk food and candy.

Inside, it took Inu-Yasha approximately two minutes to decide what he wanted; a bit of most of the stuff they had there.

As they walked home, Kagome chuckled as he dug into his candy and crunched happily on it. Kagome sipped from her bottle of Coke and looked up into the rain.

"Hey Inu-Yasha?" she asked, "When's your birthday?"

"My birthday?" he asked, "Well... I dunno, this year it was July 23rd…"

Kagome blinked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I don't know my real birthday," he explained, "So I make one up every year when I want to say I'm a year older."

"Oh," Kagome said, "When do you think it is?"

"Sometime when it's snowy," Inu-Yasha replied, "I think... I'm actually probably still seventeen. But I'm not sure."

Kagome stared at him for a moment and then laughed quietly, taking a sip from her drink.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Don't know your last name. Don't know your birthday," she said, shaking her head, "You're one strange kid Yasha."

He nodded in agreement.

"Did you ever ask your brother?" she inquired.

"No," Inu-Yasha said, "Wow, that... never occurred to me. I should. He probably knows."

"When's his?" Kagome asked.

"September... uh... September 7th," he said, "When's yours?"

"March 13th," she said, "By March, I'm sixteen."

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said, "I'll get you something. What d'you want?"

Kagome shrugged.

"Anything," she said.

"I'll get you a banana," Inu-Yasha joked.

Kagome laughed.

"Since it'll be from you, I shall treasure it forever," she said.

"And I feel loved," Inu-Yasha laughed.

"You should," Kagome said, poking him in the ribs, "You crazy eighteen-year-old who is probably seventeen and doesn't know."

"Right," Inu-Yasha agreed, "So... Should I say I'm seventeen or eighteen?"

"Meh; I'd go with seventeen," Kagome said.

"Okay, seventeen's good, but then I'm almost eighteen," he said, "I know my birthday is in a month with snow."

He cupped his chin, pondering. Kagome tilted her head.

"I dunno why, but you give me the feeling you were born in December," she said.

"Probably was," Inu-Yasha said, "Then I'd still be seventeen."

"Yep," Kagome said, "I'm guessing... um..."

She circled her hand above his head and squinted.

"I'm thinking December 28th," she said.

"Okay," Inu-Yasha laughed, "I'll go with that this year. Okay then, I get another birthday, and I'm seventeen instead of eighteen."

"Well then," Kagome said, "Your birthday comes before mine; what d'you want?"

"Same as you; anything," he replied, "But what I really want… is Ramen."

"Ramen?" Kagome repeated.

"Lots and lots of Ramen," Inu-Yasha said, grinning.

"Well, that's easy," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha turned his face up to the rain again and sighed.

"I wonder… what my brother's doing right now," he mumbled, "I wonder if he's worried…"

"If he's anything like you at all, I'd say he most definitely is," Kagome said reassuringly.

Inu-Yasha sighed sadly and closed his eyes.

"I'm just…" he started quietly, and then sighed once more, "I'm worried… that he thinks that I ran away or something because of him…"

"Why?" Kagome inquired, "Did you have a fight with him or something?"

"Far from it," Inu-Yasha said with a small laugh, "He… I just figured out that he thinks I hate him for not… rescuing me sooner from them when I was younger."

He shook his head as Kagome blinked at him in surprise.

"I couldn't hate Sessho-Maru," he continued, "He's my big brother. Nii-san… I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for him. I owe him a lot."

"I can imagine," Kagome said quietly, "It must be nice to have an older sibling to look out for you."

"Well, you look out for your younger brother, don't you Kagome?" he asked.

"What, you mean like scaring kids who pick on him and stuff?" Kagome asked, "Yeah, I do that all the time. The poor kid's a bit of a geek. I need to stick up for him."

Inu-Yasha nodded approvingly and smiled at Kagome.

"…Yeah, it' nice," he said.

Kagome smiled at him, but then her expression turned to one of puzzlement.

"Yasha… If you don't mind me asking, how did they catch you this time?" she asked.

"Oh, that," Inu-Yasha said, "It was my fault; I guess I wasn't being cautious enough. I went for a walk."

"That's it? You can't even go for a walk without being hounded?" she asked, and sighed in exasperation, "Oi…"

"I know," Inu-Yasha agreed, "You see, my brother walked in on me in my room… doing something I should've been doing…"

"Was it drugs?" Kagome asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Smoking?"

He shook his head again and made a face, indicating that he couldn't stand the smell.

Kagome chuckled and then put on her stern face again.

"Did you cut yourself Inu-Yasha?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha turned to her and looked little embarrassed.

"Kind of… It was… It was an accident, mostly… Dropped my knife on myself… here…"

He turned the underside of his arm upwards and ran his claw lightly across his wrist.

"I accidentally pressed it into myself as I tried to catch it," he lied, "And then… in walks my brother."

"Oh…" Kagome said slowly, "Yeah, you don't really strike me as a cuts-himself drug-addict."

"Oh thank God," he sighed, relieved, and then continued his story, "This is the part where my brother blames himself, says that I must hate him for not showing up sooner that time two years ago. He leaves. I can't believe what I just heard… So I decided to take a walk, but I wrote him a note first, saying I didn't hate him and stuff…"

He smiled.

"I asked him what he wanted for his birthday," he said, "And then… I never came home… He probably thinks I'm dead in a ditch somewhere."

"That's horrible," Kagome said, her eyes wide, "Inu-Yasha, do you want me to take you home? I bet we could find a way…"

"No," he replied, "They'll be watching that place now, for when I come back. Then they'll… I'm worried they'll use everything they've got to get Sessho-Maru as well."

He shook his head.

"My life's pretty messed up, huh?" he asked with a weak chuckle.

"Tell me about it," Kagome sighed, rubbing her brow, "Man, and I thought I had it rough…"

"Well, you do," Inu-Yasha pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't have a huge-ass amount of government psychopaths who can do whatever they want because they're the law after me," she replied, sighing, "You poor thing…"

Then, she eyed Inu-Yasha curiously again.

"Why the heck would you drop a knife on yourself?" she asked.

"I was looking at it," Inu-Yasha said defensively, "My finger slipped."

He grinned.

"I love knives, swords, whatever," he said, "And I have a really nice sword too."

"Oh, cool," Kagome said, suddenly brightening.

"It was my father's," Inu-Yasha continued, "Called Tetsusaiga. It looks like a battered old blade but… I love the damn thing."

He smiled.

"Sword fighting… they should teach that in gym class… Then I might actually enjoy it," he laughed.

"Are you any good?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I'm okay," he said.

"Will you teach me?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Sure," he said.

"Know what I think rocks?" Kagome asked, "Archery."

"Archery?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

His mind briefly traced to his ex-girlfriend Kikyo, and how she had pierced him literally through the heart with an arrow, but he shoved the thought aside violently.

He had been naïve. He wouldn't make a mistake like her again.

"Yeah," Kagome replied with a grin, "I've tried it once. It's awesome. I actually hit the target most of the time…"

She smiled at Inu-Yasha.

"I didn't know you didn't like gym class," she said.

Inu-Yasha shuddered.

"Ugh, I hate the wretched thing," he grumbled, "You?"

"Same here," she said, "What a waste of my life."

Inu-Yasha chuckled, and then remembered the bag of candy he had in his possession and ate a little of the sugar-covered foodstuffs.

"Our conversations change topics so quickly," he commented.

"I noticed," Kagome said.

She counted on her fingers.

"Lets see, birthdays, birthday presents, not knowing your birthday, your brother, how you got caught…"

She switched hands.

"Swords, archery, and not liking gym class."

She chuckled.

"And look," she said, "We're almost home. How wonderful. "

Inu-Yasha grinned at her, but then his smile fell, replaced by a look of concern.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asked.

Kagome knew he was talking about her sudden animal-linguistic skills, and the fact that her "imaginary" dog was suddenly real, and she smiled.

"Uh-huh," she said, "It's just a bit weird; I'll get over it."

"You sure?" he asked.

He took her hand in his and eyed her worriedly.

"I'm positive Yasha, don't worry so much," she said, grinning.

"If you say so," he muttered, "But I know I'd be extremely freaked out."

"Hey, remember what I told you when we first met?" she inquired, "I have an over-active imagination. It's easy for me to accept weird stuff."

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly and sighed and after shoving his candy into his pocket, tightened his grip on her hand. The warmth of her hand, despite it's wetness from rain, and her scent reassured him that she was okay.

-

Why was he only realizing now that he sort of liked holding Kagome's hand? It was calming to have her warm palm enclosed inside his own.

The feeling, despite how absurd it sounded, made Inu-Yasha feel as if he had purpose, something he had been lacking most of his life.

He had someone to worry about and care for now, he had someone to fight for and protect. A best friend, someone he didn't think he'd be able to live without anymore.  
Maybe one day they would be even closer, but who was he to guess at things like that?

He didn't know the future, but he did know that the protectiveness surging through his dog blood was always in overdrive every time Kagome was near.

He would be her loyal friend forever; he could feel it. It sounded so unbelievably corny, but it felt good to think about it.

He'd stay by her forever, because they needed each other.

She gave him purpose. He had given her hope that her whole life wasn't screwed up. They had given each other companionship. And Inu-Yasha was extremely reluctant to ever give that up.

His first true friend…

_How can she be so brave?_ He thought, _Her father pretty much wants her dead… Her best friend's a wanted criminal… Her mother travels for God knows what reasons… And now suddenly, things that shouldn't happen and shouldn't exist are popping into her life? The poor girl…_

He sighed aloud and Kagome looked at him curiously.

"Are you okay Inu-Yasha?" she inquired.

Inu-Yasha looked at her, his expression of someone who was deeply concerned and troubled.

"What?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha sighed again and dropped his eyes to the ground, and then embraced her tightly.

Kagome blinked in surprise as Inu-Yasha pressed their bodies together closely.

"Inu-Yasha, what's up?" she asked.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" Kagome asked, puzzled, "Yasha, are you feeling okay?"

He shook his head.

"No, I'm not," he said, "You… You said my life sounds bad… But Kagome… God, you poor thing…"

"Yasha," she chuckled, "Look, I don't want pity, okay? It's really sweet that you care, but I'm fine."

"I doubt it," he muttered, "How… How can you be fine Kagome? You're whole life is messed up, and I bet you half of it is because of me…"

"No way," Kagome said, surprised, "Look you dolt, my life's quality has gone steeply uphill since I met you, okay? You're my best friend. I've never even come close to being this close of a friend with someone before, and we haven't even known each other for two weeks."

"Yeah but-" Inu-Yasha started.

"Don't "Yeah but" me," Kagome growled, "Look, I'm fine. And you're awesome for caring."

She smiled and hugged him in return.

"But I'm okay. I promise."

"You promise?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah," Kagome laughed, "But can you let me go? No offence, but you're crushing my shoulders."

"Oh, sorry," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, pulling away from her, "Sorry, I shouldn't be so rough…"

"Not rough," Kagome assured him, "You've just got a death-grip."

"I know; I'm a beast. I'm sorry," he said.

"Are not," Kagome laughed.

"Yes I am," In-Yasha replied.

"Are not."

"Am so."

"Are not."

"Am so."

"I LIKE WATER!"  
Inu-Yasha stared at Kagome in surprise, blinking at her random response.

"What?" he asked.

"Heh, the "I like water" thing," she said, "Shout something really random. It always works."

"Bah," Inu-Yasha snorted, and then smiled, "Now that we've had out little intimate moment of the day, maybe we should go home and get some lunch."

"You and your food," Kagome said, "Yeah, whatever. Lunch."

"Getting tired of cooking, huh?" he asked.

"Meh. Not really," Kagome admitted, "And besides, you can be my guinea pig. I can test out some recipes on you."

Inu-Yasha smiled.

"You make it and I'll eat it. I don't care what it is," he laughed.

"Even if it's squid eyes?" she asked.

"If they taste good, I don't have a problem," he said.

"What if it's… people?" Kagome inquired.

"Okay, no people. Don't cook people," he said.

"Oh, fine," Kagome sighed, feigning disappointment, "Darn, and I had the best recipe for baked children."

They both shuddered slightly.

"That's gross Kagome," Inu-Yasha snickered.

"I know; sorry, I went a bit too far," she admitted.

"Bah," Inu-Yasha scoffed, and thumped her on the back.

"You know," Kagome said, purposely leaning against him to throw him off balance, "I didn't realize how much of a softie you were until you had that nightmare."

Inu-Yasha stumbled sideways slightly, and then returned the gesture to Kagome, causing her to stumble as well.

"Well, you're just as big of a softie as me," he said, "And you gave me the first impression of a punk, but…"

"A punk?" Kagome gasped, "Oh, Yasha you hurt me deep! I just don't like those popular kids with ego problems and people who think they're all perfect and whatever."

She smirked.

"I ain't no punk," she said, "And I ain't no Goth either."

"Obviously," Inu-Yasha said.

"In fact," Kagome said, smiling and jabbing he forefinger upwards into the rain, "I love life! Life rocks! I like being alive!"

"Glad to hear it," Inu-Yasha laughed, thumping her on the back again.

"And Inu-Yasha," she said, taking both of his hands and beaming at him, "It's mostly because of you!"

"Me?" he asked, surprised.

"Uh-huh," Kagome laughed, and then hugged him tightly, "You screwball."

Inu-Yasha smiled and affectionately patted her back.

"See? We've made each other go soft," he accused.

"I know," Kagome sighed, "Can you believe it?"

"Not really," Inu-Yasha said with a small smile, "Believe it or not, I used to be very antisocial."

Kagome chuckled and patted Inu-Yasha's shoulder before releasing him.

"Can you believe the first time we hugged was only a few days ago?" she said.

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise and shook his head.

"No, actually," he said, and his cheeks became tinted with red, "It just… It just seems…"

He sighed, the blush on his face deepening.

"It feels like we've known each other for so long…" he muttered.

Kagome smiled at the blushing hanyou and began to laugh again.

"You're so funny," she said.

She took his hand, and he gladly held hers in return. She raised her eyebrow at him and then looked at her own hand enclosed inside his.

Why did it suddenly make her feel so safe?

She shook her head and felt her face heat up.

_Oh hell, I'm blushing again,_ she thought, _Blah…_

"I wonder…" she said, "What would've happened if you hadn't run into me that day…"

Inu-Yasha shuddered and couldn't help but push closer to her.

"I don't even wanna think about it," he growled quietly, "I'd… I'd be dead Kagome."

"Don't exaggerate," she chuckled.

"I'm not," he whispered, "Not at all. They'd have caught up with me… Killed me… Oh hell Kagome…"

He sighed and looked at her, and she could easily see the fright in his eyes behind the usually hard barrier he put up around himself. Kagome could tell that usually, he was trying to be tough, but she was starting to be able to see right through him.

"I owe you my life," he whispered, "Kagome I… I…"

"Hey, don't you start going all mushy on me," Kagome warned, wagging her finger at him.

"I… I won't," he said shyly.

"Good," Kagome laughed, rubbing at her cheeks, "'Cuz I'm already blushing you know…"

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha inquired, his eyes widening, "What?"

The red on his own face deepened and Kagome laughed quietly.

"Woops. Did I say that out loud?" Kagome asked with an embarrassed giggle, "Oh well."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and pointed to his cheek.

"Well so am I," he said, and then sniffed and coughed behind a closed fist, "We'd better get home soon, huh?"

Kagome nodded.

"Yep, we're just on the street now," she said, "It's funny how much you can learn about someone on a little walk, huh?"

"Yep," he agreed, and then sniffed again, "Damn, I think I'm getting a cold…"

"Yeah, you hairball," Kagome said, picking up a strand of his hair, "You're more soaked than me."

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the rain and peered down to the end of the street, to their house. Her eyes lit up as she saw the white van of a repair company in their driveway.

"Hey, there's the repair guy; let's go," she said.

She took a final swig from her bottle of Coke and then jogged down the street with Inu-Yasha in tow. They arrived at the steps to the house right as the technician stepped out of the house.

"Are you Miss Higurashi?" he inquired.

"Yeah, that's me," Kagome replied, brushing her wet hair out of her face, "Gah… Um, how much?"

"Here," he replied, and handed her a bill, "Hey, just what happened to that door anyway?"

"That would be me," Inu-Yasha put in embarrassedly, "I'm clumsy…"

Kagome mouthed "He's blind" and used her hand to portray a little person tripping to the technician, who nodded understandingly. Kagome quickly paid the bill and then the two of them went into the house.

-

Kagome hurried into the washroom, which now thankfully had a door, and grabbed an armful of dry towels, and then handed half the pile to Inu-Yasha.

"Here you go," she said.

He nodded his thanks and proceeded to towel-dry his hair and face. After plopping himself down on the couch, he pulled off his wet shirt and shivered, and then wrapped himself in one of his towels. He lay himself down on the couch, his face buried into the cushions and shivered again.

Kagome, meanwhile, had changed quickly into some dry clothes and was back in the washroom, looking through all the cupboards for a hairdryer of some sort, not for herself, but for Inu-Yasha.

The poor guy looked freezing, and his hair being drenched definitely wouldn't be helping him out at all.

She squatted and shuffled through a small cabinet near the floor and finally found what she was looking for.

She pulled a small white hairdryer out of the cabinet with a triumphant "Hah!" and brought it out into the living room.

"Hey, Yasha I found…"

She trailed off as she saw the shivering, towel-wrapped boy lying on her sofa, looking nearly unconscious.

"Inu-Yasha, are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded into the cushions and said something that she couldn't hear.

"What?" she asked, drawing closer.

Inu-Yasha turned his head up and gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I said I was cold," he said.

"Oh," Kagome said, "Okay."

She plugged in the hairdryer.

"Now sit up," she said, "I'm gonna dry your hair."

Inu-Yasha nodded and sat up, and shivering again, pushed himself down onto the floor. Kagome sat behind him and flicked on the hairdryer, blowing the hot air through Inu-Yasha's large amounts of fuzz.

He smiled appreciatively, and Kagome began to run her hand through it, trying to get the most wetness out that she could.

"Hey Inu-Yasha, you actually have really nice hair," she said, "What d'you do to it?"

"Um… I wash it… with water," Inu-Yasha suggested helpfully.

"Ever cut it?" she asked.

"Nope, and I don't plan to," he replied.

"Cool," Kagome said, "Yeah… I like how it's all silver. That's so cool."

Inu-Yasha grinned.

"Yeah, it runs in the family," he said, "My brother and me, we both got it from our dad."

"So… you guys are all partially-albino then?" she asked.

"Eh… sort of," Inu-Yasha lied.

He cringed. Lying to Kagome was getting tedious.

He sighed and tilted his head back slightly. Again, he had the urge to blurt that he was a hanyou to her.

_No… not yet…_ his subconscious told him, _Just hold out a little longer Inu-Yasha. You can tell her soon._

Cursing the little voice inside his head, he decided to bask in the warmth that was being blown upon him by the hairdryer and damn well enjoy it.

Usually, being fussed over made him want to vomit, but Kagome's fussing…

Kagome's fussing felt nice.

He felt a warm sensation in his chest, and he frowned, not quite sure of what it was. He quickly brushed aside his puzzlement, but then it was only replaced by more.

Why, all of a sudden, did he want to embrace her again?

He didn't even have a reason this time.

_What the hell's wrong with me? _He wondered, _I… I never used to blush, or want to be close to anyone. Why now? What the hell?_

He shivered again.

"God damn," he muttered, "Guess we shouldn't have stayed out in the rain so damn long…"

"Why?" Kagome inquired, "Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I'm okay," he said, "Just fricking cold now…"

He sighed and Kagome patted his back.

"Well, wearing a wet towel isn't going to help you, baka," she said.

She stood and picked up a dry one form his pile and then handed it to him. He smiled his thanks and unravelled the now soaking towel from his upper body and held it in his hands.

"Holy crud, I really was wet," he said.

He placed it down on the carpet as Kagome eyed him curiously. Her eyes traced over his bare skin, and she moved closer to him.

"Sit up for a second?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha, a little puzzled, did as he was bid, and Kagome looked over his chest. To her surprise, there wasn't a scratch on the boy, no evidence what so ever of all the slashes and the bullet wound.

"How…?" she muttered, and then began to gently prod him all over, searching for wounds.

"Kag, what're you doing?" he inquired, his blind eyes following the pokes of her fingers.

"Your cuts are all gone," she said, and then jabbed him lightly in the ribs, "And your ribs… They're okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly and Kagome's jaw dropped.

"But… How the hell did that happen?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha merely shrugged and Kagome sat back from her squat and sighed.

"Holy shit Inu-Yasha…" she muttered, "Is there anything else, other than talking to cats and dogs that you can do?"

"Um… I have a high metabolism…" he suggested, "And… heal quickly…"

"No shit," she said, still staring at his chest in disbelief, "There's not even a scar… except for here."

She gently poked a faint scar line over Inu-Yasha's heart. His body quivered at her touch, and she drew back her hand swiftly.

"Sorry," she said, "Did that hurt?"

"Not really," he said, and then cupped his hand over the scar, "It's… It's just weird. Forget it."

Kagome tilted her head slightly and gave him an apologetic look before smiling slightly and poking him in the ribs again.

"You're fricking _skinny,"_ she laughed.

"Huh?" he asked.

"I mean, look at you," she said, jabbing his chest with her finger again, "I mean, you've got a bit of muscle, sure, but other than that, you're skin and bones. You probably don't weigh much more than I do."

She took his bare arm in her hands and squeezed it gently.

"You're so twiggy!" she giggled.

"I am not!" he protested, "Check this out."

He flexed his biceps, which only made Kagome laugh at him more.

"Okay, muscle, yes, but still, Yasha is twiggy," she said.

" Keh," he said, "That may be, but I'm still strong."

"I know," Kagome said, "Strong twiggy Yasha."

Inu-Yasha sighed.

"You wanna see strong? Watch this," he said.

He stood, slipped his hands under the couch, and easily lifted it above his head.

Kagome gasped and laughed even harder.

"No way! That's awesome!" she said, clapping her hands together, "Okay, super-strong, not-so-twiggy Yasha."

"Thank you," Inu-Yasha said with a triumphant smirk, "But I can do better."

He lowered the couch back onto the floor and gestured for Kagome to sit on it. With a laugh, she gladly obliged, and he lifted it back up again.

Kagome yelped in surprise as her had brushed the ceiling, and she peered over the edge of the sofa at Inu-Yasha.

"Okay, I take it back; you're not twiggy," she said.

"Glad to hear it," Inu-Yasha said.

He carefully placed the couch back down, and Kagome leaned back into the cushions, watching him in awe.

"Dude… That rocked," she said with a grin, "That was amazing. How'd you do that?"

Inu-Yasha merely shrugged and grinned, and then wrapped himself in a dry towel again. He sat beside Kagome and grinned at her.

"Who's twiggy now?" he inquired.

"Me!" she exclaimed, and then began to laugh again, "Damn it, I'm way too hyper."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and pulled his bag of candy out of his pocket and held it out to her, offering her some.

"No thanks," she said.

He shrugged again.

"Suit yourself," he said, and then began to eat his sugar quota for the week.

"You still cold?" she asked, "Want me to get you a blanket… Or a dry shirt?"

"Don't worry about it," he said, stretching out his arms and cracking his neck slightly, "I'll get one later. The towel's good for now."

He paused.

"I don't really mind if you see me without a shirt on," he admitted, "Unless… It bothers you…"

"Nah, do whatever," Kagome said, dismissively waving her hand at him.

"Thanks," he said.

Kagome grinned at him and stood.

"Well, I'm off to make food," she said, "See ya."

"Okay," Inu-Yasha said, but right as Kagome turned to walk away, he felt a jolt of… something… spring through his veins, and he stood as well.

"Wait, Kag?" he asked, "C'mere?"

"Hrm?"

Kagome turned and raised her eyebrow slightly.

"What's up?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and then gave her a quick hug. Kagome blinked at him in surprise.

"What was that for?" she asked.

He shrugged one shoulder.

"No clue," he said, "I just had to."

"Okay then Inu-Yasha, whatever you say," she said, smirking and giving him a two-fingered wave, "I'm off."

Inu-Yasha nodded and then sat back on the couch. With a yawn, he slumped sideways onto it and was promptly asleep.

oOoOoOoO

Twenty minutes later, Kagome walked back into the room with two steaming bowls of noodles and broth, only to find Inu-Yasha out cold on the couch, still bundled tightly in his towel.

"You lunatic," she whispered.

She placed his bowl on a small table that was located beside the couch. He groaned and Kagome could see his nose twitching as he sniffed carefully.

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked in puzzlement.

"Soup?" he inquired.

"Yep," Kagome replied, smiling, "My own recipe; have fun."

She sat opposite from him on the armchair, and he sat up and yawned behind his hand.

"Yay, soup," he cheered sleepily.

He carefully reached out and picked up his bowl, and then drank the soup hungrily. Kagome stopped a snicker.

"Any good?" she asked curiously.

Inu-Yasha snorted inside the bowl and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Oh good, I get the Yasha Seal of Approval," she said happily.

The hanyou nodded his agreement and lowered the bowl, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm.

"That was great," he said, "Got any more?"

"Yep, in the kitchen," Kagome said.

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said, jumping to his feet, "I'll get it. You want some more?"

"I'm not done my first bowl, Inu-Yasha," she pointed out.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, and then smiled, "Oh well, I'm getting some."

Kagome sighed amusedly and shook her head as Inu-Yasha went into the kitchen and spooned himself another bowl of soup.

He walked back to join her and swiftly downed his soup once more.

"Like it, huh?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded vigorously.

"Best soup ever," he said, "What is it?"

"You don't wanna know," she said.

"No, tell me," he insisted, "C'mon."

"Nope," Kagome said.

"Please?"

"No way."

"Why the hell not?"

"You'll think it's gross, that's why the hell not."

"But it tastes good, so therefore it can't be gross."

"Keh," Kagome snorted.

Inu-Yasha looked at her, widening his eyes and purposely giving her the saddest look that he could. Kagome cringed and tried to look away, but he whimpered pathetically, drawing her attention once more.

"Oh hell, not a puppy-dog look," she whined, "Why me?"

She sighed.

"Fine. It was squid eyes," she said.

"Serious?" Inu-Yasha asked, surprised.

Kagome chuckled.

"I told you…"

Inu-Yasha couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Seriously? Squid eyes?" he asked again.

"Well, it was squid… and other stuff," Kagome said slowly.

"Ugh, you and your mysterious cooking," he groaned, "Aw man."

Kagome laughed.

"Yep, that's me," she said, and then smirked malevolently, "You shall never know my secret techniques of the squid soup! Oh burn!"

"Aw dang," Inu-Yasha said, snapping his fingers and grinning slightly, "I guess you'll just have to make it for me then."

"Oh… You're right," Kagome said, "Oh burn on me!"

Inu-Yasha laughed quietly, but only then did he remember that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He tilted his head.

"Woops…"

"Woops what?" Kagome inquired as she finally finished her first bowl of soup, "Don't tell me you spilled boiling liquid on yourself, because if you did then-"

"No," he said, "I just remembered I don't have a shirt on. Smart, ne?"

Kagome laughed.

"Want me to get you one?" she inquired.

"If you wouldn't mind," Inu-Yasha asked a little shyly.

"No prob," Kagome said.

She took his empty soup bowl from him and deposited it in the kitchen before going upstairs to his room to grab him a t-shirt.

-

Just then, the doorbell rang. Inu-Yasha's ears twitched at the noise and he stood, tilting his head curiously.

"Yasha, would you get that?" Kagome called, "If it's someone selling something, tell them we don't want it unless they're selling puppies."

"Okay," Inu-Yasha replied.

He felt his way along the wall to the door and opened it.

"Yo," he said.

He sniffed. The scent of a young boy and a cat. The boy yelped, as did Inu-Yasha.

"Ah! What're you doing in the house with my sister?" the boy demanded, though he sounded fearful.

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said a bit dumbly, "Eating soup? Are you Kagome's brother?"

The young boy bobbed his head in a nod, and then looked up at Inu-Yasha.

"Are you her boyfriend?" he asked innocently.

Inu-Yasha jolted, the brow of his nose becoming stained with a ruddy blush.

"N-No," he stammered, "I'm not… I'm just a friend."

"Are you sure?" the young boy asked, standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at Inu-Yasha, "Hey, you're blushing."

"Am not," Inu-Yasha protested, turning his head away.

"Yes you are," the boy accused, "You're blushing."

Inu-Yasha snorted and looked to the ground.

"And why aren't you wearing a shirt?" the boy asked.

"None of your business," Inu-Yasha snapped, and then promptly shut his mouth.

_Oh shit, that sounded bad… I shouldn't have said that,_ he thought.

The young boy's eyes widened and he eeped.

"I can't believe it! You are Kagome's boyfriend! I leave for a week and look what happens. She must've been really lonely…"

"I'm not Kagome's boyfriend!" Inu-Yasha protested again, "We were walking in the rain and my shirt got wet! That's all!"

"It stopped raining over an half an hour ago," the boy said smugly, "You're pretty busted mister."

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth but wasn't sure what to say.

_"For God's sake,"_ the cat piped in, _"Doesn't that kid ever shut up?"_

Inu-Yasha sighed, but then, luckily, Kagome came to his rescue.

"Hey, Yasha, who's at the door?" she asked as she leapt down the stairs, a t-shirt for him in her hands, and then stopped abruptly as she saw hr brother and cat standing in the doorway, and the shirtless Inu-Yasha blushing furiously and trying to think of a comeback at the small boy in front of him.

"Sota? Buyo?" she inquired, "Yo, what're you doing here?"

"We wanted to say hi," Sota said, "I thought you'd be lonely, but I guess not. Nice boyfriend."

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed again, banging his forehead against the wall, "Holy hell!"

Kagome's face became a little flushed, but she laughed it off.

"You crazy nerd, Inu-Yasha's not my boyfriend," Kagome chuckled, "He's just a good friend of mine. Here's that t-shirt Yasha."

She handed Inu-Yasha the black t-shirt and he gladly pulled it on over his head as Sota and Buyo stepped into the house.

"Thank you," he said.

Kagome closed the door behind her brother and cat, and then turned to Buyo.

"Hey cat, what's up?" she asked as she squatted to the feline.

_"Kaggy!"_ he exclaimed, and leapt into her lap, _"Oh! I missed you! They ate broccoli over there and it smelled so bad, and Sota's horrible at changing my crap-box and-"_

"Whoa, slow down," Kagome laughed, "Jeez kitty, you talk too fast. Did someone give you catnip again?"

Buyo stopped and gawked at her, as did Sota. Only Inu-Yasha didn't look shocked.

_"You… can understand me?"_ Buyo said slowly.

"Yep," Kagome said cheerily, "Isn't this great Buyo? Now we can actually have conversations that aren't one-way!

Buyo slowly repositioned his dropped jaw and a smile crossed his kitty face.

_"Oh fucking hell Kagome!"_ he exclaimed happily, _"You can speak my language! I'm so happy damn it!"_

He licked her cheek happily and snuggled into her as she laughed and Inu-Yasha wagged his finger at the cat.

"What the hell? Cat, you're more of a potty-mouth than me," he said.

_"Oh, you speak neko too?"_ the cat inquired, his yellow eyes becoming wide, _"Oh, sweetness!"_

He laughed and Sota just looked increasingly perplexed.

"Kagome? Don't tell me you think you can talk to animals again," he said exasperatedly.

"She doesn't think she can; she knows it," Inu-Yasha growled, "And it's true. I can hear the cat too."

Sota stared at Inu-Yasha, and then looked to Kagome.

"Oh God, I've gone to a loony bin!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air,

"Kagome, please… I don't want you going to a shrink again. All my friends made fun of me…"

"No, it's for real this time," Kagome assured him, "And that dog? He's real too."

Kagome had resisted the urge to say "What friends?" because that would've just been a bit too mean.

"Not the dog again," Sota sighed, "Inu-Yasha, you don't actually believe her, do you?"

"Of course I do," Inu-Yasha stated firmly, "We found paw print the size of your face, kid. That dog is damned real. He got us out of school today too."

"Speaking of school," Kagome said, "Why aren't you in it?"

"Power went out," Sota said simply.

_"Oh goody," _Buyo sighed, _"So the kid comes home and drags me over here, like, thirty blocks walking in the rain... Oi..." _

He smiled.

_"But at least you're here Kaggy," _he said happily, licking her face again.

"You know, Kagome would probably hurt me if I called her "Kaggy"," Inu-Yasha mused.

"Nah, you'd just get the life noogied out of you," Kagome warned with a grin.

"Would I now?" Inu-Yasha asked with a smirk, and then cupped his chin, tapping it with his forefinger, "Hmmm…"

"Don't try it," Sota warned, "She's evil."

"Oh, I don't think Kaggy's evil," Inu-Yasha said, "I think Kaggy's quite nice actually."  
Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Two strikes Yasha…" she warned.

"Oh, you get strikes?" Sota asked, his eyes wide with surprise, "Wow, she must really like you."

"Stop giving me such a bad reputation," Kagome said, pointing at Sota, "You're evil cuz Buyo said you sucked at changing his litter box."

_"It's true," _Buyo said, _"It stunk for days… Damn, I wish I had thumbs." _

Inu-Yasha and Kagome both looked at the cat and started to laugh. Sota blinked at them in puzzlement.

"What's so funny?"

"Buyo is," Kagome said, "God kitten, I love ya."

_"Sweetness!" _Buyo exclaimed, _"I have officially got Kaggy's love! I feel special."_

"Yeah, you'd better," Inu-Yasha said, "That must be very hard to get. Kaggy pretends to be a hard-ass punk sometimes."

"Oh, that's it Yasha, you're going down!" Kagome said.

She placed Buyo on the ground as Inu-Yasha yelped out "Yikes!" and sped away into another room. Kagome leapt to her feet and started the chase.

Sota looked down at Buyo, and Buyo looked back up at him.

"They're all nuts…" the boy muttered, rubbing his brow, "What do I do Buyo?"

_"Meh, how should I know?_" he said, shrugging.

Sota stared down at him.

"Did… Did you just shrug?" he stammered.

Buyo nodded, and Sota yelped in surprise.

"AH! NODDING CAT!" he cried, and he ran into the other room after Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

-

Meanwhile, Kagome was chasing Inu-Yasha around the house. Upon his second time entering the living room, Kagome jumped onto the sofa, cut him off, and tackled him around the waist and onto the floor.

"HAH!" she exclaimed.

"Oh shit," he gasped.

He tried to writhe away from the girl, but she had him firmly pinned down.

"Hmm, now what should I do with you?" she mused, "Noogy? Wet Willy? Hmm? Any preferences?"

"Yikes! Not a Wet Willy!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

If Kagome tried that, she wouldn't be able to find his ears…

"I agree," Kagome said, "My nails are too long for that… But a noogy…"

Inu-Yasha yelped and held his arms over his head, and Kagome snickered at him.

"Kagome? Inu-Yasha? Hello?" Sota suddenly called from another room, "Where'd you guys go?"

Then, Kagome had a brainwave.

"Okay, I'll call off the punishment if you help me freak out my brother," she said.

"How?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome bent to beside his head and whispered softly for a moment. His eye grew wide and he smirked devilishly.

"Sounds fun," he said, "Give the kid a good scream, huh?"

"You bet," Kagome laughed, "Think you can pull it off?"

"I dunno… I don't know how to act horny…" he said, but then grinned, "But I'll sure as hell try!"

-

Then, Sota walked into the room, and they started their little show. Before the boy could ask what they were doing, Kagome pressed her face closely against Inu-Yasha's, and the two of them closed their eyes.

Inu-Yasha put his arms around her and stroked up her back with one, while the other played through her hair.

She hooked her leg up around his waist and he began to moan and make other strange, slightly disturbing noises.

_Must… act… horny_! He thought determinedly, _My God, I sound like I'm dying or something._

Sota stared at them, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He screamed, covered his eyes, and ran out of the room.

Kagome opened one eye and lifted her head away from Inu-Yasha and blinked around the room. He swiftly stopped making the odd sounds and opened his eyes as well.

"It worked," she laughed, "Oh, I feel evil."

Inu-Yasha chuckled.

"Oh yes, I feel extremely evil too," he said, and he gave her head an affectionate pat, "Can you let me up now?"

"Yeah, sure," Kagome said.

She rolled off of him and the two of them sat up as Buyo calmly sauntered into the room.

_"Nice one guys,_" he laughed, _"You sent Sota scurrying under the kitchen table."_

"Sweet! Kagome exclaimed, "Props, my fake make-out buddy!"

She offered her fist to Inu-Yasha and he punched it. Then, they stood and walked into the kitchen. Sota was indeed cowering under the table, and he looked up and yelped when they walked in.

"Kagome, please don't hurt me, I won't tell Mom, I swear, I-"

Kagome cut the boy off by laughing, squatting down to his level and hugging him tightly. Sota gulped and blinked at his suddenly affectionate sister in surprise.  
Kagome had hardly ever hugged him, except when they were younger. She had become bitter after hitting the age of eleven. But she had changed during the week and a bit he had been gone.

His eyes traced from Kagome's arms around him to Inu-Yasha.

Was it him? Was it this older boy who had changed his sister?

And so quickly as well?

He didn't think it was possible.

"You crazy little geek," Kagome laughed, patting her brother's back, "We were faking it."

"Faking? What?" Sota asked, confused, "But-"

"I told you, Inu-Yasha's not my boyfriend; we weren't actually making out," she said.  
"No?" Sota asked nervously.

"No, you dork," Kagome assured him, "Besides, Inu-Yasha couldn't be horny if he tired."

"Yeah, I suck, sorry," Inu-Yasha said, "I can't even_ fake_ it. I'm a failure as a thespian!"

He sighed sadly and dramatically put a hand to his forehead. Kagome turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen," Kagome laughed.

"Oh, woe is me!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, falling backwards onto his rump.

Kagome laughed even harder, releasing her brother and giving Inu-Yasha a playful bat over the head.

"You baka," she joshed.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and grinned at her, but then, a tremor ran through his body swiftly, as if he had just poured ice water into his ears.

He knew that feeling. It meant a storm was coming. A very bad storm. His eyes widened and he shivered.

"Are you okay Yasha?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded.

"A storm's coming, I think," he said.

Kagome glanced up through the kitchen window. The sky was dark with heavy rain clouds. She nodded in agreement.

"I think you're right," she said, "Wow, nice senses."

Inu-Yasha shrugged, but then jolted again as distant thunder rumbled in his eardrums. He yelped and covered his head.

"Um…" Kagome muttered, blinking at him puzzledly, "Uh-huh… You sure you're okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and lowered his hands. Of course, the humans wouldn't be able to hear the thunder yet. Buyo gave him a cynical glance, raising one brow slightly.

"Listen," Inu-Yasha said, "Urm… Sota, you should stay here then, instead of going back to wherever, right? And you too Buyo."

"Inu-Yasha's right," Kagome agreed, "C'mon Sota, I'll get you set up in the dad-type-person's room. He ain't here, but Inu-Yasha's using yours."

"Okay," Sota said, jumping to his feet, "Cool."

Kagome stood as well and looked down on Inu-Yasha.

"You and Buyo stay here. Have a chat," she said.

_"Oh, gladly,"_ Buyo said as the two siblings left the room.

-

Inu-Yasha and the cat stared at each other for a few seconds.

_"So…"_ Buyo said, _"You and Kagome, huh?_"

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked in surprise, "No."

The cat smirked.

_"Of course not,"_ Buyo said sarcastically, smirking, _"I can smell the affection all over you both."_

"We're just friends," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, though his face had begun to heat up again.

Damn it, why did he keep blushing? He didn't even like Kagome in that way!

…D-Did he?

He shook his head.

Buyo chuckled and tilted his head, stepping into Inu-Yasha's lap and staring up at him. He took a few delicate sniffs.

_"You're blind,"_ he commented.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, "How could you tell?"

_"You're relying on your nose and ears to get around,"_ he said, _"It's obvious… Does Kagome know?"_

"Does Kagome know what?" Inu-Yasha inquired, tilting his head.

_"That you're not human," _the cat commented, _"You're a hanyou, a half-youkai, aren't you?"_

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly.

"Please… Don't tell her," he said quietly, "Or Sota."

_"I won't,"_ Buyo assured him,_ "You should though."_

"I know, I know," Inu-Yasha muttered, eyeing the ground, "It's just… I don't know how… What if she doesn't want me around anymore?"

_"Meh, don't worry about it,"_ Buyo assured him, _"Tell her when you're ready, but I don't think she'll kick you out Inu-Yasha."_

"Really?" he inquired.

_"Uh-huh,"_ Buyo replied, nodding and wagging his tail, _"Now… you got any tuna around here?"_

oOoOoOoO

Kagome had quickly fixed up their father's room so that Sota would be able to live in it, but the boy had been watching her with a smirk on his lips ever since they had entered the room.

Kagome turned to him with a feigned glare on her face.

"And just what is so funny?" she demanded.

"You and Inu-Yasha, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"Huh? No," Kagome replied.

"Sure," Sota said sarcastically, "I bet you two would make a great couple."

"Whatever Sota," Kagome sighed.

"C'mon," Sota said, smiling and jumping on the bed, bouncing up and down on his knees, "You like him."

"Not like that," Kagome replied.

"Bet you do," Sota said, "You ever kissed him?"

"No," she said.

She sat on the bed beside her bouncing brother and glowered at him, but his grin only widened and he bounced more enthusiastically.

"Bet ya you've hugged him though," Sota accused.

"So what if I have?" Kagome replied, smirking.

Sota shrugged.

"You two look like you'd be great together," he continued, "I think I like him. He's cool. I'd like to have him as a big brother."

Kagome stared at her brother, her face slowly turning red. She squinted in annoyance and cut her eyes at the boy.

"You really don't know when to drop it, do you?" she growled.

"Apparently not! Yikes!" Sota said, jumping off the bed and running out of the room.

"You little butt-much!" Kagome snarled playfully, and then the chase was on…

* * *


	25. Thunder Storms

* * *

Chapter 24: Thunder Storms

* * *

The thunderstorm. One of every hanyou's worst nightmares.

Bright flashes of natural light coupled with insanely loud crashes that were inescapable. You couldn't hide under your bed to get away from the noise.

You couldn't cover your ears deaden the sound, especially if you just happened to be equipped with dog-ears. Least of all, you couldn't just sleep through it, at least not without waking up with a splitting headache.

Almost like Hell on Earth.

Inu-Yasha lay face down on his bed, his pillow squished down over his sensitive ears, his eyes clamped shut. He whimpered into the blankets as a huge clap of thunder rumbled through his room.

To be completely honest, he didn't know why he wasn't deaf yet as well as blind.

He shuddered.

Being deaf, AND blind? He'd go insane.

It was at least 11oclock, and the hanyou had been suffering through the noise since late afternoon. The inside of his ears were throbbing painfully, as if affected by an extremely loud, headache-inducing subwoofer.

He pressed his pillow down tighter over his head and sighed. He desperately wanted to join Kagome in her room. At least he would have company...

At least, with Kagome, he could put his mind at ease.

Being near her calmed him greatly, but he didn't suppose she'd let him sleep on her floor, would she?

He sighed.

"Damn thunder..." he grumbled into his sheets, "Damn storms..."

Inu-Yasha despised thunderstorms for more than just the noise however; many of the most traumatic events of his life had occurred during large thunderstorms.

-

Traumatic Event #1:

The Sengoku-Jidai, when Inu-Yasha was still just a two-year-old pup. He sat in his small, comfortable room, happily rolling his wooden ball around the floor. Both of his parents were out; only Sessho-Maru remained in their large home to watch over him, though the older youkai was extremely reluctant to do so.

Unknown to Inu-Yasha's naïve mind, his brother was told that he would be left with an annoying flea for the rest of his life if he didn't.

Inu-Yasha merely thought that his Nii-san liked him.

The young hanyou played by himself contentedly, that is, until a large crash from the sky outside sent him scurrying into a corner of his room, his ball clutched tightly in his tiny, clawed fingers.

Another crash.

It hurt his ears, and he whimpered in pain. Forgetting the ball, he clapped both hands down over the sensitive appendages and cringed. The noise was loud, and it frightened him.

Was it a youkai?

No, it didn't matter if it was. Nii-san would protect him from any youkai. Nii-san was strong.

Encouraged by this thought, Inu-Yasha smiled a little, but another crash from outside caused him to curl tightly in his corner.

Suddenly, the noise of wood scraping wood. Inu-Yasha opened one eye. To his dismay, there was a strange, human samurai, dripping with water, that had somehow climbed into his room through his window.

He blinked in shock, but forced himself to not be afraid. He was a human. He wouldn't hurt him, would he? But why had he come into their home?

"H-Hello," he said softly, forcing a smile, "Um... Are you lost? Are you trying to get out of the rain?"

He tilted his head at the man's silence.

"Are you scared of the loud crashes too?" the young hanyou asked innocently.

Still saying nothing, the samurai drew his sword. Inu-Yasha's eyes widened with horror.

-

Meanwhile, Sessho-Maru was staring out at the dark sky, watching the rain pour.

Gods, he was bored...

He cringed as thunder boomed in the sky. Surely, the whelp would come running to him any second.

Suddenly, a shriek of terror from Inu-Yasha's room…

Right on schedule, or so he thought.

"SESSHO-MARU!" he screeched, "SESSHO-MARU, HELP ME!"

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"It's just thunder whelp; it can't hurt you!" he called back, "Go to sleep!"

"NO, SESSHO-MARU, YOU DON'T GET IT! AH! HELP ME NII-SAN! HE'S GONNA KILL MEEEEE!"

He could hear the panicked scampering of his brother's feet. And the slash of a sword.

Sessho-Maru's eyes flickered with annoyance and he stood from his spot and walked to Inu-Yasha's room. He threw back the door and glowered at the room's contents.  
Inu-Yasha was pinned to a wall; tears of fright streaming down his face, the sword of a samurai assassin held up to his small throat.

"Nii-san..." he choked, "P-Please... Help me..."

The cold blade pressed against his skin and he whimpered.

Sessho-Maru's eyes traced between the two and he sighed.

"Bakas..." he whispered.

"Don't move," the samurai warned, "I have sutras. I'll kill the child."

Inu-Yasha bit on his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Sessho-Maru merely rolled his eyes.

"You threaten me?" he asked.

With a flick of his finger, and his whip-like energy, the man was dead on Inu-Yasha's floor, his head sent rolling across the floor, not unlike Inu-Yasha's wooden ball, and the tiny hanyou, choking back tears, raced to his brother, seeking comfort.

"Nii-san..." he whined, "A-Arigato..."

He grasped onto Sessho-Maru's leg and sniffled into the cloth. The older youkai sighed and scooped the whimpering whelp into his arms.

"Stop sniveling," he said, "You're fine. Just scared."

Inu-Yasha nodded and brushed his eyes on the back of his sleeve.

"I... I'll try Nii-san," he said, "I'll be brave like you."

Sessho-Maru resisted the urge to roll his eyes skyward again.

"Right," he said.

Inu-Yasha gave a weak smile, but then thunder boomed through the air, and he yelped and covered his ears.

"Nii-san... I'm scared..." he whispered, "C-Can I... sleep with you tonight?"

"With me?" Sessho-Maru asked, hiding his surprise, "But..."

The pup gave him a pathetic, pleading glance, and Sessho-Maru sighed.

He could imagine what the look on his father's face would be if he left the whelp as he was. Slowly, he nodded reluctantly.

"Only because Father will have my head if I don't let you," he muttered.

"Thanks Nii-san," he said, perking up immediately, "Thank you so much."

He nuzzled into the fur of his brother's tail, which he carried across his shoulder.

Sessho-Maru sighed and lightly patted the back of Inu-Yasha's head. The boy yelped happily and leaned into the fur, closing his eyes.

"I love you Nii-san," he said softly.

Sessho-Maru raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"…What? You do?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and smiled.

"Do you love me too Nii-san?" he asked.

Sessho-Maru gave a soft grunt as a reply to not give a certain answer, though Inu-Yasha took it as a yes and gave another contented yelp, and was soon asleep.

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"Crazy whelp..." he muttered.

-

Traumatic Event #2:

Inu-Yasha was three. Over a year previously, he and Sessho-Maru had been transported into the future. They now had a large mansion in the woods; Sessho-Maru was the kind of person who could easily gain money and power, and keep it too, even in a completely different society.

Inu-Yasha had figured out that it was either he had lots of charisma... or was intimidating... or a combination of the two.

Over the months, Inu-Yasha felt that his Nii-san had changed. Deep inside, he had known that Sessho-Maru hadn't been very fond of him to start off with, but to him, it was still a little bit of a puzzle as to why.

Ever since their little "excursion" to the future, however, the older youkai seemed to have warmed up to him.

He had played with him, got him toys, had even bought him his own pet rat, whom he doted upon often. He didn't know what had changed his big brother, but he knew that he liked it.

Inu-Yasha was garbed in his baggy red pajamas and was in his room playing with his much-loved plush puppy that his Nii-san had got for him.

It was late, and he probably should have been in bed. Inu-Yasha knew this, but couldn't bring himself to sleep. He had been feeling strange all day, but hadn't mentioned it to Sessho-Maru.

Plus, it was thundering outside.

Inu-Yasha hated thunder. It scared him and hurt his ears. It reminded him of bad things.

Very bad things.

The small hanyou pup yawned widely and stood, clutching his plush dog to his chest.

His ears felt weird...

The thunder, to him, didn't seem nearly as loud as it did most nights. He breathed in, and was suddenly alarmed to find that he could hardly smell.

With a yelp of fright, Inu-Yasha leapt onto his bed, cradling his dog in his lap.

What was happening to him?

Then, his nails and fangs itching. Inu-Yasha raised his hands to look at them, and was horrified to see his claws shrinking. With a yelp, he toppled backwards on his bed, and banged the top of his head.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, clapping his arms over his injured cranium.

Then, to make matters worse, he couldn't feel his ears.

Stiffening in horror, Inu-Yasha felt through his hair frantically with his clawless fingers.

No ears.

"M-My e-ears!" he stammered fearfully, "Where'd m-my ears g-go?"

His fingers fell down the sides of his head, fiddling with small, fleshy ovals. He felt them over carefully, and then realized what they were.

_Human_ ears.

Then, Inu-Yasha's normally acute night vision dimmed to leave him in the dark.

He did the first thing that came to his panicked mind.

He screamed.

-

Sessho-Maru sat in his room, just a few doors down from his little brother's. He flicked through the channels to the news on his "television".

The youkai smirked.

Television.

What a strange invention.

A box that could display moving images and sound primarily for human entertainment.

Strange.

Then, what in this human world wasn't strange? No youkai. Spiritual powers barely existed or lay dormant.

Any special human abilities, such as being able to speak to animals or perhaps use telepathy, also lay dormant, with most people denying their existence all together. Then again, most people denied the existence of his own race as well.

Humans had become so narrow-minded…

He and Inu-Yasha had lived in this odd, future-world for over a year, but most things still secretly amazed him.

Suddenly, from Inu-Yasha's room, he heard a horrified scream. And then another.  
Perking immediately, Sessho-Maru turned off his T.V. and stood from his bed.

What was wrong with that hanyou? The thunder was quiet tonight, even to his ears. It most certainly wasn't enough to make the boy scream, was it?

Puzzled, Sessho-Maru took in his brother's scent. To his surprise, it was different. It was human.

"Oh hell," Sessho-Maru breathed.

Quickly, he left his room and walked down the hall to Inu-Yasha's. He opened the door slowly and poked his head in.

"Inu-Yasha? Whelp?" he inquired quietly.

He could see a small, quivering, sniveling lump under Inu-Yasha's blankets, and he sighed and sat on the bed.

"Inu-Yasha, are you all right?" he inquired.

The lump trembled.

"D-Don't come near me Nii-san... I think I'm sick," he whimpered, "I think I'm dying."

"Inu-Yasha..." Sessho-Maru sighed, rubbing his brow, "You're fine. Come out of there."

"B-But..."

Inu-Yasha's voice was shaking, and Sessho-Maru could smell his fear. It stunk up the whole room.

With a sigh, the older youkai pulled the blankets back from around Inu-Yasha.  
Violet, instead of amber, eyes blinked at him tearfully. Inu-Yasha sat in his blankets, fully human. His fangs and claws had gone, and his hair had changed from silver to black.

He shivered under his Nii-san's gaze.

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"Don't worry whelp, you're fine," he said.

"Fine?" he demanded, and gestured to himself, his voice shrill, "You call this fine? I'm dying!"

"Inu-Yasha..." Sessho-Maru muttered, rubbing his brow, "This is normal for hanyous."

"What, to randomly start dying?"

"You're not dying!" Sessho-Maru snapped, and then sighed and lowered his voice, "You're not dying at all. You've become a human."

"A human?"

Inu-Yasha trembled, and then thunder boomed outside. He cringed and whimpered.

"But Sessho-Maru, I don't wanna be a human... I wanna be half again..." he whined.

"You'll change back at sunrise," Sessho-Maru informed him.

"But-"

"Just listen to me!" Sessho-Maru instructed sternly.

Inu-Yasha clamped his mouth shut, though his lip was quivering.

"Listen..." Sessho-Maru said quietly.

He picked Inu-Yasha up and sat him in his lap.

"Once a hanyou turns three," Sessho-Maru said, "They start having transformations from hanyou to human and back."

"But-" Inu-Yasha started, but his brother gently but firmly put his hand over his mouth.

"Just listen to me whelp," he said, "For you, the time of month seems to be the new moon. So every new moon from now on, you'll become a human. All right?"

Inu-Yasha nodded shakily and tried to pry his brother's hand from his mouth, but was unable to.

"You're just as strong as a human three-year-old now," Sessho-Maru said, "Just be glad that your intelligence and speaking capabilities aren't reduced as well."

Then, Sessho-Maru removed his hand and Inu-Yasha sighed in relief.

"Thanks Nii-san," he whispered.

He turned in Sessho-Maru's lap and hugged him around the waist.

"I'm glad... I have you Nii-san," he said.

Sessho-Maru was unable to stop a small smile and he put one arm around the whelp.

_I've gone so soft that it's not funny anymore_, he thought, and then sighed.

"Nii-san? C-Can I... sleep with you tonight?" he asked.

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"Sure, if it'll make you feel better," he said.

"Arigato," Inu-Yasha said with a sigh of gratitude.

He snuggled against Sessho-Maru's chest and closed his eyes, becoming limp in the older youkai's grasp. Sessho-Maru shifted so that he was leaning his back against the headboard.

He sighed and regarded the sleeping human in his lap.

"Poor kid," he muttered.

He turned his head to look out the window as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance. He cringed, while Inu-Yasha jolted and whimpered softly.

_It must be hard to be a hanyou,_ he thought, _But... I'm glad... that he's proud of it._

He recalled Inu-Yasha saying, "I wanna be half again."

Sessho-Maru let out another sigh. Thunderstorms really did bring out bad situations for his little brother.

-

Traumatic Event #3:

"Thunder… Oh, not again!" A six-year old Inu-Yasha groaned.

It had been almost constant for three days, and the young hanyou boy hadn't been able to sleep at all. Every so often, it seemed as if the weather would play a trick on him; its thunder would stop for an hour or so, but then, as soon as he was comfortable, come back again, stronger than before.

Inu-Yasha was sitting in their living room on the ground floor, on a large, comfortable blue couch. The walls in this room were a pale blue, and were meant to be calming, but at the moment, it was anything but.

Blue meant water.

Water meant rain.

Rain meant thunder.

Inu-Yasha grabbed a nearby cushion and buried his head under it, trying to block out the noise that threatened to deafen him.

He growled irritably, forcibly flattened his ears against his skull, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I hate it, I hate it, It hate it!" he exclaimed.

He curled up against the arm of the couch, growling and muttering curses under his breath.

"Inu-Yasha, what did I tell you about swearing?"

Inu-Yasha looked up and blinked at his older brother, who stood in the doorway in his nightwear with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Um… Not to do it?" Inu-Yasha suggested.

"Right," Sessho-Maru replied, "It's 11oclock; why the hell aren't you in bed?"

"Can't sleep. Thunder," Inu-Yasha growled out, "I hate it."

"Get earplugs," Sessho-Maru suggested.

"Um, hello? I have dog-ears," Inu-Yasha said, jabbing his fingers at his furry ears.

"No, really Inu-Yasha? I hadn't noticed," Sessho-Maru said, rolling his eyes.

Inu-Yasha frowned at his brother and buried his head under a pillow once more before flopping facedown onto the couch.

"You don't have to be so damn sarcastic," he muttered.

Sessho-Maru eyed his pillow-covered younger sibling and rolled his eyes again. He entered the room and lightly sat down beside him. He reached under the pillow and ruffled his hair.

"Urm… Get offa me," he growled, trying to bat Sessho-Maru's hand away.

Sessho-Maru merely smirked and began to gently tweak Inu-Yasha's furry ears, just because he knew it annoyed him.

The hanyou pup let a deep growl rumble up from the back of his throat, but it merely caused Sessho-Maru to begin to laugh.

"Oh, I'm scared whelp. I'm really scared," he said.

"Feh…" Inu-Yasha muttered.

He looked up at Sessho-Maru and raised one eyebrow.

"Coffee again? How the heck can you drink that stuff?" he asked.

"Want some?" Sessho-Maru offered, sticking the cup under Inu-Yasha's nose.

The hanyou's face contorted in revulsion at the scent and he turned his head away.

"Ew, no," he said, "That's just nasty."

Sessho-Maru smirked and cut his eyes at Inu-Yasha.

"Well, I'm going to bed," he said, "I'm tired. You stay up. I'm in my room if you want me."

"Yeah, whatever, I know," Inu-Yasha said, waving his hand at Sessho-Maru, "You are dismissed."

Sessho-Maru lightly cuffed the back of Inu-Yasha's head before standing and proceeding up the stairs.

-

Inu-Yasha grunted and clapped his hand to the back of his head.

"Bah…" he grumbled, and then hugged his pillow to his chest and yawned behind it.  
Man, was he ever tired!

But he couldn't sleep; he didn't dare to. He was starting to get an ominous feeling about this night.

Bad things kept happening to him on nights contaminated by thunderstorms, and his list merely continued to grow longer.

He had almost had his head chopped off, a horrible nightmare about his mother dying, his first new moon, falling down the stairs and breaking his ankle, and his rat getting run over by one of Sessho-Maru's agents when he was outside playing with her.

He sighed and blinked back a sudden moistness in his eyes at the thought of his rat.

"Poor Ōnezumi… She never stood a chance…" he muttered.

He sniffed again and wiped the moistness from his eyes with the back of his hand, and buried his face in his pillow again.

Then, thunder. It crashed through the house, though was so sudden that it caused Inu-Yasha to yelp and jump approximately three feet in the air.

Nervously, his eyes wide, he crawled into the space between the sofa cushion and the arm and quaked fearfully.

Damn it, how he hated thunder!

-

The small hanyou sat through a few more minutes of ear-abuse before deciding that he was scared, and needed Sessho-Maru with him. He crawled from his spot on the sofa and quietly clambered up the stairs.

He didn't even need Sessho-Maru to wake up; he merely needed his presence. At the top of the stairs, Inu-Yasha's sensitive ears picked up the sound of breaking glass. His ears automatically rotated to catch the noise, and he began to shake fearfully.

The noise had come from Sessho-Maru's room.

Suddenly, a new scent. Pungent, metallic, bitter; it made him want to vomit. Blood.  
"Sessho?" he asked, but his voice had dropped to a fearful whisper.

He carefully approached Sessho-Maru's door and laid his shaking hand on the knob.  
He didn't know what to think, and was horrified to find what lay beyond the door, but curiosity drove him forward.

Slowly, his small fist clenched around the doorknob and he turned it and pulled back. He peeked his head into the room, and he nearly gagged.

Blood.

Dog blood.

There was red goop smeared all over the wall near Sessho-Maru's window. The glass was smashed and littered the floor and Sessho-Maru's disturbed bed sheets.

They too, were drenched with the red.

Inu-Yasha looked around the room from the door, his mouth agape.

The scent of men also lingered, just outside the widow, but was barely tangible above the scent of the blood.

Men…

Inu-Yasha only knew of one group of people that would do this: the humans who had been chasing them since they had arrived from 15th century Japan.

Inu-Yasha's throat was tight, his nose clogged. He fell to his knees and took another look at the hellish mess around him.

Tears burned down his cheeks. There was only one explanation that was clear to his young mind.

His big brother was dead.

Caught between fear and an unbearable loss, Inu-Yasha howled out his misery in a combination between a sob and a scream.

-

He didn't stop until he was suddenly grabbed from behind and a hand was tightly clamped down over his mouth. He whimpered and struggled feverishly until he was whipped around and pulled against someone's chest.

"Whelp. Quiet, don't look at it," Sessho-Maru's voice told him.

The muted Inu-Yasha looked up slowly to find his brother's hardened face above him.

He squeaked in shock behind the hand and blinked, shivering fearfully.

"Are you going to stop screaming?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded shakily, and the hand was removed. He blinked up at his brother and licked his suddenly parched lips.

"Sessho… How… What… I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed.

Sessho-Maru nodded slowly and patted Inu-Yasha's back.

"I thought the same of you little brother," he said quietly.

Inu-Yasha blinked at Sessho-Maru in shock and sniffed back whatever tears were still coursing down his cheeks.

"B-But… Your room… The dog blood…" Inu-Yasha whimpered, "What happened?"

Sessho-Maru shrugged one shoulder and shook his head.

He stood cautiously and crept around the side of his bed, motioning with his hand for Inu-Yasha to keep still.

Inu-Yasha nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt as Sessho-Maru stepped carefully over the broken glass and peered around the other side of the bed. He saw him cringe and bite his lip, rubbing his brow.

"What is it Nii-san?" Inu-Yasha inquired quietly.

"It's… um…"

Sessho-Maru didn't know what to tell the whelp, so he sighed, briefly gestured to whatever lay on the floor, and then shook his head.

"A girl…" was all he managed to say.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened, and before Sessho-Maru could stop him, he was on top of the bed, looking down.

It was indeed a girl.

An inu youkai to be exact.

She was curled limply on her side, cuts from the window's glass marring her body. Her arms were badly torn by a knife's blade and there were bullet wounds to her left shoulder and knee.

Her silver hair and tail fur was dyed copper and brown in some places by blood and dirt. A small trickle of blood oozed from her lower lip. Along with that, her body was being drenched in rain from the broken window.

Inu-Yasha bit back a scream, though his look of fear was replaced by one of pity.

"What's she… doing here?" he whispered.

Sessho-Maru could only shake his head. Thunder clapped outside and the two brothers jolted. The girl on the ground groaned and shifted one leg and her tail.

"She's still alive," Inu-Yasha gasped out.

Sessho-Maru, for once, didn't stop to remark that Inu-Yasha was pointing out the obvious. He knelt to the youkai and hefted her broken form into his arms.

"Get me some bandages, water… uh, and blankets Inu-Yasha," he said swiftly, "And Tensaiga as well."

Inu-Yasha nodded quickly and scurried out of the room, wetting some rags from the washroom, taking some long stretches of bandages from a first-aid kit, and snatching the blankets off his own bed.

He hurried, almost tripping, down the stairs with the things, to where Sessho-Maru was waiting He too was becoming drenched in the girl's blood.

"Hurry Yasha; Tensaiga's under my mattress. There's a spell on it to make it heavy. Just say "watakushi no inu wa, pudoro desu" and it'll come off."

Inu-Yasha tilted his head.

"I'm supposed to say "My dog is a poodle"?" he asked, "I never thought I'd hear you saying that."

"Exactly," Sessho-Maru said, "I had to make it something no one would guess; now go!"

Inu-Yasha nodded swiftly as Sessho-Maru spread the blanket on the downstairs couch and lay the girl down on it before wiping his brow and sighing again.

Inu-Yasha jogged up the stairs back to his brother's ruined room.

He squatted beside the bed and fished his arm under the mattress until his fingers hit a sword's sheath, though when he tried to grab it, he was unable to move it at all.

"Watakushi no inu wa, pudoro desu," Inu-Yasha said, and the sword came free.

-

With Tensaiga clutched in his hands, he slid down the banister to get back to Sessho-Maru, as he was tired of running up and down the stairs so many times. Sessho-Maru was lightly dabbing at the girl's arms and face with the wet rag.

Inu-Yasha ran up beside him and sat down, holding the sword in his lap. He looked on as Sessho-Maru tended to the girl's wounds, biting his lip slightly.

"Do you think she's gonna be okay?" Inu-Yasha asked quietly.

"No clue," Sessho-Maru replied.

At the moment, he was internally thanking his father for leaving him that sword. It had come in particularly useful when Inu-Yasha's fish had died.

A pity he couldn't do anything about the rat though; as nasty as it was to think about, all they had been able to recover was her leg.

He was also incredibly thankful that they had been able to find their father's tomb, enclosed in Inu-Yasha's left pupil (lord knows how).

That's where both he and Inu-Yasha had gotten their heirlooms from their father, as well as the money to start themselves off with.

Back to the present however, at another clap of thunder, Sessho-Maru winced and Inu-Yasha whimpered and grasped to his older brothers tail.

The youkai girl groaned and shifted slightly before opening he eyes a crack. Inu-Yasha gasped in shock while Sessho-Maru's face turned hard once more.

The girl blinked clouded amber eyes at them and licked her lips slightly, and her face contorted in pain and disgust as she obviously tasted the blood in her mouth.

"Calm down," Sessho-Maru told her.

His voice was strong and calm, and was meant to be reassuring, but as he lowered his hand to feel her brow, she bared her fangs in a snarl and raised one of her clawed hands swiftly, raking through the air.

"Get away," she rasped out, "Stay away from me."

Sessho-Maru's eyes widened a tiny bit, but he gently took a hold on her wrist and forced her arm down again.

"It's all right; we're friends," Sessho-Maru assured her.

She frowned at them and snorted.

"We? Who's we?" she growled, "Where are you?"

"What d'you mean?" Inu-Yasha piped up, and before Sessho-Maru could stop him, he had cupped her face and was staring into her eyes, "My name's Inu-Yasha. I'm right here; can't you see me?"

Slowly, she shook her head no and blinked up at him.

"You… You're a child," she said.

"I'm six," Inu-Yasha confirmed, "I'm an inu hanyou."

She nodded slowly.

"And… The other…?"

"He's my big brother Sessho-Maru," Inu-Yasha said, unable to hide a little bit of pride from his voice, "He's inu youkai. So are you, right?"

She nodded again, but then turned her head to the side and began to cough violently, blood spewing from her throat.

Inu-Yasha gasped in horror and drew back a little.

"Sessho… What do I do?" he asked hurriedly, his voice squeaking with panic.

"Stay back," he ordered, and he moved onto the sofa, resting the girl's head in his lap.

Then, to Inu-Yasha's horror, Sessho-Maru tightly covered her mouth.

She writhed and gagged under his hand.

"Sessho, you're gonna kill her!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

Sessho-Maru shook his head and began to whisper soft words to the girl, telling her to calm down and swallow.

Inu-Yasha was panicking. That looked like the opposite of what you were supposed to do!

But he supposed his big brother knew what he was doing.

Slowly, he could see the girl swallowing back the blood and relaxing against Sessho-Maru's hand.

"That's a good girl," he said, "Now relax. It's all going to be fine…"

Cautiously, he lowered his claws towards her throat, and then stabbed them swiftly into her jugular.

She breathed out and her head slumped. Inu-Yasha stared at the scene in shock and then stumbled backwards in terror.

Had Sessho-Maru lost his mind? He had just killed her!

Sessho-Maru glanced at his terrified sibling and jerked his head towards the Tensaiga.

"Inu-Yasha, it was either that or she'd slowly bleed to death," he said quietly, "Which is better?"

Inu-Yasha gulped.

"Your way…" he squeaked out, and then handed his brother his sword.

Sessho-Maru nodded his thanks and then drew the blade from its sheath.

Concentrating, he could see the spirits… little gremlins of death, if you will, dancing on the dead youkai's body.

With a quick stab and a thrust forward with the sword, he destroyed the sprites, and life surged back into the girl's body.

The healing component of her system automatically kicked into overdrive, and the wounds on her body closed up at a seemingly impossible rate.

Inu-Yasha watched with a horrified fascination as the girl took her fist breath and began to breathe again, no longer bleeding from anywhere.

Sessho-Maru smirked triumphantly and sheathed his sword, placing it down on the ground.

"See?" he said, "Everything's fine now."

Inu-Yasha stared from his brother to the youkai girl and rubbed his forehead.

"No amount of therapy will ever make this moment okay…" he muttered, "Oh hell…"

"I'm sorry whelp; are you traumatized?" Sessho-Maru asked kindly.

"Well, frankly, yes," Inu-Yasha said, bobbing his head up and down in a nod, "And… I'm covered in blood… Ew…"

He rubbed at his nose to get the scent of the vulgar bile out of it, but he merely smeared some on his face and he groaned and grabbed for an unused wet cloth to cleanse his face with.

Then, to make matters worse, thunder boomed through the storm again. Inu-Yasha yelped and fell backwards, banging his head on the coffee table and then the floor.

"I HATE THUNDER!" he yowled in pain and frustration, "WHY ME?"

He whimpered and sat up, grabbing Sessho-Maru's tail.

"I need it," he explained, and then wrapped himself tightly in the fur and buried his face in it.

Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes, but looked down at the girl on his lap. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and after a moment, her eyes opened to a squint.

"What happened?" she asked at a whisper, "I can… I can see again."

"You died," Sessho-Maru said simply.

The girl's squinted eyes grew wide and she blinked up at Sessho-Maru in shock.

"I… what…?" she asked.

-

With that, Sessho-Maru sighed, and carefully explained to the girl about Tensaiga. He went into a longwinded explanation of what happened, one which Inu-Yasha didn't much care to listen to, and was half-asleep, wrapped in his brother's tail by the time he finished.

Then, the girl, whose name was Otori, explained that she had been chased and shot by some men from the government. Her only escape had been to jump through their window.

For some reason, the government had seemed both resentful and scared of the place.

Afterwards, Otori had helped Sessho-Maru clean up his room, and then had left in the guise of a small, white dog.

Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, became paranoid of thunder (more so) and the government agents, and didn't sleep for another week.

-

Traumatic Event #4:

This, for Inu-Yasha, had to, most definitely, be the worst thunder-oriented event he had experienced in his life to date.

He was outside. The dark grey (near black, really) sky hung above his head like an ominous, dreadful curtain, waiting to fall on him… waiting to suffocate him.

The August air was so hot and humid; even the rain drenching through his clothes and body burned him.

His head bowed, the sixteen-year-old watched as blood from an excruciatingly painful wound on his chest dribbled to the ground to intermingle with the mud his bare feet were squelching in.

Thunder smashed above him, and he cringed, though he could not move his hands to cover the sensitive appendages.

In truth, he wrists were held firm to a metal post in the middle of a courtyard by strong restraints that he was too weak to break through.

He had come into consciousness two hours earlier, without a clue of why he was hurting so badly, or where he was.

He hadn't bothered to scream, or to shout for help; his nose told him that there was no one to hear him anyway.

He blinked through the water dripping slowly from his bangs and let out a sigh that shook his body.

_Where am I? What's going on?_

Then, the scent of humans. He slowly lifted his head and regarded a door on the wall of the facility that was surrounding him.

It opened and our walked five men; one in what seemed to be a lab coat, the others armed to the teeth and carrying long-barrelled guns in their hands.

Inu-Yasha blinked in puzzlement, his eyebrow raised. Somehow, he recognized one of the scents, but was to dazed to place it.

"So, hanyou, you're awake?" the man in the lab coat asked and he trudged through the mud towards him, "I'm surprised that you're alive, actually."

Inu-Yasha laughed quietly, though it came out more like a rasping cough and he smirked at the man.

"Well… You know," he said with a slight shrug of one shoulder.

"You got guts kid; I'll give you that," the man said, folding his arms, "But I don't think you realize what you're in for."

"Whatever," Inu-Yasha growled, turning his head away.

He was getting some of his old fighting spark back; he had been tired before, but the cocky and feigned polite tone of this man was pissing him off.

The man wagged his finger at him and made as clucking noise.

"Tsk tsk, boy," he said, "Don't be rude. We just want to talk"

"Don't be rude?" Inu-Yasha demanded, "At least I ain't so pussy that I'd chain a guy to a poll just to talk!"

The man smirked slightly.

"You're such a potty-mouth. Oh well, we'll fix that, now won't we? But not now… I have a proposition for you."

"For me?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Why me? I'm nobody special. I don't have any special powers or strengths. Go get someone else."

He growled and pulled forward on his wrist bonds, but they refused to give. The man chuckled at his futile struggle.

"Ah, but you are special; you just haven't figured it out yet," he said, "Listen, if you-"

"Work for you, you'll let me go? "Inu-Yasha finished, blowing his wet bangs out of his eyes, "I heard it all before, you God damned bastard. Gangs at school ,you know. "Beat this guy up for us and we'll let you go." D'you think I've ever listened to them? I ain't a pushover, pussy."

"Oh, I know you're not," the man said calmly, "But we need to do something about that attitude."

"Yeah?" Inu-Yasha scoffed, "What? Use some sort of youkai brain-control on me? Make me go kill other youkai so you ass-wipes don't get your hands dirty? Then kill me when you're done with me? I know where I am now, just by your scents. I know what you do to my kind."

He hocked a large gob of spit on the lab coat man's mud covered shoes.

"I'd rather die," he snarled.

"I'm sure you would," the man chuckled as he used mud to get rid of the hanyou's spit, "After what happened between you and your little girlfriend Kikyo."

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he bared his fangs.

"How do you know about her?" he hissed, "How do you know what she did to me?"

"Well, my dear boy, she's the one who called us."

Inu-Yasha jolted with shock and he bit his lip.

Could it be true?

Did… she really want him to die now, now that she knew?

Was it really that big of a deal to her?

"She did?"

The words passed his lips so softly that he himself almost didn't hear them. The lab coat man laughed and nodded.

"Surprised?" he asked.

Slowly, Inu-Yasha shook his head and he smiled sadly.

"No… Not really," he whispered, "She… She really does hate me…"

"Are you surprised?" the man asked.

His tone of feigned politeness was dropping now to one of disgust and resent.

"Did you honestly think she could love a creature like you?"

Inu-Yasha sighed.

"I wished…" he muttered, "I thought she wasn't as shallow as you people… I guess I was wrong."

The man laughed. The sound was cruel and mocking now.

"And it'll cost you, _half-breed_. It'll cost you big time."

The man drew closer and took Inu-Yasha's face roughly in one hand, so that they were less than three inches away. A flash of lightning and thunder above illuminated the man's enraged features, and Inu-Yasha's eyes widened in horror and shock.

"You…" he gasped out, before he was soundly hit on the back of the head.

"I'll make you pay for what you did to my daughter, Taishio Inu-Yasha," the man hissed, and then straightened, pointing to him as if he were a dead, unloved creature, perhaps road kill, "Take him away."

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha shivered and quaked fearfully as his mind reminisced, tracing back to the night of his first capture. Of all his "thunder incidents", that one was most definitely the worst.

He sat up slowly and bundled himself in his thick blanket, pulling it carefully up over his head in an attempt to block out the outside noises.

The arrow wound to his chest started to pulse and throb with pain once more. Cringing, his slid his hand under his shirt to lie overtop of it.

At times when the wretched thing pained him like this, he sometimes couldn't believe that the wound had been inflicted on him years ago.

Sometimes, he even half-expected to find blood on his fingers when he put his hand in front of his face.

It was his curse; the wound would begin to hurt if he thought about his captivity, or about Kikyo.

_Kikyo… Curse that name…_

He knew where his curse came from; Kikyo had pierced his chest with an arrow. He had no idea why she hadn't just used a gun if she wanted to kill him.

Maybe she wanted to be more traditional about it; in ancient times, youkai were often killed by arrows.

Though, he was surprised that the one that had hit him hadn't killed him, for Kikyo had infused it with spiritual powers.

Like Kagome, Kikyo had been in training to be a miko at a shrine, though the girl had had real spiritual powers, which should have destroyed him with one shot.

Instead, it left him with a seemingly permanent, cursed scar over his heart.

He wondered if she even knew that he was still alive, wondered if she cared.

If she knew… would she try to kill him again?

Apparently, he had broken her heart by being what he was, so she had retaliated by sticking an arrow through his.

Inu-Yasha sighed and bowed his head.

"I don't want to die," he whispered, "Not now… Not now that I have Kagome…"

_What did I ever do to have a price on my head? _He wondered, puzzlement etching his face.

He was eighteen… er, seventeen, and he still hadn't been able to figure it out. At least, he hadn't been able to figure out a rational reason.

He hoped to find out one day, but keeping himself, and now Kagome as well, alive, was all that concerned him at the moment.

The hanyou clenched his fists tightly and breathed out another long sigh. There was a loud crash from outside, and Inu-Yasha jumped and whimpered into his blanket.

"I hate thunder…" he growled quietly.

He could feel his mattress rocking slightly underneath him, and frowned, puzzled as to why, until he realized it was the shaking of his own body that was quaking the bed.

He let out another sigh and folded his arms, pulling his knees up to his chest and shivered, bundling himself into a blanket cocoon.

He desperately wanted company, from Kagome, if possible. Even Buyo would do, but the cat, most likely, wouldn't exactly appreciate being woken up by a paranoid half-demon at this hour of night.

"Kag's gonna think I'm a coward…" he mumbled.

_I should just say here…_

_-_

Thunder crashed again outside, and Inu-Yasha finally decided that he couldn't stand it anymore. He needed Kagome.

He unravelled himself from his blankets, struggling to free his arms from the cloth and toppling onto his side.

He snorted and shook his head, righting himself swiftly, and then reaching onto his beside table for a bandana. He tied it down over his ears, grabbed his two pillows and shoved them under his arm, and then slid out of bed.

He yanked his comforter off the bed as well and then carefully exited his room.

He headed quietly down the dark hall to Kagome's room, his shoulder pressed to the wall. Another clap of thunder made Inu-Yasha jump so high that he hit his head on the ceiling, and then the hanyou quickly darted to Kagome's door.

He knocked quietly with his knuckles and pushed it open with his shoulder.

"Kag? C-Can I come in?" he asked shakily.

Kagome was sitting on her bed reading Magna book "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles", and she looked up from her book and smiled at him. She placed it on her bedside table.

"Sure Inu, c'mon in," she said.

He smiled gratefully and slunk into the room, leaning back into the door to close it, trying not to tip over the long blanket in his arms. Thunder boomed, and the hanyou lost all the restraint one with dog-ears and super-enhanced hearing can have during a thunderstorm.

Dropping his things, he yelped and threw himself at Kagome, clinging to her fearfully and trying to cover his ears at the same time.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked in surprise.

As the thunder faded, he sighed in relief and looked up at the puzzled girl embarrassedly.

"Sorry Kagome, I-" he started, but another boom outside sent him shivering against her chest again.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked worriedly, putting one arm around him and patting his back, "Inu-Yasha?"

"Th-Thunder…" he stammered, "I… can't stand-"

As if only to mock the poor hanyou, an extremely loud clap of thunder shook through the house. Inu-Yasha yelped again and curled his body into a ball, grasping to Kagome and trying to almost hide himself against her.

"Inu-Yasha, you're scared of thunderstorms?" Kagome asked softly once the horrendous noise had died down.

Inu-Yasha nodded and sighed shakily, looking up from where he had buried his face against her shoulder.

"S-Sorry," he said quietly, "I…"

Thunder again, and his grip on her turned into a frightened embrace, and he hid his face against the side of her neck, trying not to whimper.

"Inu-Yasha," she sighed, rubbing circles on his back, "Cut it out for a second, okay? Let me close the door. It'll be quieter."

Inu-Yasha nodded and slowly released her, allowing her a little bit of breathing room. She stood and closed the door, and then walked back to the bed.

She sat beside him and regarded him worriedly.

"You all right?" she asked.

"K-Kinda," Inu-Yasha said, his whole body quivering, "I c-can't st-stand thunder…"

At the mention of it, more thunder boomed outside. Inu-Yasha flung himself facedown in the covers and held his arms over his head, shielding his ears.

Kagome tilted her head and sighed sympathetically. She lay on her stomach beside him and stroked circles on his back.

The hanyou sighed thankfully and shifted slightly, tilting his face upwards again.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," Kagome said, "Jeez. I've never seen you so jumpy. And you can be pretty damn jumpy."

Inu-Yasha chuckled quietly, stiffened apprehensively, worried that the thunder would come back just to spite him, and then smirked.

"Yeah, I was debating being a man and sitting through it… and then I thought "What the hell.""

Kagome laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Crazy…" she muttered.

Inu-Yasha smiled at her and then yawned behind his hand.

"So you just wanted company then?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Inu-Yasha replied, "That and find a place the thunder wasn't so loud. "

"Well, it'll be better in here," she assured him, "My room is partially soundproof because I used to play a lot of electric guitar. You can crash in here if you want."

"Really?" Inu-Yasha asked hopefully, sitting up quickly.

"Yeah," Kagome said, pushing herself upright with her elbows.

"Oh, thanks so much!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, grabbing her in a rib-crushing embrace.

"You're… welcome," she choked as he accidentally squished the air out of her lungs.

Quickly, he felt around the floor for his comforter, picked it and his pillows up, and then curled up on Kagome's carpet underneath the thick blanket.

Kagome blinked at him in surprise and then shook her head.

"Oh no you don't; get up here," she instructed.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because when I wake up I'll step on your face if you sleep there," she explained, "This bed is a queen-sized whatever. You can use the other half."

"Really?" he asked, "Ooh, yay, a mattress!"

He grinned, rolled out from under his blankets and sat up in, for him, a natural, dog-like squat. He tilted his head, giving Kagome a slight, puzzled frown.

"You'd… really trust me to sleep in the same bed as you?" he asked.

"Why the hell not?" Kagome asked, yawning, "I trust you a lot Yasha. Just you use your blanket, I'll use mine."

"Okay," Inu-Yasha agreed.

He once again picked up his pillows and comforter, and he dragged them onto Kagome's bed. He placed his pillows down and wrapped himself in his blanket, curling up next to the wall.

Kagome smirked at him, turned out the light, and then lay down as well.

She knew that it probably should've felt at least a little awkward, having Inu-Yasha there, but for some reason it didn't. Having him there was almost a comfort; his warmth beside her was a welcome change in her cold room.

She yawned and snuggled into her blankets as Inu-Yasha shifted beside her and sighed.

"This is comfy," he said quietly.

"Uh-huh," Kagome agreed.

"Warm too," he said.

"Yep," she replied sleepily.

"Maybe… we could do this again sometime?" he asked tentatively.

Kagome smiled.

"I'm game," she said.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked happily under his bandana.

"Cool," he said quietly, "Good night."

"Yeah, g'night," Kagome replied, but then rolled over to look him in the face.

She poked him in the arm gently.

"Um… Yasha… Why do you think I can talk to animals?" she asked.

"Why me?" he replied, tilting his head.

"Well… You seem to know more about it than I do. And all that hawk said was "You were chosen by the Gods." I mean, that's nice and all, but it doesn't explain anything," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded understandingly, curled himself tighter in his blanket and blinked sleepily, holding back a yawn.

"Well… uh… You probably inherited it from someone," he said.

Kagome blinked at him in puzzlement.

"I did?" she asked a bit dumbly, "But who? No one in my family can talk to animals."

"Maybe someone way, way back," Inu-Yasha suggested with a shrug, "I heard somewhere that stuff like that skips quite a few generations."

"Then why can't Sota?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha merely shrugged and closed his eyes.

"Don't ask me; that's about all I know," he said, and then added, "Sorry."

"Oh… That's okay," Kagome said, and then yawned behind her hand.

She flipped over to her original position and closed her eyes, drawing up her blankets to her chin.

"Night…" she muttered.

She heard Inu-Yasha give a small grunt of agreement and felt him roll himself tighter in his own blanket, pressing himself against the wall.

"Yasha?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Hrm?"

He grunted out a quiet, affirmative response to show that he had heard her.

"Um…" Kagome started, but was cut off by a clap of thunder.

Inu-Yasha yelped and buried his head under his blanket, squeezing his sightless eyes shut and quaking with fright.

Kagome rolled over to look at the trembling mass of cloth that was her friend and subdued an amused smile.

"Wow… are you really that scared of thunder?" she asked.

She saw the bundle move up and down in a shaky nod and then collapse onto the mattress as the contents blew out a deep sigh.

"Aw," Kagome said, smiling sympathetically.

She patted his shoulder and he untangled himself from his blanket and gave her a weak, embarrassed smile.

"I owe you," he said, "I owe you big."

Kagome smirked and gave a slight shrug before curling up comfortably again.

"Whatever. Good night."

-

Kagome was asleep in a matter of minutes, though Inu-Yasha was still having problems. He lay on his stomach, blinking sightlessly at Kagome's wall in front of him.

He wondered what colour it was. He wondered if Kagome kept any pictures on her walls, and what colour her carpet was as well.

Hell, how he missed being able to see.

He sighed deeply and turned his head towards Kagome, blinking at her.

_I wonder what she looks like,_ he mused, _Bet she looks nicer than she gives herself credit for._

Tentatively, he reached out a clawed hand and cupped her face, and then, blushing slightly, he gently felt over her sleeping features to get an idea of what she looked like.

He discovered that he liked what he found, and then pulled his hand back, his face heating up slowly. He couldn't help a small, timid smile, and he closed his eyes as he comfortably positioned himself on his pillow.

"Go to sleep you dolt," he whispered at himself, "It'll do you good…"

oOoOoOoO

Meanwhile, unknown to the hanyou, he wasn't the only one being affected by the thunder.

In the third bedroom of the house, Sota and Buyo were both juddering underneath the bed, the cat baring his fangs and the boy bundling himself tightly in a sheet.

Sota was scared of thunder because he believed the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park" were going to come and eat his face.

Buyo, on the other hand, was like Inu-Yasha in the sense that he had super-sensitive ears. He mewed grumpily in discontent and batted a chubby paw in the air.

_"I want Kaggy…"_ he grumbled, _"I'm gonna go see Kaggy. Her room's nicer than this one."_

Pinning his ears flat to his skull, he stood and yawned widely, but as he turned to leave, the boy beside him yelped with fright and grabbed him to his chest.

"No, Buyo, you can't… You c-can't leave!" he bleated, "Buyo!"

_"Let me go you dimwitted pile of toad feces!" _Buyo exclaimed, trying to writhe from

Sota's panicked grasp, but in his desperation, the boy ended up squeezing the breath out of him.

Buyo struggled and kicked out his back legs, his tail waving back and forth as he tried to free himself.

_"Damn it Sota, you horrid, tiny, muffin-faced gremlin! Let me go! I wanna see Kaggy!" _Buyo cried, pawing at his captors hands, _"Don't make me damn well scratch you!"_

"Buyo, cut it out," Sota pleaded, "C'mon, I need you! I'm scared!"

_"Then come with me, baka,"_ Buyo growled.

He gave Sota's hand a gentle nip, and the boy yelped and dropped him onto the floor.

"What was that for?" he asked.

Buyo sniffed in distain and sauntered out from under the bed, and Sota looked at him, blinking with puzzlement.

"Hey, where're you going?" he inquired quietly.

Buyo looked back over his shoulder and gave a loud, disgruntled meow.

Sota blinked, confused, and Buyo blew out a long sigh.

_"Why can't you understand me too? It's frustrating…" _he grumbled, _"Well, I'm off."_

Calmly, the chubby cat ambled towards the door, looking back over his shoulder for Sota, but then ran face first into the wall as he look forwards again.

Growling out swearwords under his breath, he looked upwards at the closed door and pawed at it, thinking about how God damned much he wanted God damned thumbs and a God damned bigger body.

"Oh, you want out, is that it?" Sota asked innocently.

He pulled himself along the carpet and out from under the bed with his arms and stood, brushing off his legs.

"Okay kitty, I'll let you out," Sota said with a smile, but then shuddered, "But I don't like the dark… D'you think Kagome would let me sleep in her room?"

Buyo gave a shrug and pawed at the door again.

_"Whatever kid, just let me out. I wanna see Kaggy too," _he said.

Sota, thinking that perhaps Buyo had to use his litter box, opened the door, and the cat sighed in relief and padded swiftly down the hall, only to find Kagome's door was closed as well, and Inu-Yasha's scent was all over it.

Buyo let a smug, kitty grin play on his face before giving in to a sigh of frustration and scratching gently at the door again.

_"Kaggy? You awake? Let me in," _he called, but he doubted that the girl was still up.

"You wanna go see Kagome?" Sota inquired, and Buyo looked up over his shoulder and nodded.

Sota jolted and rubbed his forehead, thinking that he was going insane, but then gave a small smile.

"All right, but if she gets mad, it's your fault," he said, "I'm telling her it was your idea."

_"That's okay; it was,"_ he pointed out.

-

Sota slowly opened his older sister's door and peeked in, squinting through the darkness of the room, and Buyo eagerly darted in around his ankles.

"No, Buyo!" he hissed, but it was too late.

The calico cat had already darted across Kagome carpet and had jumped onto her bed, gently licking her face. Sota cringed, ready to reap Kagome's whirlwind, but then he noticed something strange about Kagome's bed.

There were two lumps, instead of one, suggesting that either Kagome had a very swollen limb, or that someone else was in her bed with her.

Sota gulped nervously.

_But the only other person here is… Inu-Yasha…_ he thought apprehensively, _Oh no! He and Kagome are sleeping together; what do I do?_

Slowly, he crept up to the side of the bed, trying not to wake the two teens and leaned over them. What would he do if they were –gulp- naked?

He watched his sister flinch and try to brush Buyo off her face with the back of her hand.

"Kitty… stop it…" she muttered sleepily, "I wanna… sleep…"

_"But Kaggy…" _he said in a whiney voice, pouting slightly, _"I wanna sleep with you. And Yasha."_

Kagome opened one eye and wiped the cat spit off her face to see Buyo's yellow gleaming eyes shining down at her and her brother, whose face was slightly pale, off to her right.

"Yo Sota… What's up?" she asked groggily, "You both wanna sleep in here too? …Good lord, is there anyone in this house besides me who isn't scared of thunder?"

Sota blinked at his sister in puzzlement and gulped slightly.

"So… Wait… Why're you sleeping with Inu-Yasha?" he asked nervously.

The hanyou grunted and shifted at the sound of his name, but didn't wake. Kagome smirked and sat halfway upright, supporting herself on her elbow.

"I'm not sleeping _with_ him, we're sharing a mattress," she said, and then couldn't help a fond smile as she looked at his sleeping face, "Poor thing. He's terrified of thunder for some reason."

"And you actually let him sleep in the same bed as you?" Sota squeaked in disbelief, "What if he just wants to get laid?"

"He's not like that," Kagome said quietly, and then yawned, "Well, I'd say you could share the bed too, but it's kind of full."

Buyo mewled his agreement, sprawling out on the comforter that lay between Kagome and Inu-Yasha. Kagome turned her head to look at him, brushing her hair out of her face, and then smiled.

She reached her hand back to gently scratch his head, and he smiled and stood, curling up in her arms, close to her chest.

"So um… Sota, you can sleep on the floor if you like," she said, "Or, the foot of the bed, I guess."

"Um, I'll go with the floor," he said, darting to the door, "Thanks a lot Kagome."

"You're welcome," she replied, and then yawned into Buyo's fur.

Sota left the room to get his blanket and pillow while Buyo smiled at Kagome and licked her cheek.

_"Thanks so much Kaggy, I was really scared,"_ he said, snuggling up to the crook of her neck.

"Bah… You weirdo," Kagome chuckled.

She gave the cat a kiss in between his ears and lay back onto her pillow, closing her eyes again.

Once more, Inu-Yasha shifted in his sleep, and he let out a tiny whimper.

-

Before long, Sota was back in the room. He dragged his long blanket into the room, and then darted out again, retrieving his pillows. Kagome listened as her younger brother set himself up comfortably on the floor and then soon drifted off to sleep.

She smiled, and was soon asleep as well.

The only one who was still awake was a certain, calico kitty.

He opened his eye and blinked at the sleeping face of his Kaggy, and then to Inu-Yasha.

_They'll make such a cute couple one day,_ he thought, _I know that they like each other. Even if they don't know it yet. _

He grinned and purred against Kagome's throat.

_I just gotta get them to tell each other, that's all. _

Soon, the cat too was asleep, impervious to the thunder outside.

Kagome's presence somehow comforted them all; especially a certain hanyou, who had begun to shiver again, and slowly crept closer to Kagome, seeking comfort from the nightmares that had began to wrack his brain once more.

* * *


	26. A Little Youkai Angst

* * *

Chapter 25: A Little Youkai Angst

* * *

_Running. Leaping. Tree, left! Right! _

_In the forest, he kept running._

_**Kagome! Where are you? Kagome!**_

_He bounded off a tree trunk, leaping past the branches into the moonlight._

_**Kagome! Answer me Kagome! Please!**_

_He couldn't find her. Why couldn't he find her? _

_He made a swift landing in the wet grass, his bare feet hardly skidding against the dew and dirt._

_**Kagome, you have to be okay! Please! I'm begging you!**_

_Baring his fangs in frustration, Inu-Yasha sped across the open clearing, long sleeves of his red kimono billowing in the wind. _

_He could smell her, terrified and furious, up ahead, as well as the scent of her captor. _

_A man. _

_A man whose aura reeked of evil._

_**How dare he take her? I'll save you Kagome!**_

_His clawed fingers landed on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and he continued at breakneck speed, back into the trees._

_His muscles ached._

_He didn't know how long he'd been running, but he was getting tired, a rare thing for a hanyou._

_Tree! Left! _

_Now right!_

_Left, right, left, right! Another right! Jump!_

_**I'll kill you, bastard! Don't you dare hurt her! **_

_Trees pressed in around him, literally, trying to form a cage to trap him. He skidded to a halt, looking up as blackened tree branches concealed the full moon above him. _

_Snarling, he leapt and broke free, raking through the wood with his claws._

_Then, a scream. A scream that chilled his blood._

_**No… Kagome! No!**_

_Blood. _

_Kagome's blood._

_It clogged his nostrils, imbedding itself into his mind. He'd never forget that scent..._

_**No!**_

_He forced his burning muscles to carry him faster. He couldn't let her die! _

_**No, no, no, no, no! Not Kagome, anyone but Kagome! Please!**_

_Then, suddenly, arrows thudded into a tree trunk beside him. He glanced behind him in shock._

_There was a woman there, garbed in the clothes of a miko. Though her face was shadowed, she had another arrow pointed at his head._

_But Inu-Yasha had no time for her, and he brushed off his shock and continued to run._

_He ran into a clearing, though a dark, purple miasma was rising from the ground and curling around his ankles. And then he saw him. _

_A man. Maybe a youkai. His eyes, like pools of dark human blood filled with malice, glimmered with a smirk. He held Kagome's body by her arm, her head dropped down onto her chest so her face was unseen. _

_**Kagome, no… How could you? If she's dead…**_

_The man's pale lips curved upwards in a sinister sneer. _

_"Come get her then, Inu-Yasha… Since you care so dearly about her…"_

_His very voice tried Inu-Yasha's nerves, his scent stinking in the hanyou's nostrils, though rage and grief burned in his very soul. _

Kagome… No…

_**HOW DARE YOU?**_

_With a roar of despair, Inu-Yasha lunged towards the man, drawing his sword. It enlarged into what seemed to be a large fang, but as he swung it at the despicable creature before him, he was thrown backwards onto his tailbone with a laugh from the man._

_Shaking his head, he righted himself swiftly, though suddenly, the forest wasn't the forest anymore._

_-_

_He was at the top of a staircase, presumably in Kagome's home, the sword still in hand. Kagome's blood was now drenching the carpets instead of dirt._

_Inu-Yasha's eyes widened with horror and he bared his fangs as the man standing beside her slowly metamorphosized. _

_Suddenly, it wasn't a sinister, red-eyed man; it was Kikyo's father, garbed in his white lab coat again._

_He let out a mocking laugh._

"_You see? Anyone gets close to you, and they die," he said, "You should die too. No one wants you alive half-breed."_

_**No! Damn you, Kagome's not dead! Not yet! Kagome!**_

"_You think you can love her? She'll just turn on you, like everyone else."_

_**Stop spewing your shit! I don't care anymore! Kagome, answer me!**_

_He received a small groan from the girl, and a tiny whisper of his name._

_Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide, and he bounded down the stairs, trying to reach her, but they just stretched out longer and longer before his feet, not allowing him to reach the ground. _

_Snarling with rage, Inu-Yasha jumped on the banister in an attempt to slide down it._

_**Kagome! Hang in there just a little longer!**_

_He braced his bare feet on the wood, but that too changed before his very eyes. It changed into chains._

_**No!**_

_Before he could leap free, the metal had wound itself around Inu-Yasha's ankles and had crawled up along his back. He was suddenly pinned to a wall, the chains binding him there._

_**Kagome! **_

_He would've kept shouting her name, save for the fact that the metal had tightened, noose-like, around his throat, cutting off his voice. _

No… No, Kagome, oh God, please, no!

_The human man before him drew close, taking his face in his hand, crushing his jawbone. _

"_Stupid half-breed. No one will ever care for you…"_

_Slowly, the face before him became Kikyo's. There was a tremendous pain in Inu-Yasha's chest, and suddenly, he was oozing blood._

"_You thought you could trick me?" she spat._

No, no I didn't! I thought you loved me! I thought it wouldn't matter to you!

_He shook his head, but no words would come, and the chains merely tightened around him._

"_You idiot!" Kikyo snarled, "You broke my heart!"_

By being what I am…?

"_Now… I'm gonna break yours…"_

_The girl suddenly had a knife in her hands, its blade glimmering in an unnatural light, the source of which was unseen._

No… Please…

_Inu-Yasha gulped. He knew the target wasn't himself._

_Kikyo raised her knife, and plunged it through the back of the wounded Kagome._

_Kagome didn't scream. She merely let out a sad sigh and collapsed into her own blood._

NO! KAGOME! NO!

_Wet burned in Inu-Yasha's eyes and down his face._

No… Please… No…

_Then, Kikyo was gone, and so too was the force holding him to the wall, but the chains remained on him, weighing him down. He collapsed onto his knees and crawled over to Kagome, and with shaking hands pulled her into his lap. _

_He tried to croak out her name, but his bindings would have none of it. He was still voiceless._

_He blinked, the wetness still present, and tilted Kagome's bloodied face upwards._

_He was met by a beautiful girl, with bright hazel eyes. She reminded him very vaguely of Kikyo, but that didn't matter._

Kagome…

_She was still alive. Barely._

_Slowly, she blinked at him, eyeing him over._

"_Inu-Yasha?"_

_He smiled and nodded frantically, and a small smile graced Kagome's face as well._

"_Inu-Yasha…"_

_She raised a hand cautiously towards his face, drawing herself upright, but then, she choked and stiffened._

_And then died in his arms._

_He stared at Kagome's bloody body in horror._

No, no, no, no…

_**No!**_

_**-**_

With a snarl of fury, Inu-Yasha's eyes shot open. He sprung upright, sitting on the bed, quivering with angst and rage. He leaned back against the cool wall, trying to calm himself, though he couldn't.

He was well aware, and ashamed of, the tears coursing down his face, though he didn't want to stop them.

How could he let her die? Right there in front of him?

He had failed her…

His heart throbbed, but not just with misery.

The wound… The scar…

It burned horribly, and the more he thought about how Kagome had died, the more it hurt. The more it hurt, the angrier he got.

"Kagome… no…" he growled out, though he didn't realize that his voice's tone had lowered slightly.

He flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles angrily.

_**Blood… Death…** Kagome… No…. You can't be dead… **My fault…** **Kill them… **It was a bad dream! …**REVENGE!**_ …_Don't lose it… **I'll protect her…**_

He clenched his eyes shut as his head began to throb painfully and it felt as if fire was rushing though his veins. He knew that feeling well, though now he accepted it with open arms.

If Kagome was dead… what was the point in holding back the anger?

_She's not! It was a dream! …**Revenge… Kill them… PROTECT HER! **_

The whites of his eyes clouded over with a deep blood red and his pupil narrowed down to a green slit behind his eyelids.

His fangs and claws lengthened, with a slight itching sensation on his part, and jagged purple stripes curled up around his wrists and formed under each eye.

When he opened them again, he was extremely pleased to find that he could see vague shapes in grey hues shifting in the dark.

He smiled despite his grief. Becoming a full youkai did wonders for his eyes. He could make out a girl's form by his side, and his grin fell, his nostrils filling with the scent of blood that wasn't there.

"Kagome…" he whispered, "I'm… so sorry."

He took her body into his arms, and drew her close.

While he could at least see a little... He wanted to be able to see her… Even if she was gone…

He stared at her face, desperately trying to make out her features, but his blurred, grey vision was only slightly better than watching something with a thin bed sheet tied over his eyes.

Let's see… He could see her closed eyes… her mouth and nose….

But everything was still blurry, without colour, and shapes ran into each other.

He could only see what he could because her face was barley an inch from his.

From what he could tell, she was pretty, like he had thought…

But what did it matter if she was dead?

"I think I liked not being able to see at all better," he growled in frustration.

He gently lay Kagome back down and sighed deeply, running his fingers through his bangs.

Was she really dead? Was it possible?

_It… It can't be…_

The imaginary blood convinced him otherwise, as did his ears deafened to her breath and heartbeat, shoving twisted information through his brain.

She was dead… It was hit fault… He needed to protect her body so that her soul could pass on safely…

His mind was crazed from the nightmare, so sure of its reality he could even feel the slick red sludge on his hands when he touched her body

Then… a noise! From the bed!

Inu-Yasha's head snapped in the direction and he scowled through the dark. There was something on the bed…

_What's that? …**A threat… A threat to Kagome… Protect Kagome… **She's gone… **No… Protect her!**_

Inu-Yasha bared his fangs, squatting and bracing himself, preparing to pounce. The thing shifted again and yawned, and Inu-Yasha snarled and leapt at it.

It gave a shocked and irritated meow as it was knocked off the bed and onto the floor.

The hanyou-turned-youkai stood above the creature, snarling, his red eyes gleaming.

"_Inu-Yasha?"_ a male voice asked, _"Inu-Yasha, are you okay? You look different. Inu-Yasha?"_

_**A male… A threat… Kill…**_

He stared down the minuscule creature before him, his snarl fading, and he tilted his head slightly.

_It's so small… Is it really? …**Yes… Kill… Don't let it come near Kagome…**_

With a loud growl, Inu-Yasha launched himself at the creature. It yelped and leapt out of the way and then bounded out the door with Inu-Yasha in hot pursuit.

"Stay… away… From Kagome… Mate…" he snarled out.

His words and thoughts were making less and less sense.

"_Inu-Yasha, snap out of it!" _The creature yowled, _"It's me, Buyo! I'm not going to hurt your mate!"_

Inu-Yasha didn't trust the words of this creature, Buyo, at all.

"Don't… touch mate! …KILL YOU!" he roared.

He had no idea where he was anymore or what he was blabbering on about; all he knew was that he had destroy the small creature in front of him.

_**He'll hurt my mate… **He's so small… **HE HAS TO DIE! …**But Kagome will be sad… **He's a threat to my mate! He'll hurt her! …**It's just a cat… Wait… _

Inu-Yasha skidded to a halt puzzledly, just as Buyo clambered up the banister, and in an act of self-preservation, launched himself at Inu-Yasha's face.

The cat jumped too high however, and his claws hooked onto Inu-Yasha's bandana and tore it off. Inu-Yasha's ears perked up fully for the first time in a while and he growled at Buyo's contact with his head, but slowly, his face calmed as he remembered where he was and just who Buyo was.

Buyo was a cat…

_**Not a threat? **…Nope… **You sure…?** Yeah…_

_-_

Just as Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to apologize, the scent of another male stunk in his nose and his head jerked in the direction of the bedroom door.

"Hey… What's all the yellin' about?" asked the voice of a small boy.

Inu-Yasha bared his fangs again and let out a deep, guttural growl, stopping the intruder in his tracks.

_**Human male… He'll hurt my mate… KILL!**_

Inu-Yasha flexed his claws, and would have launched himself at the shocked boy before him had a clap of thunder not blasted through the house, causing him to cringe and whine quietly.

He saw the small figure of the boy jump with fear as well, and then the creature he had been so intent on destroying squeaked out his name.

"I-Inu-Yasha?"

-

Sota stared at the boy before him, half in horror and half in awe. It was Inu-Yasha, all right, but his eyes were red and radiating with unnatural light, and he had long fangs and claws.

And pointy dog-ears on the top of his head.

As he had rubbed his eyes, coming out of Kagome's room to see what all the noise was, he had assumed that the dark ominous shape before him had been a trick of the lack of light on his eyes, but as lightning flashed through a window down the hall to illuminate Inu-Yasha's figure, he turned out to be very wrong.

-

"Inu-Yasha?" he bleated again, "I-Is that you?"

Inu-Yasha turned his slightly less blind gaze on Buyo, who was still stunned and had the bandana clutched in between his paws, and he looked to Sota.

He sized up what little he could see of him, and once judging that the young boy wouldn't be a threat to his "mate", his face relaxed once more.

Then, the confusion set in.

Just what the hell had he been doing, chasing Buyo around like that? And scaring the kid.

Was he absolutely mental?

"Buyo…" he muttered, "Sorry… I… didn't mean it… And you too Sota…"

He shivered in horror and collapsed onto his knees, hiding his face in his hands, mortified.

He could've killed them!

Buyo and Sota looked at each other and then to Inu-Yasha. They both approached him slowly, and Sota laid his hand on Inu-Yasha's shoulder.

"Are you okay Inu-Yasha?" he asked, his voice still quiet with fear, "Um… Are you a werewolf?"

Inu-Yasha looked up from his palms and blinked at the vague shape of Sota's face close to his before giving in to a small smile.

"No…" he said, shaking his head, "Not really."

"Then… Inu-Yasha, what are you?" he whispered.

"I'm… hanyou…" he replied quietly, "You know, like in those old stories you would hear in school or at the shrine?"

"How do you know about the shrine?" Sota asked quickly, "Oh my gosh, can you read minds?"

Inu-Yasha smirked and shook his head.

"No… Your sister told me about it," he said, but his heart jolted at the mention of Kagome and he cringed, drawing his knees up to his chest.

He wrapped his arms around his knees and hid his face in his lap, growling and swaying with misery.

"_Inu-Yasha?"_ Buyo inquired worriedly, _"What's wrong?"_

"Dead… She's… dead…" he whimpered into his hands, "My fault… Dead… Kagome… No…"

Buyo and Sota looked at each other in shock and then back to Inu-Yasha.

"What do you mean?" Sota asked, "Kagome's not dead. She's just sleeping on her bed."

Inu-Yasha shook his head back and forth and growled.

"No… She's dead… I saw… her die… Blood… I smell the blood… It's all over me…"

He looked up and held out his clean hands, horror and grief on his face before hiding his head in the safe confines of his arms. He could still feel the blood.

Buyo stared at Inu-Yasha, puzzled, and then frowned.

"_Don't be stupid!" _The feline exclaimed, _"You must've been having a nightmare. I could smell the fear all over you earlier."_

Inu-Yasha whined quietly and shook his head again, and Buyo sighed, his ears drooping with sympathy.

He placed one paw on Inu-Yasha's knee and propped himself up to look into the snivelling hanyou's face.

"_Look at me Yasha," _he said, easing a more gentle tone into his voice.

Inu-Yasha looked up slowly from his lap and blinked, his eyes shimmering slightly with wetness he wasn't aware was there.

"_Good,"_ Buyo said, _"Now listen… I've been a shrine cat almost all my life, so I know quite a bit about half-demons, okay? You had a nightmare, and were so distraught that your full-youkai blood took over your body. You understand?"_

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly, and Buyo nodded and smiled approvingly.

"_You see…" _he continued, _"You wanted to protect Kaggy so much that you reverted back to primal instincts. With that, your brain came up with the reason to protect her; that she was dying… or dead, and you wanted her soul to pass on in safety. Your nightmare imbedded itself into your head as a reality, but it's not. Okay? Kaggy is perfectly fine."_

Inu-Yasha stared at the cat for a brief instant before inclining his head slightly.

"She's… okay?" he asked softly.

Both Buyo and Sota nodded and smiled at him.

Sota, of course, had no idea what Buyo had told Inu-Yasha; all he had heard from the cat were gentle mews, but whatever he had said, it had worked.

"Come on," Sota said, smiling and taking Inu-Yasha's hand, "I'll show you, okay?"

Inu-Yasha gave a slow, hesitant nod and allowed the young boy to urge him into a standing position and guide him back into Kagome's room.

"Sota?" he asked, "Why aren't you scared of me?"

Sota smiled up at him.

"Because, you're cool Inu-Yasha," the boy said happily, "Hah! No one at school will believe I met a hanyou!"

Inu-Yasha jolted and stared at Sota.

"No… Kid please… You can't tell anyone about me," he said swiftly.

"Why not?" Sota asked, pouting.

"Because…" Inu-Yasha replied slowly, "There are bad people after me… And they'll hurt you and everyone important to you if they know you know me."

"Aw…" Sota whined, "Can't I even tell Kagome?"

Inu-Yasha shook his head vigorously.

"No, not yet," he said.

"Okay…" the boy mumbled reluctantly, "Um… But Inu-Yasha?"

He looked up at the hanyou, innocent awe sparking in his eyes.

"Is this, like, you're true form?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha shook his head and smiled.

"No, the way I was before is… This is my "homicidal, let's go kill stuff" form."

"Oh," Sota said.

He guided Inu-Yasha's hand to Kagome's and back away.

Inu-Yasha slowly sat down on the bed beside Kagome, taking her warm palm in between his and rubbing it gently.

_**Blood… Screams**… Kagome, **NO!** _

The images shot through his head again, and he cringed, the scent of Kagome's blood embedding itself into his brain.

He didn't want to remember, and couldn't stop a tiny whine of worry from passing his lips.

"Kagome…" he whispered.

_No… She's fine; it's all in your head… Like Buyo told you… Come on, Kagome's alive and she's fine… No blood, it's okay…_

He carefully scooped her into his lap and leaned his ear against her chest.

Her calm and gentle heartbeat pulsed against his eardrum, and Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and he closed his eyes

She _was_ alive…

Inu-Yasha doubted that he had ever been more relieved in his life. He gently rocked Kagome back and forth, smiling and running his fingers through her hair.

_She's alive… Good… wonderful… **My mate… Avenge her…** No… Nothing's wrong…Kagome's okay…_

He sniffed delicately at her scent, but was alarmed to find she was clearly in distress and had the scent of salt intermingled with her own.

His eyes grew wide and he touched her cheek, feeling a tiny bit of moistness below her eyes.

_Is she having nightmares too?_ He wondered.

He shifted her into a more comfortable position against his chest and rocked her gently, giving the top of her head an affectionate nuzzle. Her body shook in his grasp and her muscles tensed as if she were preparing to jump into a fight. She gave a groan of anger while clumsily lashing out a fist at an invisible foe.

"No…" she growled, "…In… Inu-Yasha… Inu… Yasha…"

Buyo and Sota looked between the surprise half-youkai and the sleeping girl. Buyo raised his eyebrow, smirking arrogantly.

_You're in love! _He cheered internally, _Hah! Take that you guys! I can scent it miles away!_

Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, was shocked as hell to find Kagome dreaming about him, like he had her. But… was she worried about him? Or trying to stop him from doing something?

Kagome let out a soft growl and what sounded quite similar to a sob.

"No… You… can't…" she whimpered, "You… can't die… I won't let you…"

She clung tightly to Inu-Yasha's shirt and leaned forward to hide her face against him. Inu-Yasha continued to stare, shocked, at the vague form of the girl he had held close to him.

She was dreaming about him dying as well?

What an odd coincidence.

He bit his lip and propped her up so that he would be able to whisper into her ear.

"Kagome…" he said softly, "It's okay… I'm not gonna die…"

A jolt of surprise ran up Kagome's spine and she whinged softly.

"Inu-Yasha…" she mumbled, "Please… don't… go…"

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, running his claws carefully through her hair, "Okay? I'm going to stay right here. With you."

She sniffled and leaned her head against the crook of his neck.

"With me?" she inquired.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, keeping his voice steady and slightly cheerful, "Okay?"

Kagome sniffed in deeply once more and nodded.

"Good…" she breathed, and then her tensed body relaxed and became extremely limp as she leaned into the hanyou's arms, snuggling back into them and making herself comfortable.

-

Inu-Yasha couldn't help a fond smile looking down on Kagome, and he gently pulled a stray strand of her hair back behind her ear with his claw.

Buyo smiled and hopped onto the bed and stared at Inu-Yasha's expression before bursting out laughing. He collapsed onto his back with mirth, his four paws flailing.

"Just what is so funny?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"_You are!" _Buyo exclaimed.

He righted himself, coughed to hide a snicker, and began to casually lick his paw.

"_You keep saying… that you and Kaggy are just friends…"_ he said between licks, _"But just look at you two! That is love if I've ever seen it!"_

"Sure it is," Inu-Yasha said sincerely "Just not the kind you're thinking of."

"_Hah!" _Buyo laughed loudly, _"You wish! You don't realize it yet, but you and Kaggy have a thing for each other. Couldn't you hear how freaked out she sounded at the prospect of losing you?"_

Buyo paused as Inu-Yasha gave a slow nod and then grinned widely.

"_And do you know what you were shouting when you were trying to eat me a little while ago?"_ he asked, a cocky ring to his voice.

"Um… Not really," Inu-Yasha admitted, "I'm not the best at this transformation thingy yet."

Buyo laughed and beamed at Inu-Yasha.

"_You were telling me to get away from your mate."_

Inu-Yasha stiffened with shock and stared at the fuzzy blob in his vision he knew was the cat, his jaw dropping.

"I said _what?"_ he demanded, his voice becoming shrill with embarrassment and surprise.

Sota watched the, to him, one-sided banter, perplexed out of his young mind.

Knowing that the hanyou was most likely arguing with the fat cat or something of that general ilk, he grabbed a book off Kagome's bookshelf and began to read.

"_You called her your mate," _Buyo repeated, "_See? Your inner youkai instincts have a lot more sense than you do."_

"You're lying," Inu-Yasha snapped, "Why are you so desperate to set me up with Kagome?"

"_Hah, I don't lie," _Buyo chuckled, _"And I'm not desperate. It's just both of your scents reek of untold affection. You're going to hurt yourself if you don't come to terms with it and tell her how you feel."_

"What am I supposed to tell her?" Inu-Yasha demanded, ""Hey Kagome, your cat keeps telling me I'm in love with you, so… I love you!" I doubt it Buyo."

Buyo laughed again and shook his head, batting gently at Inu-Yasha's knee with his paw.

"_Just listen to the love-master,"_ he said,_ "As soon as you realize that you love Kaggy and she loves you, come talk to me."_

"But I know I love her," Inu-Yasha growled, "I love her as my best friend, and I'm sure she feels the same. That's all."

Buyo looked at Inu-Yasha, clenching his jaw shut to prevent another blight of laughter.

"_Sure…. That's all…"_ Buyo said mockingly, _"Then why did you call her your mate?"_

Inu-Yasha was about to protest and call the cat a liar again, but hen, he felt Kagome begin to stir again. He stiffened with shock, his heart suddenly jolting and pounding nervously.

She was waking up this time…

His bandana was still out in the hall… his eyes were bright red!

He wasn't nearly ready to expose his secret to Kagome. It was only easy with Sota because he hadn't been through as much with him, as weird as it sounded.

Now more than ever, he was regretting not just telling Kagome what he was from the start…

There was only one option since he didn't know how to revert to being a hanyou without his sword, the Tetsusaiga… convince Kagome that she was dreaming.

He turned and gestured quickly for Buyo and Sota to leave the room, and he saw the fuzzy blob of Buyo leap off the bed and the two shapes quickly exit the room before Sota darted back to close the door.

Inu-Yasha let Kagome lay back in the bed as she slowly woke up and he sat back a little. He drew in a shuddering, nervous breath and delved back into all the youkai instinct he had.

What would he do? Act like a dog or something? That could work…

He bit his lip and sat back in a dog-like squat, blinking at Kagome, waiting for her to awaken.

_Time to utterly degrade myself… _he thought.

-

Kagome let out a soft groan and opened her eyes, only to be met by the worried crimson gaze of… something…

She squinted and blinked, trying to clear her eyes, and found she was face to face with Inu-Yasha.

At least, someone who looked strikingly similar to Inu-Yasha, except for the fact that he had red eyes, purple stripes on his face, long fangs, and dog-ears.

Kagome blinked again.

"Is this… a dream?" she whispered.

The Yasha clone's ears perked and he reached out a clawed hand towards her slightly, tilting his head. Kagome hesitantly took the hand, and the Yasha clone smiled and took it as an invitation to shift closer to her.

"Okay…" she muttered, "Inu-Yasha, is that you?"

The Yasha clone tilted his head as if he didn't understand, though he pressed closer to her anyway, leaning comfortably against her shoulder, bowing his head and twitching his ears. He rolled his red eyes upwards to look at her and gave her a hopeful smile.

Kagome knew that look; Buyo gave it to her all the time before she was able to understand him.

It meant he wanted his ears rubbed.

"Okay, most definitely a dream…" she muttered.

She didn't notice the Yasha clone's triumphant smirk, and she shrugged absently and began to rub his ears. She felt him begin to tremble as she did, and he leaned sideways against her and growled deeply in his chest so that it sounded quite close to a purr.

She smirked.

"Like that, huh?" she whispered.

He groaned a quiet affirmation and she smiled.

"Can't talk, huh?" she asked, "Oh well… When I wake up, if you could, I wouldn't be able to remember what you said anyway."

He looked up at her and gave her a smile, and for some reason it made Kagome's heart leap. He straightened his neck a bit and gave her cheek a gentle nuzzle.

Kagome blinked in surprise, her face heating up with embarrassment.

What would Inu-Yasha think if he knew she had a weird dream like this about him? Or even some creature that looked almost identical to him?

Scenting her embarrassment, he drew back and smiled at her, tilting his head. Kagome chuckled sleepily and cupped his cheek.

"It's funny," she said, "You look just like this guy I know… He's my best friend you know."

The Yasha clone's ears perked and his smile grew, making him look like an oversized, humanoid puppy. Kagome was unable to stop a giggle and she patted his cheek.

She leaned forward to his right dog-ear and gently tweaked it.

"My God… Don't tell Inu-Yasha I said this… But you're really cute," she whispered.

The Yasha clone's smile faltered for an instant, giving way to a blush and a look of surprise, but then that big puppy grin was plastered across his face again, putting Kagome into another sleepy fit of laughter.

"Yep… Really cute," she repeated, and she gently ruffled his ears before slumping backwards into her comforter, giggling drowsily.

The Yasha clone's smile didn't fade, and he curled into a ball next to her ribs. Kagome smiled and rested her hand on his head, gently massaging his ears until she drifted back to sleep.

-

It was all Inu-Yasha could do to not do the same. He had never known an ear rub could feel so utterly wonderful.

_Once I tell her what I am… Maybe she'll do it again sometime, _he thought, _That would be so great…_

He grabbed her hand held it close. Her warmth was extremely reassuring to him, but he still couldn't help a shudder.

His dream had been so real… Well, other than the people randomly turning into other people, that is.

But it had been real enough to make his full-youkai mind believe that it was…

His ears drooped and he closed his eyes, shifting his body under the blankets beside Kagome's. He gently squeezed her to his chest, contentedly feeling her heart beating close to his.

He never, ever wanted to lose Kagome… Especially not like that…

As he pondered, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Inu-Yasha, can we come back in?" Sota asked through the door.

"Hai," Inu-Yasha replied.

He heard the door open quietly and the soft pit-pat of both child and cat feet on the carpet.

Sota poked him lightly.

"Did it work?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha gave a slow nod and sighed.

"I feel really bad now," he whispered, "I… Should I have just told her?"

"_Meh. You did what you needed to do,"_ Buyo said.

Sota on the other hand, believed it to be a rhetorical question and merely shrugged. The cat gingerly leapt onto the bed, stretched, and then padded across the blankets to curl his body into a furry ball in between Inu-Yasha and Kagome.

Sota was about to lie down on the floor again, but then he remembered Inu-Yasha's bandana. He stood and scampered into the dark hall to retrieve it, and then returned and handed back to the half-asleep hanyou.

"Here," he said, "For your ears."

Inu-Yasha opened one eye halfway and gave Sota a thankful smile.

"Thanks kid," he said.

He took the black cloth from the boy and propped himself up on one elbow to tie it down over his ears. Sota gave him a wide smile and then lay down on his blankets again.

"Hey Inu-Yasha?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha grunted to show that he had heard.

"Are you in love with Kagome?"

Inu-Yasha sighed and buried his nose into Kagome's hair, inhaling her scent.

"I don't know," he said.

"_So, yes,"_ Buyo said.

Inu-Yasha flicked him in between the eyes, and he let out a disgruntled mew.

"_Hey, just because I want you to realize your true feelings,"_ the cat protested.

Inu-Yasha snorted out an irritated "Feh!" and huddled closer to Kagome, attempting to crush Buyo at the same time, though the cat relished in confined, warm spaces and began to purr instead.

The hanyou sighed.

"My God you two… Let me sleep…" he snarled.

"Okay; good night," Sota said brightly.

The young boy pulled his blankets up to his chin and seemed to be almost instantly asleep. Inu-Yasha opened his eyes and blinked at the vague outlines of objects around the room, and then down at Kagome.

_Could it be true? Am I in love with her?_

He blinked at her sleeping face and smiled.

_She is kinda cute though,_ he thought.

"Buyo?" he hissed quietly, "Is it possible though? I mean, I haven't even known her for two weeks."

Buyo chuckled quietly, though his voice was muffled by his position huddled between the two teens.

"_But you've been living with her, right?"_

Inu-Yasha nodded and tilted his head.

"Why?" he inquired.

"_Well, if you had just met at school and that was the only time you'd seen each other, than any feeling would be infatuation,"_ Buyo explained, _"But since you've lived with and depended on each other… it's a different story."_

"It is?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"_Duh…"_ Buyo muttered.

Inu-Yasha sighed quietly and pulled Kagome's body closer to his.

He _was_ an inu youkai, after all, and as such; he enjoyed the body warmth of a close friend while he was asleep.

Especially after a nightmare…

-

But previously, he had no one to be with at night, except occasionally a two-headed dragon youkai by the name of Ah-Un who lived in his home.

Technically, the dragon was Sessho-Maru's, but she obviously had more fun with Inu-Yasha.

Sessho-Maru had been given Ah-Un as a gift by Izayoi, Inu-Yasha's mother, as the creature had been following her around and she hadn't known what to do with her.

Ah-Un had also been sent through time, though they had only relocated her after Inu-Yasha's fourth birthday.

-

Inu-Yasha sighed at the thought of Ah-Un…

She had been the closest thing he had had to a friend, or a mother, for a seemingly infinite amount of time, and he couldn't help but miss her.

But now he had Kagome, a real companion, whom he loved dearly _as a friend_.

_But… why did I call her my mate?_ He wondered, _Could I really be in love? …Bah…_

He snorted quietly and shifted, grinding his molars together in frustration.

He was utterly perplexed…

_Stupid Buyo… Messing with my brain… Damn-ass cat… _

He sighed.

_And even if it's true… As if Kagome would like me back… Right? _He thought, _And damn… I hope I'm normal by morning… If I'm not…_

He shuddered.

Would he even be able to change back…? Oh hell, he'd never be able to go outside again if he couldn't!

Cursing under his breath, he huddled nervously against Kagome, squishing the recently-sleep taken Buyo.

"Kagome… If I really _was_ in love with you… Would you love me back?" he inquired at a whisper.

Obviously, he got no answer from the sleeping girl, and he finally let himself relax completely, slumping onto the mattress comfortably.

To Inu-Yasha's glee, Kagome nestled closer to him as well, gently clinging to him with one hand while the other gently wrapped around her cat.

"Inu-Yasha…" she whispered, though she was clearly talking in her sleep.

Inu-Yasha jolted in fear. Her tone matched the one she had used in her dream just as the life drained from her body.

He gave a nervous gasp and squeezed his eyelids shut even tighter.

_It was just a dream… Just a dream… It wasn't real… She's alive; she's right here… I hugging her, she's in my arms, she's alive._

He gave a soft whine of sadness as the nightmare replayed itself at super-speed through his mind, and he shuddered.

Then, to his surprise, Kagome's grip on him shifted to gently clinging to his shoulder, her cheek pressed to his chest. A blush coated his nose and he opened his eyes to blink shyly at her as she embraced him in her sleep.

"Kagome…?" he whispered, "…Oh man…"

"Hey Yasha?" she asked softly.

Her voice sent a jolt of shock springing through Inu-Yasha's veins.

"Are you awake?" he inquired.

Kagome nodded slowly and smiled.

"You sound so sad," she whispered, "Are you okay?"

She opened her eyes to see Inu-Yasha's white t-shirt and she smiled slightly.

"Aren't we kinda close?" she asked.

"Do you mind?" Inu-Yasha asked, his blush deepening, "I was cold."

Kagome chuckled softly and closed her eyes again, shaking her head.

"It's okay," she replied, "But what's with the whimpering?"

"I wasn't whimpering," he protested.

Kagome merely smirked and tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"By the way… That's why I'm hugging you," she said.

Inu-Yasha blinked at her and tilted his head.

"Really?" he inquired.

She shrugged and nodded.

"You have nightmares too?" she whispered.

"Yeah…" he replied.

Kagome let out a deep breath and shivered. Unknown to Inu-Yasha, her nightmare as well, had been horrible.

"Will you tell me about yours?" Inu-Yasha inquired quietly.

Kagome nodded and yawned.

"In the morning. I'm gonna sleep," she assured him, "G'night… again…"

Inu-Yasha chuckled and nodded his agreement, though he was the first to fall asleep, his body automatically curling into a tight ball and he slowly released Kagome as he clutched tightly to the blanked and made odd snuffing noises.

Kagome smiled slightly at her sleeping friend's antics, but then blew out a deep sigh.

She wondered how long he had been hugging her before she had woken up… and why he really had been.

She hadn't really been able to believe that it was because he had been cold.

She drew her arm back away from him to cuddle Buyo against her chest, and then lay with her eyes closed for another few minutes before falling asleep as well.

oOoOoOoO

When Kagome awoke in the morning, she was oddly warm and comfortable. She knew it was a school day, but she didn't want to move.

She could feel a warm pulse of air on her face, and something somewhat fleshy touching her lower back. She also felt fur in her hands.

Slowly, she opened one eye to find Buyo curled tightly in her arms, purring in his sleep.

She smiled fondly at her cat and cuddled him closer. Then, her eyes traced upward to find Inu-Yasha's sleeping face, his forehead touched against her own.

She blinked in surprise, but then recalled that she had invited him to stay because he was scared of the thunder.

She smirked and looked up at her window.

It was still raining heavily, and she sighed. She could hear a tiny rumble of distant thunder, but it made the sleeping boy's whole body jolt fearfully.

With a tiny whimper on panic, he squeezed closer to her, gripping her nervously around the waist.

Then, Kagome realized, it was his hand on her back. Not sure how to react, she blinked at him in surprise.

Should she wake him up or not? She was quite comfortable where she was, and his face was pale and tired looking, as if he had hardly been able to sleep at all.

After another minute, she decided that if she didn't wake him now, she'd fall back to sleep and they'd miss school again.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked, "Hey, dude, wake up."

She freed one of her arms from being squished against his torso and prodded him in the forehead a few times. He groaned and shied away from her finger, his eyelids slowly parting.

"Hrrm? Wha…? What's… goin' on…?" he inquired groggily.

Then, he noticed the warmth as well. It made him want to go back to sleep, but then he jolted in shock as he realized where his arm was.

With a yelp, he yanked his arm out from under the back of Kagome's shirt, a look of horror and shame on his face as he sat up.

"Oh… Oh hell, Kagome I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said, trembling, "I… I don't know what's wrong with me; I didn't mean to… Oh crap…"

Kagome sat up beside him, curling the snoring Buyo in her lap and gently tweaking his ears with her forefinger and thumb.

"Inu-Yasha-" she started, but he shook his head violently.

"Damn! I'm such a pervert!" he exclaimed, hitting himself in the face with his fist.

"Ano… Inu-Yasha-" Kagome tried to begin again, but he growled, grabbed her hand, and started to hit himself with it.

"God damn me!" he snarled at himself, and then dropped Kagome's hand.

He gave her an apologetic and shame-filled look and sighed.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered, "You… You must not want-"

"Holy hell Inu-Yasha!" Kagome exclaimed, "Let me talk for a second!"

The hanyou blinked at her in surprise as she sighed and gave him a weary laugh.

"I'm not mad," she said.

He blinked again.

"Say what?" he said, perplexed, "You're not?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Nah," she said, and then tilted her head, giving him an embarrassed smile, her cheeks reddening slightly, "Actually, I was pretty comfortable. Were you?"

Inu-Yasha blinked, feeling his face heat up slightly.

"Y… Yeah…" he said, and then smiled slightly, "So… we're… still cool, right?"

He offered her his fist and she grinned and punched it.

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, "And besides, I saw you; you were freaking out because of thunder."

"Oh thank God," Inu-Yasha said, sighing with relief, "I thought I had become some sort of sick pervert in my sleep or something."

He gave her an inquisitive, slightly timid look.

"Kag… We can… still do it again, right? I mean… I-"

"I told you; _yes_," Kagome said, "Inu-Yasha I can't think of anything at the moment that would make me not trust you."

Inu-Yasha smiled, blushing slightly, though he was clearly grateful that he still had her trust.

"You baka, you just like snuggling, don't you?" she teased, prodding him in the arm.

"Er…" Inu-Yasha said, gulping embarrassedly and blushing.

It was somewhat true; he did like the feeling of sort of "snuggling" with Kagome. It made him feel calm, and warm, and safe. Not to mention it was oh so much more comfortable than sleeping by himself.

"W-Well, you like it too," he said, pointing at her accusingly.

"I do; I'll admit it," she said, shrugging.

Inu-Yasha blinked with surprise.

"I thought I'd have to argue with you to get you to say that," he commented, lowering his finger, "Oh well."

Kagome laughed, and in her lap, Buyo snorted.

"_Look, if you two are gonna argue about who likes snuggling and whatever, can you do it a little quieter?" _the cat grumbled irritably.

"Fine, you grumpy thing," Kagome said, flicking his ear.

The cat snorted again and pressed his face into Kagome's shirt, his ears flattening.

"Your cat's a spaz," Inu-Yasha commented.

"I know," Kagome sighed.

"_Hey, I got it from you,"_ Buyo said.

"I am not a spaz you mangy flea-butt," she growled.

Buyo only laughed.

"_See?"_ he asked, looking to Inu-Yasha, _"You'd better watch out."_

"Okay," Kagome said, using her thumb and forefinger to pinion Buyo's cat jaws together, "No more sassing me for you."

"_Mrph?"_ The kitty inquired, blinking his yellow eyes at her in surprise.

"Whatever," Kagome grumbled, releasing him, "You're lucky I put up with you, you know."

She hid a smirk as the cat feigned offence.

"_Oh, Kaggy, I'm so hurt! Inu-Yasha, tell her she's being mean!" _

"Well…" Inu-Yasha said shrugging.

"_Oh woe is me!"_ Buyo yowled, _"Is no one on the kitty's side?"_

"Aw, give it up Buyo," Kagome said, scooping her kitten into her arms and cuddling him, "You know I love ya."

"_I know,"_ the purring cat replied, licking her cheek with his sandpaper-like tongue.

Kagome cringed and laughed quietly.

"Crazy kitty," she said "Go attack Inu-Yasha for a while, why don't you?"

"Me?" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, "What'd I do?"

With a laugh and a nod, Buyo leapt at the hanyou and began to attack his cheeks with his tongue.

"Gwaa!" Inu-Yasha yelped, toppling onto his back, "Buyo!"

The cat laughed maniacally and squished the boy's nose with his paw.

_"Got ya, tough guy,"_ the cat said.

Inu-Yasha snorted and lifted the cat off of his face.

"Bah," he grumbled, "Crazy-ass cat…"

Buyo gave a smirk and a chuckle and bounded off the bed, stretching beside Sota's sleeping face before ducking under the bed to curl up beside the wall again.

-

Kagome chuckled as Inu-Yasha gave a small, groggy yawn behind his fist.

He was still so tired… What had happened last n…?

Oh SHIT! 

Inu-Yasha yelped, nearly toppling backwards, his hand automatically going to his mouth to feel his fangs.

To his relief, they were their normal length; so therefore, he must've reverted to a hanyou in his sleep.

_Of course I did,_ he thought, _I'm so stupid! If I hadn't, Kagome would have said something! Stupid!_

"Um… Yasha? You okay?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha's next-to-blind vision traced to Kagome's face. She seemed halfway between amusement and puzzlement.

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly and rubbed his brow.

"Yeah," he said, "Sorry… I had a bad dream last night."

"Me too," Kagome said, "Oh yeah… We were going to talk about them, huh?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and smiled.

"It's our little therapy session," he said, "So who goes first?"

Kagome shrugged absently.

"I will," she said, "But you'll think I'm kind of weird."

Inu-Yasha gave her a shrug and a reassuring smile, urging her to continue.

"Okay…" she said, "It was me and you… and we were somehow trapped in this room with all white walls… And we were both really freaked out. Then, suddenly, this big thing of glass or whatever slid from the ceiling in between us."

She made a motion with her hand and sighed as Inu-Yasha tilted his head and nodded his comprehension.

"Then… We were trying to break the wall, but on your side, these three guys who looked like Agents from the Matrix… They walked in and tried to shoot you."

She bit her lip.

"You tried to dodge, but they shot you in the leg… and then nine more times… I thought you were gonna die…"

She sniffed quietly, a slight moistness forming in her eyes, though she wiped it on the back of her hand.

"I… just don't want to lose you, Yasha…" she mumbled.

Inu-Yasha stared, touched, at Kagome, and then smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not… You're not going to lose me," he assured her, "But to tell you the truth… I had a dream about you too."

"You did?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and laughed embarrassedly.

"Yeah, and I woke up crying," he said.

Kagome blinked at him, surprise apparent on her face.

"You? Crying? No way," she said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged dismissively and smiled weakly.

"It was horrible… Well, pretty much, most of it made no sense, but then you were stabbed right in front of me… but I was chained to wall and couldn't do a thing about it… I couldn't even call to you because I was choking or something. Then, when I was free, I still couldn't talk, but I went to you and… and…"

He cringed and looked away from her, pain throbbing in his chest.

"And you died in my arms…" he muttered.

His hand went to his heart and clenched on his shirt as his old arrow wound began to pulsate once more.

"Oh… Hell, Yasha, did I really?" she inquired.

He nodded and bit his lip. Why did his scar hurt so much?

Kagome stared at him, worry shimmering in her eyes, and reached out a hand and lay it overtop of his.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"Scar hurts," he growled, "Forget it."

"Want me to get you something for it?" she asked.

He shook his head. There wasn't a medicine for his wound…

Kagome tilted her head and edged closer to Inu-Yasha, grasping his hand.

Inu-Yasha gave a tiny gasp.

There was… some sort of cool sensation spreading from his friend's hand, through his, and to his scar. When it touched it, the pulsing and the pain dulled, and then finally ceased.

Inu-Yasha's eyes became wide, tracing from his and Kagome's hands to her face and back.

"Whoa…" he muttered.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"It… It doesn't hurt…" he whispered, "How…?"

If anything, he had expected Kagome's touch to make the wound hurt more, not ease the pain.

She was, after all, a miko-in-training, and if she (like he loosely suspected) had any real spiritual abilities at all, they should have burned him.

He breathed out a long sigh and gave Kagome a puzzled smile as she eyed him worriedly.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" Kagome asked puzzledly, frowning slightly.

"You… made it better," he said, shrugging.

After he said that, there was a brief, comfortable silence in which the two friends sat opposite each other and stared through each other, deep in thought, each thinking about what they would do if their nightmare became a reality.

Of course, it wasn't a comfortable topic to be thinking about, but it was almost like a small moment of silence to appreciate just how important they were to one another.

-

When they were jolted back into reality by Buyo cursing because he had hit his nose against the wall, Inu-Yasha realized that he was still holding Kagome's hand against his heart.

A small blush marring his cheeks, he released her with an embarrassed cough.

"We should get breakfast," he said, "We're going to school today, right?"

"Yeah…" Kagome said slowly.

She flexed her fingers slightly and smiled.

_A pity he let me go, _she thought, _My hand was getting nice and warm too. Oh well._

She stretched her arms out above her head, yawned, and then slid out of bed. She stretched again and then knelt to her brother, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Yo… Sota," she whispered, "Wake up."

Sota cringed and groaned before slowly opening one eye and blinking at his sister.

"Aw… do I have to?" he whined.

"Yeah," Kagome said, "You have to go to school too."

Sota groaned with frustration, squirmed under his blankets, and stood, rubbing his eye.

"Aw man…" he said.

"Go," Kagome said, shooing him out of the room, "Go get changed; I'll make breakfast soon. You too Buyo, out."

Buyo grumbled in irritation and slunk out from under the bed and followed after Sota's heels.

When Kagome turned back to Inu-Yasha, she found him gawking at her.

"What?" she asked, sitting opposite him again, "Are you okay?"

"You… You're so _thin_," he gasped out.

Kagome stared at him, blinking with shock.

"How…?" she whispered.

"I… I can see a little bit of grey and outlines…" he muttered, "Since last night… But Kagome…"

He gently prodded her in the ribs, tilting his head.

"You are way too thin. Don't you eat?" he asked.

"Of course I eat," Kagome said, still blinking with puzzlement.

"But… Jeez, you're like a freaking stick," Inu-Yasha commented, "You don't really exercise, do you?"

"Well," Kagome said, "I do fight a lot when I have to… But… Other than that…"

She shook her head.

Inu-Yasha continued to stare at her.

"That's it," he decided, jabbing his forefinger into the air, "You are officially eating more."

"I am?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, grinning, "Cake and stuff… You gotta get a bit un-twigified."

Kagome chuckled and patted Inu-Yasha's shoulder.

"You think I'm a stick? Wait 'til you get a look at the outlines of the other girls at the school."

Inu-Yasha shuddered a little, imagining skeletal, scantily dressed teenaged girls.

"I don't know if I wanna," he muttered.

He smiled at Kagome and ruffled her hair.

"I'm gonna tell you something… It's gonna make me blush for about four days, but I'm gonna say it anyway," he said.

"What?" Kagome inquired.

"I… sort of saw your face… when I woke up last night," he said, "Kagome I…"

He paused and the blush he spoke of earlier began to slowly creep across his visage.

"I… I think you're pretty," he said.

Kagome blinked at Inu-Yasha and the blush spread to her as well.

"Yasha," she said, a light laugh playing in her voice, "Well um… thank you."

"Well… I needed to say it," he said, "…Yeah…"

Kagome smiled at him and chuckled quietly.

"That's really… er… sweet of you to say," she said, "No one's ever called me pretty before…"

"No?" Inu-Yasha asked, his eyes widening, "What the hell do they call you then?"

"Um… A hot bitch, sexy bitch, hot Goth girl, Emo kid…?" she suggested, and then shuddered, "Ew… Stupid males and their sex-fantasies… No offence Yasha. You don't have sex-fantasies, right?"

"Not that I know of," he said.

"Oh cool," Kagome said with a grin, clapping her hands together, "Finally, a male who doesn't! I'm so happy!"

She laughed and gave Inu-Yasha a quick hug, and then leapt off the bed.

"Okay, I'm going to have a shower," she said, "I'll get you breakfast after, okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded, so Kagome pulled some clean clothes out of her drawers and walked out of the room to have a shower.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head and smiled as he felt a slight warmth stirring in his chest again.

_She's a really sweet person…_ he thought.

His hand went to his scar again and he frowned. It didn't hurt at all. Usually, if he even touched it, it would sting at least a little.

Now, there was no pain.

It was almost as if Kagome's touch had neutralized it. He smiled.

_Maybe she just has really weird miko powers,_ he thought.

oOoOoOoO

Kagome sighed happily as the warm water from her shower trickled over her; damn, how she had missed it!

Showers were a good thing. Very good.

She leaned her head back into the water and let the warmth soak her hair, though despite her contentment, her mind traced back to her dreams; both the bad, and the not so bad.

The nightmare she had had, in which Inu-Yasha was shot ten times, had been vivid.

In her dream, she had been crying…

She wouldn't be surprised if her tears had leaked into the real world as well.

Then, there was that other one…

The one with the boy who was identical to Inu-Yasha, save for a few things, such as his fangs, eyes and ears.

She had been too embarrassed to tell her friend that she had had a dream in which he was some weird creature who craved ear-rubs for his dog-like hearing appendages.

That version of Inu-Yasha, whatever he was, had calmed her though.

_And he was kind of cute,_ she added silently, _Inu-Yasha is kind of cute, isn't he?_

Her cheeks tinted with red at the thought of him and last night's events.

She was still a bit awed by how natural sharing a bed with him felt. It was comfortable and warm, and she truly trusted him enough to not try anything… weird…

Even the brief embrace they had given each other hadn't felt as awkward as she knew it should have.

Kagome snorted in distain and shook her head to rid herself of the weirdness. She didn't need to think about this stuff.

In the meantime, she'd concentrate on how nice it was to have a shower for the first time in a few days.

-

Kagome was out of the shower shortly after her little reminiscence period. Wrapped in a dark blue towel, she looked over her bare arms in the steamed-up mirror.

The knife wounds her father had inflicted on her were healing, slowly but surely.

By now, Kagome was positive that she would be graced with another set of scars. She sighed, gently running a finger along one of the older ones that ran from her elbow to her shoulder.

"I wonder why that guy hates me so damn much?" she asked aloud, "What the hell did I ever do to him?"

_You were born,_ was the simple response.

Kagome sighed, grabbing another towel and quickly drying her hair with it before getting dressed and leaving the bathroom.

"Yasha? Your turn," she called, but got no response.

Raising her eyebrow, she walked up the stairs and went back into her room to drop her towels off, only to find Inu-Yasha napping on her bed again.

"Guess he really didn't sleep very much, did he?" she mumbled.

She draped her wet towels over her writing desk and walked to Inu-Yasha.

"Hey," she hissed, "Yasha. Up and at 'em."

She poked him in the ribs, and he groaned and rolled away from her finger. Kagome chuckled and snuck closer to him, kneeling on the bed beside him and grabbing his hand.

He snorted and tried to feebly yank it away, but she carefully tickled his wrist, and he gave a grunt of annoyance and frowned in his slumber. He turned over and hid his face in Kagome's pillow, snoring gently.

Kagome giggled and shifted to grab his other hand. She pinned both of his arms behind his back, but he seemed not to notice and continued to snooze.

Kagome tilted her head with puzzlement.

Usually, he'd think something restraining him was the government coming for him.

She remembered after their escape from the mall, Inu-Yasha had woken up screaming about the government because he had accidentally tangled himself in his blankets so badly the he couldn't move his limbs.

"Jeez, he really _is_ tired," she muttered.

She released him and lay on her stomach beside him, watching him as his back gently moved up and down as he breathed. Slowly, he moved one arm from where she had positioned it and grabbed her hand softly.

Kagome blinked at him and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened considerably.

Then, she could hear growls rocking through him, and tiny mumbles into the pillow.

"My… m-mate… Mine…"

She blinked and drew closer, not quite comprehending his words. Had he just said "mate"?

"Yasha? Are you awake?" she asked, "You wanna let me go?"

Inu-Yasha made a slight huffing noise into the pillow, and a groan that almost seemed to be one of pain, before he slowly rolled onto his side.

One amber eye opened, and he blinked sleepily at her.

"Gome?" he asked, "That you?"

"Yeah," she said, "I was trying to tell you it was your turn in the shower but-"

She flailed her hand, which he still held in a death-grip.

Blinking with puzzlement, he released her, and then smiled.

"Oh, okay… Do you have any extra towels in here?"

Kagome nodded and stood, found a white one, and passed it to him.

"Careful," she said.

"I might do a bit better this time," he said proudly, pointing to his eyes, "I'm slightly less blind."

"And I'm so extremely proud," Kagome laughed as the hanyou stood and stretched, "See ya at breakfast."

With that, she walked out of the room and Inu-Yasha could hear her run down into the kitchen and begin to make breakfast for the whining cat and child downstairs.

He smiled.

"See ya…" he muttered, "Sort of…"

* * *

A/N: Okay, here is some stuff I'm going to tell you people, so you guys won't ask me anymore.

----

YES Inu-Yasha's gonna get his vision back, just not yet.

YES, he's gonna tell Kagome that he's a hanyou, just not yet.

YES, Sango and Miroku and Kirara are going to be in the story, just not yet. They come in later.

There will also be more of other familiar characters, such as Sessho-Maru... and others.

As of the OOCness, bah on all of you who don't like it (not pointing any fingers, I'm just saying I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE). This is an OOC story, so if you don't like it, read something else because I personally like my version of the characters. NYA NYA NYA.

Besides... At least they're not completely OOC.

----

And a little thanks to Luke, who suggested that Inu-Yasha go full youkai and ravage the town. It inspired me to write the chapter this way and saved me from the incredibly sappy beginning of the chapter I had written previously.

* * *


	27. Because I Care, Baka!

* * *

A/N: Yo! Thanks so much to every who's reading… And even more thanks to those who review!

I just wanted to say; don't worry if you think you'll sound insane in a review to me, because I'm probably just as or more insane as most of you people out there.

So don't be sorry! Embrace the weirdness!

* * *

Chapter 26: Because I Care, Baka!

* * *

Kagome yawned behind her hand as she spooned canned tuna into a plastic dish for her cat, nearly spilling some onto the kitchen floor.

"_Oi, Kaggy! That's precious tuna!" _Buyo exclaimed, _"Be careful!"_

Kagome yawned again, purposely letting a bit of fish drop onto the floor. The cat squealed with dismay and quickly licked it up as Kagome chuckled quietly.

"It's just tuna Buyo… It's not like it's hard to get," she said.

"_Yeah, but you're, like, a million feet tall and have thumbs," _Buyo protested.

"I'm five-foot something," Kagome said.

"_Five… A million… It's all the same," _the cat grumbled, _"And… Hey…"_

He smirked up at Kagome as she cut her eyes at him.

"_Inu-Yasha really likes you, you know," _he said.

"No really?" Kagome replied sarcastically, "I thought he despised me."

Buyo raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"_No… But really… He had a nightmare last night about you… He went nuts, and was running around, trying to protect you,"_ Buyo said.

Kagome leaned back against the kitchen table and looked at Buyo cynically.

"Really?" she said, "He told me he was crying."

"_Yeah, that too," _Buyo agreed, _"Poor thing; I think you should go hug him."_

Kagome tilted her head as she heard Inu-Yasha's footsteps go down the stairs and to the washroom.

"He's having a shower," she said simply.

"_Well, you should hug him when he comes out,"_ Buyo stated before shoving his face into his tuna, _"Mmm… Fishy…"_

Kagome chuckled, and then Sota tugged at her sleeve.

"Sis? I can't find the milk," he whined.

"Well, it should be behind the orange juice," Kagome said.

"Oh…" Sota replied.

He opened the fridge and peered around, giving a triumphant, "Ah-hah!" when he found it, and then doused his cereal in it.

He replaced the carton, and then bounded out of the room to watch morning cartoons before he had to get ready for school.

Kagome sighed in frustration as she heard the Pokémon theme begin to play from the television, and Buyo chuckled.

"_Horrible show, ne?"_ he laughed.

"Oh yeah…" she muttered, nodding in agreement.

Then, she heard a large thud from the washroom, and a loud stream of curses.

"Inu-Yasha, you okay?" she called.

"I'm fine, but… Oh, God damn it, not again! I'LL KILL YOU, SOAP!" he bellowed.

Kagome and Buyo looked at each other, blinking with surprise, and then Kagome laughed.

"Yeah, you kill that soap Yasha! Kick its ass!" she yelled.

"Oh, you can bet I will! Ha HAH!"

Kagome laughed at her unseen friend's antics and shook her head.

"_I think he may be a little off," _Buyo suggested, tapping his temple with his tail to suggest where.

"I know," Kagome laughed, "But you gotta love him for it though."

"_Ooh… You said you love him," _Buyo teased.

"Yeah, I did," Kagome said, staring down at the cat, "And I do. As a friend. Duh."

"_Still…" _Buyo said before taking another mouthful of tuna, _"Friend love can turn into love love, you know."_

"Meh," Kagome said with a shrug, "If I fall for him, I fall for him. Big whoop."

"_Aw," _Buyo cooed, _"I think you two'd be really cute together. You should ask him out."_

"Why?" Kagome asked.

She opened a cupboard and pulled out a loaf of pre-sliced bread. She took out six slices and put them in the toaster, and then grabbed two plates.

"_Cuz I really think you like him," _Buyo insisted.

Kagome shrugged.

"Well, if I do, I'm not aware of it yet," she chuckled.

Buyo frowned at her and sighed.

_They're both hopeless…_ he thought.

-

Then, they heard the water for the shower being turned off, and a minute later, Inu-Yasha poked his head into the kitchen; his hair dripping with water and a few fresh bruises on his face. He already had a black bandana tied over his dog-ears.

"Hey," he said cheerfully.

He stepped into the kitchen, garbed in a black t-shirt and baggy jeans, a towel draped around his shoulders so that his hair wouldn't completely soak his back.

"What's for breakfast?" he inquired.

"Cinnamon toast," Kagome said brightly, "Hope you like it."

"Never had it," Inu-Yasha said.

"Ah yes," Kagome chuckled as the hanyou sat on a chair at the kitchen table, "You and your sugar-free household."

Inu-Yasha nodded, and inhaled the pleasant scents as Kagome took the toast out of the toaster, buttered it, and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on it.

She put four on a plate for him and two for her, knowing that he ate more than she did.

Inu-Yasha grinned thankfully as she handed it to him, and he began to eat quickly.

"Like it?" she inquired, taking a nibble of her own.

Inu-Yasha nodded, his mouth full, and gulped down the food as Kagome laughed at him. Then, she scooted her chair closer to him and eyed his face cautiously. Feeling the heat of her breath on his face, he turned to her and blinked puzzledly.

"'Sup?" he inquired.

"You've got bruises again," she said, frowning and cupping his cheek, "You okay?"

Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded.

"Fine; I slipped again is all," he said.

"I could hear that," she said.

She stared intently at him for a moment, and he stared back, quietly enjoying the warmth of her hand on his face.

Her calming scent filtered into his nose, causing his eyelids to droop sleepily, and she, in a slight daze from staring into his vibrant amber eyes, began to lean forward.

Then, the two were jolted out of their happy-place by Buyo quietly chanting, "_Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him!"_

_-_

Red marring both teens' faces, they sighed in unified frustration and scowled at Buyo.

"Buyo…" Kagome growled, her hand leaving Inu-Yasha's cheek to point threateningly at her cat, "If you don't freaking cut out this romance crud…"

"We're both gonna noogy the life out of your little kitty head," Inu-Yasha concluded, punching into his opposite palm, "Got it?"

"_Yikes! Don't hurt me!" _Buyo squealed, and he rushed from the room swiftly as Kagome and Inu-Yasha sighed again.

"I really don't think I was gonna kiss you," Kagome said.

"I don't think you were either," Inu-Yasha agreed.

They sat, staring embarrassedly at their plates, until Inu-Yasha began to fidget slightly with his damp hair.

"Hey," Kagome said, "You want me to comb it?"

Inu-Yasha blinked at her in surprise and held up a lock of his silver hair.

"What? This?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "Can I?"

"Uh… I… guess so," Inu-Yasha said, trying to keep a blush from staining the brow of his nose, "That'd be… nice…"

Kagome grinned.

"Cool. Go sit on in the living room," she instructed.

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly, wolfed down the rest of his food, and then walked into the living room where Sota was watching Pokémon as Kagome darted off to get a comb.

"Hey Inu-Yasha," Sota said cheerfully, "Do you like to watch Pokémon too?"

"Poké-what?" Inu-Yasha inquired puzzledly.

He sat on the floor beside Sota, and Sota smiled.

"Pokémon… You know… With Pikachu and stuff," he tried to explain.

"Pika-who?" Inu-Yasha inquired, still puzzled, "I don't get it."

"Don't you watch T.V?" Sota asked exasperatedly.

"Not a lot," Inu-Yasha said.

"Well… Pokémon are these little animal things, right? And they can do a bunch of stuff, like breath fire and make lightning and stuff," the boy tried to explain.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, though he was still a bit puzzled, "Okay."

"And there's this guy who wants to be the Pokémon master, and they all fight battles with their Pokémon to be the best."

"But then wouldn't the little Poké-things be the best, not the person?" Inu-Yasha asked, "I mean, if the little thingies are doin' all the fighting…"

Sota opened his mouth to reply, but Kagome suddenly sprung into the room.

"No! No more Pokémon talk!" she said, brandishing the comb at her younger sibling, "Sota, don't try to corrupt poor Yasha."

"But Pokémon are great!" Sota exclaimed.

"No they're not; the little people pit super-natural animals in fights 'til unconsciousness against each other. It's repetitive and boring. Very not-great," Kagome said, folding her arms, "Now, Inu-Yasha, scoot forward a bit?"

Inu-Yasha did as he was told and Kagome sat behind him, beginning to gently run the comb she had retrieved through his nice, but extremely matted hair.

"Holy crud, do you ever comb?" she asked.

"Not often," he said.

"Baka," Kagome grumbled, "It's actually good for you, you know."

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said, "I didn't really know…"

"Huh…" Kagome mumbled

Inu-Yasha stared blackly ahead at the T.V. screen that flashed odd lights in his eyes as Kagome worked her way through the mats in his hair. It did feel nice to have a comb run through it though, and he had to keep himself from letting out a contented growl.

"See, it gets really tangled right below your neck," Kagome commented.

Inu-Yasha nodded and continued to zone out at the wall.

Soon enough, Sota's show was over, and he flicked off the T.V. and ran upstairs to get ready to go to school.

They boy had phoned his friend whom he was staying with last night, and the family would be at the house pick him up soon for school.

Buyo, on the other hand, had decided to stay with Kagome and Inu-Yasha… trying to play cupid.

-

Kagome sighed and looked over Inu-Yasha's shoulder to find him looking half-asleep and smiling blissfully at nothing in particular.

She chuckled and he blinked slowly, and then shifted slightly as the plastic comb gently scratched the back of his neck.

"Nice?" she asked.

He nodded, his smile growing.

"I remember when my mom used to do this for me," she said absently, "I never used to comb my hair either."

Inu-Yasha chuckled and looked back at her. There was something he had been meaning to ask her for a while, so he decided to transform this hair-combing session into another "I want to know more about you" session.

"Kag? Did you have any other friends? Back home?" he inquired.

"Hmm?" she inquired, "Uh… Yeah… But we weren't nearly as close as you and I are."

Inu-Yasha smiled, secretly a little relieved. He didn't like the idea of Kagome liking someone more than him.

"What are they like?" he asked.

"Gossipy," Kagome said simply, "They're a lot like the girls at the school we're at now, except nicer… And not sluts."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, "Would I like them?"

"I dunno," Kagome said, "But I know they'd be drooling all over you."

Inu-Yasha chuckled quietly and smiled.

"What're their names?"

"Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri," Kagome said, "They're nice… But really gossipy… You can't trust them with much that you want kept a secret."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said again.

"And then there's Max," she continued, "He goes to our school, but I hardly see him. He was my pen pal… He moved here from the U.S.A."

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, his face falling slightly.

Kagome tilted her head and laughed quietly.

"Don't worry Yasha, you're still the only guy I really like," she assured him.

Inu-Yasha smiled again, relieved, and sighed quietly.

"How about you? Any friends besides me?" she asked.

"Semi…" he mumbled, "There was two people… I felt I could sort of trust. They were nice and all, but I've never really gotten close to anyone but you. I guess I'd call them friends, but we didn't see much of each other out of classes."

"Ah," Kagome said, "What are they like?"

"Well… The girl, Sango… You remind me of her a little bit," Inu-Yasha said, "She was nice. Very tough… I was partnered with her for a lot of things. The only girl who'd really socialize with me other than _her_."

He shuddered slightly, and Kagome automatically knew that he spoke of his ex-girlfriend.

"And the other guy…" Inu-Yasha said, a slight smirk appearing on his face, "Miroku… Is a total pervert. Nice guy, but a groping-machine. A girl would have to keep away from him unless she wanted her ass pinched… I think he and Sango are going out now, actually."

He chuckled, but sighed.

"I've kind of been wondering if they miss me at all."

"I bet they do," she said, "Why don't you phone one of them?"

"Don't know the numbers," he said with an embarrassed laugh.

"E-mail?" she suggested, but then shook her head, "Never mind, we don't have Internet here."

"I forget those as well," Inu-Yasha sighed, "Man, am I ever disconnected."

"Yep," Kagome agreed, and then ran her comb through Inu-Yasha's hair a final time before eyeing his almost tangle-less mane triumphantly, "Okay, done."

Inu-Yasha sighed with disappointment, but the looked back over his shoulder and smiled at Kagome.

" Thanks," he said, and then stood, removing the towel from around his shoulders, "Should we get ready for school?"

"Yeah, probably," Kagome said, "All I have to do is pack us lunch and we're set."

"Okay," Inu-Yasha said, "Cool."

"And we can go in early," Kagome suggested, "It looks like that storm is just going to get worse later on."

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"I'll wait here then," he said, "Can we have Ramen again?"

"Yep," Kagome laughed as she headed back into the kitchen, "What flavour?"

"Beef for me," he said.

-

Kagome soon had the Ramen packages and a thermos full of boiling water packed into her backpack. Grabbing a large red umbrella, she shouldered her pack and escorted Inu-Yasha out the door, and then waited outside as Sota ran out to join them.

They waited with the young boy for his ride to come, and then started off towards the school.

Inu-Yasha was gently holding one of Kagome's hands, but more for comfort than as a guide. He tilted his head to look at what little he could see of her and smiled.

_Life is good._

oOoOoOoO

Meanwhile, in a large house in the woods on the other side of the city, a one-armed inu youkai was sitting, his tail twitching impatiently, on a couch in his living room.

The fireplace was lit, but he was freezing. He was waiting for a call from his own secret police, hoping desperately for any information concerning his younger brother.

"My God, Inu-Yasha… If you're dead…" he whispered, and then scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head.

No… Inu-Yasha was a strong boy. He'd still be alive, no matter where he was.

Sessho-Maru listened to the rain pelting his widows and the distant rumble of thunder.

An image of Inu-Yasha as a whelp, terrified of the thunder, flashed through his mind like the lightning outside, and he sighed sadly.

A questioning growl caught his attention as a large, two headed she-dragon padded into the room.

She tilted her heads, looking at him sadly.

"Ah-Un…" he said slowly, "Hello."

Ah-Un cocked her heads again and trotted to Sessho-Maru, gently nuzzling both his shoulder and the top of his head at once in an attempt to make him feel better.

He sighed again and alternated scratching the ears of each head, and Ah-Un lay down at his feet, resting one head on his lap and the other on her forelimbs.

The she-dragon had been gone for a few days, seemingly searching for Inu-Yasha in the woods. By her scent, Sessho-Maru could tell that she had gone to whatever forest she could find.

Also, she had brought the Tetsusaiga with her. Sessho-Maru knew that the dragon would've buried it in a place where she thought Inu-Yasha might have a chance of finding it.

Sessho-Maru sighed and ran a finger up Ah-Un's brow.

"You miss Inu-Yasha too, don't you?" he inquired at a whisper.

AH-Un gave a small, sad growl, which Sessho-Maru took as a yes.

"He'll be all right," he muttered, though he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was the dragon.

-

Then, the phone rang and Sessho-Maru jolted excitedly. He stood swiftly and raced into the kitchen where the closest phone was located and picked it up.

"Hai, Taishio residence," he said swiftly, his heart thumping against his ribs.

"Chief," the voice of one of his agents said.

Sessho-Maru sighed in relief.

"Itachi… Anything on my brother?" he asked quickly.

There was a sigh and a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

_Uh-oh…_

"Well," Agent Itachi said slowly, "We think he was spotted over at Shiro Mall last week… But then he disappeared again… There were government goons all over the place."

Sessho-Maru let out a long breath that he wasn't aware that he had been holding.

"So… Do we know if he's still alive?" he asked at a whisper.

"Well, he was last week at least," Agent Itachi said sadly.

"Look," Sessho-Maru growled, "I really think that I should be out there looking for-"

"No way Chief," the agent replied swiftly, "As soon as you leave, everyone else in that house is vulnerable… And besides…"

Sessho-Maru could tell that the youkai man on the other end of the lined was smirking.

"You've still got a cold, right?"

Sessho-Maru clenched his hand around the phone tightly, giving a frustrated growl.

"That is none of your business."

His agent laughed.

"Don't worry," he assured him, "Besides… I'll take care of this one; I owe you after all."

Sessho-Maru sighed. Agent Itachi was one of quite a few youkai that Sessho-Maru had set free from the government, and since Itachi had such a convincing human form and wasn't a known youkai as he had been in a weasel form in captivity, he decided to do what he could for the one who saved his life.

"Bah…" Sessho-Maru grumbled, and Itachi laughed and hung up.

Sessho-Maru kept the phone to his ear for another moment before slowly placing it back on the receiver.

-

Then, out of nowhere, the phone began to ring once more. Blinking puzzledly, Sessho-Maru picked it up again.

"Hai, Taishio residence," he said for a second time that morning.

"Inu-Yasha?" a male voice inquired.

"No, Sessho-Maru," Sessho-Maru replied, "Who's this?"

There was a pause.

"Oh, my apologies," the boy said, "Does Inu-Yasha live here?"

"Hai, he does," Sessho-Maru said, and then repeated, "Who's this?"

"My name's Miroku… Yogensha Miroku; I'm a friend of Inu-Yasha's from school. Is he home?"

"Why?" Sessho-Maru inquired a little suspiciously.

"Well… He hasn't been at school at all. My friend Sango and I are getting a bit worried. I wanted to see if he's all right, or if he switched schools or something. Is he home?"

Sessho-Maru sighed.

"No," he said.

"Where is he?" Miroku asked.

"I don't know," Sessho-Maru mumbled.

There was a startled pause from Miroku's end.

"You don't know?"

"No…" Sessho-Maru said, "He went missing a little while ago."

Another silence.

"He did…? Since when? Oh God… I… Holy… Are the police looking for him?"

"Hai," Sessho-Maru replied, "Sort of."

"Did he run away?" Miroku pressed, "Where could he have gone?"

"I don't know," Sessho-Maru replied hopelessly, "I just don't know…"

"Well…" Miroku said a bit shakily, "I… I'd better go… I'll call if I see him at all."

"Thanks," Sessho-Maru said, "Don't call the police though… What ever you do…"

"Okay," Miroku replied a little puzzledly, "I hope he turns up. My friend and I will look for him."

"Thank you," Sessho-Maru said quietly again, and then hung up the phone again at the same time the boy on the other line did.

Sessho-Maru sighed and rested his head on his hand.

Wherever Inu-Yasha was, he hoped he was all right. The boy, if he was still alive, was smart to not call though. The lines were most likely tapped in whatever area he had been spotted in.

Shiro Mall…

That was clear across the city!

How the hell had Inu-Yasha ended up over there?

oOoOoOoO

Not far away however, the boy Miroku shakily plopped his phone down onto the receiver, not quite believing the information he had just received.

Inu-Yasha was missing?

He and his close friend Sango… They had been Inu-Yasha's only friends at school…

They had assumed that the boy had merely caught the flu. It turned out the reason for their friend's absence was much more serious.

Miroku bit his lip, his indigo eyes shimmering with worry, and he rested his head on his right hand. It was covered by a fingerless glove that went to his elbow, with a strand of pearly prayer beads wrapped around it.

Miroku was one of the humans who had been blasted from feudal Japan to the present, as was his friend… correction; his _girlfriend_ Sango.

He had an ancient curse on his right hand; it had an unstoppable Wind Tunnel imbedded in it, though despite his fears of it possibly sucking him in, it had completely stopped growing.

Miroku knew very well of what Inu-Yasha was, and was also well aware that he had been conversing with a youkai over the phone.

It was obvious to him, one who could sense youkai auras, that Inu-Yasha was a half-youkai the first time he had seen him.

Sango, too, was able to sense it, though they had never mentioned it to him that they knew. The hanyou knew that they knew as well, but all three of them remained silent about it.

It would've been awkward to bring it up anyway, and they felt it would be kinder to just treat Inu-Yasha like a normal high school boy until he was ready to trust them enough to come out and tell them himself.

He seemed scared to though; probably because telling someone about what he was previously had hurt him.

Miroku recalled one year after coming back to school from summer vacation, Inu-Yasha had missed the first few weeks of school, and once he had returned, he was pale and thin, and was extremely reclusive.

They only people he would even speak to were he and Sango, and even to them, his sentences were brief, and he was either monotone or melancholy sounding.

Miroku assumed that something horrible had happened to him… Perhaps something to do with the government?

He had heard terrible rumours from Sango's family, previously taijiya, that youkai were being hunted by the government, caught and killed. They kept the small neko youkai, Kirara, that lived with them in hiding to prevent something like that from happening to her.

-

Miroku worried dreadfully about the hanyou though, despite the boy's unwillingness to trust them completely. Sighing, he stood from the kitchen counter where he was sitting and stretched, picking up the black-and-blue schoolbag that lay at his feet.

After grabbing a rain jacket and shouldering it, he stepped outside and walked the short distance it was to the school.

Upon arriving, he saw his dear Sango standing under a tree to get out of the rain, her arms folded. She too, was garbed in a grey raincoat, her dark brown hair tied back to keep it out of her eyes. She shifted impatiently from foot to foot, clearly waiting for Miroku to arrive.

With a smirk, Miroku tiptoed over to her and stroked her rear.

"What the hell?" she squawked, and then whirled and slapped Miroku hard across the face.

The boy yelped, but then put his hand lovingly over the red mark appearing on his cheek.

"Oh, I needed that," he cooed, and Sango stared at him with an exasperated frown, but then it fell into a look of worry.

"Could you reach Inu-Yasha?" she asked swiftly.

Obviously, the hanyou was on her mind as well.

Miroku sighed sadly and looked to his feet and the asphalt.

"I got his brother," he mumbled.

"And?" Sango pressed.

"Inu-Yasha's… been missing since the first day of school," he whispered, his face turning hard and grim.

Sango's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open.

"Are you serious?" she demanded.

Miroku nodded sadly.

"Oh my God," Sango whispered, putting her hand to her forehead, "You don't think it was… those g-"

"I don't know," Miroku replied truthfully, cutting her off.

They were both thinking; What if the government got him?

"Because…" Sango said slowly, "Kirara's been gone since the weekend before that…"

Miroku's face became even grimmer.

"I honestly don't know," he mumbled, putting his arm around Sango's waist, forgetting to be lecherous for a moment, "I just hope both of our youkai friends are okay."

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha sighed as he listened to the rain spatter through the leaves of the only tree in the schoolyard. He leaned back against the damp tree trunk and blinked upwards into the foliage, having the rain sprinkle his face gently.

He heard Kagome laughing quietly beside him, and he tightened his grip on her hand slightly.

"Ready to go in now?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I think so," he said.

"Cool," Kagome said with a smile.

She picked up their red umbrella from where she had positioned it against the tree trunk, shook the water droplets off it, and then slung it over her shoulder.

"Prepare to run your butt off," she warned.

He smiled and nodded, so Kagome swiftly began to run towards the door, not releasing her hold on Inu-Yasha's hand.

She pulled back on the handle and ushered Inu-Yasha inside quickly, out of the rain. He shivered slightly and she closed the door behind them.

Stepping into the foyer, Kagome once more cringed at the pinks and greens, and Inu-Yasha laughed and covered her eyes with his hand.

"There you go," he said.

"Oh, thanks," Kagome said, "Wow, now I'm like you."

Inu-Yasha chuckled, walking confidently out of the pink area before releasing the girl.

"Now, to your locker, right?" he asked.

"Right," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha gripping her hand again, she led him far down the hall to her own locker.

Frowning, Kagome puzzled with her locker combination, though was unable to remember what it was, as Inu-Yasha stared at her, leaning against the locker beside her, his arms folded to his chest.

"Aw crud," she said, "I uh… forget my combo…"

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow and chuckled quietly.

"Let me try," he said, and he gently pushed her aside and took her lock in his hand.

Kagome watched with puzzled interest as he seemed to sniff it, and then craned his head forward.

"How many numbers?" he asked.

"Three," Kagome replied.

Inu-Yasha nodded and cautiously tilted one ear towards the lock. He turned the dial twice until he heard a click, and then in the opposite direction until he heard a second one.

He gave the dial a final turn, and the lock popped open.

Kagome blinked in shock as Inu-Yasha stepped back with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Wow… Thanks," she said, slowly grinning at him.

He shrugged modestly and gestured to the open lock. Kagome removed it, placed her umbrella inside the locker and removed all the books she would need for the day.

She placed her bag on the ground, opened it, and shoved her books in before zippering it shut and shouldering it again, and then closed and locked her locker.

"Jeez Yasha," she said, "You're a lifesaver. How'd you do that?"

"Good ears," he said with an absent shrug.

"Thanks," she said.

She took Inu-Yasha's hand again, but was jolted by a sudden voice from their left.

"Oi," said a cocky male voice, "It's that clawed psycho bitch."

Kagome whirled to find the three boys that had attacked, and been attacked, by Kagome on the first day of school.

One had faint scars tarnishing the top of his arm.

Inu-Yasha took one whiff of the humans, and his ears flattened even further against his skull.

They, literally, smelt like trouble.

"Um, do I know you?" Kagome inquired.

"Yeah," the mauled-arm guy snorted, "You bitch, you-"

He was about to stomp forwards towards Kagome, but was held back by the boy who seemed to be in charge.

"Aw, you don't remember?" the boy sneered, "I'm hurt, bitch. But I remember you… And I'm thinking it's time for a little payback."

"You wanna fight? Bring it," Kagome growled, but Inu-Yasha stepped forward, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" the hanyou barked.

"Hey, I could be asking the same, albino," the boy said, "Get out of the way. This is between the bitch and us."

"I don't think so," he snarled, "Three versus one? I don't think that's fair."

Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha in surprise. Though she had tried to stop questioning how he could do the things he did, she couldn't help but wonder how he had known there were three opponents there.

"Screw fair Yasha; I can take 'em," Kagome said swiftly.

"Yeah, listen to the bitch, albino," the boy who hadn't spoken yet said gruffly in a voice that seemed too deep for his scrawny-looking build, "Screw fair."

Inu-Yasha smirked and cracked his knuckles merely by flexing his fingers, making all three human males cringe.

"I never said it wasn't fair for her, you idiots," he laughed, "But hey… Kagome's probably a bit tired right now, so how about you fight me instead?"

_I need to vent a bit anyhow…_

"Er… Inu-Yasha…" Kagome started, but he smirked and winked at her.

"I got it covered Kaggy; I need to hit something anyhow… It's good after I have a nightmare," he said.

"Oh… I get it now…" Mauled-Arm said, "Hiding behind your boyfriend, eh bitch?"

"Not really," Kagome admitted, "He's not… Ah, whatever. Yasha, kick their asses."

"Gladly," he said with a sinister smirk, "So, you guys start. I'm waiting."

The boys looked at each other. It was three to one. It was obvious they could take this albino kid. He didn't even look that strong.

With a nod to both of his cronies, Boss-Kid balled his fists and charged towards Inu-Yasha.

The hanyou smirked and ducked the first blow, and then stuck his elbow out so that the boy running in from his side smashed into it.

Inu-Yasha's smirk fell as he felt a hard blow connect with his ribs, and he grunted, spun and kicked out, throwing Mauled-Arm into wall of lockers.

Gruff-Voice groaned and got up, and then rushed Inu-Yasha again.

The hanyou sidestepped, grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt, and punched him into his other downed friend.

Boss-Kid roared and lashed out with fists towards Inu-Yasha. He stumbled backward, dodging the blows, until he finally heard an opening and stuck his fist out swiftly.

He felt it connect and the boy in front of him went flying backwards.

Inu-Yasha let an arrogant smirk cross his lips. That had been fun! And he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Nice try losers," he chuckled, "And you know what? This should really boost your spirits."

He paused as the three defeated humans heaved themselves grudgingly to their feet.

"I'm blind," Inu-Yasha said.

The boys gawked as Kagome, standing behind Inu-Yasha, burst out laughing, holding onto the wall to keep herself upright.

"No way in hell!" Boss-Kid exclaimed.

"Yes way in hell!" Kagome replied, "Yasha's as blind as a mole! He can't see much more than grey blobs. Burn on you; you got wasted by a psycho bitch and then a blind albino! Take that!"

Kagome punched the air and continued to howl with laughter, Inu-Yasha stepping back to her side and grinning triumphantly.

"Dude, I'm out of here," Gruff-Voice said, and he jogged off down the hall with Mauled-Arm in tow.

Boss-Kid stared in anger and disbelief and the girl who had defeated him once, and now this albino kid…

How was this possible? He never lost, but…

"This isn't over bitch," he growled.

"Sure it's not," Kagome replied sarcastically, "And it's Kagome. Ka-go-meh! It's not hard to say!"

The boy growled and turned away, storming off down the hall, flipping the bird, as it were, at them over his shoulder.

Kagome chuckled and Inu-Yasha blinked blankly at the smudge of a person walking away, and then looked to Kagome, a smile on his face.

"Well, that was eventful," he commented.

"You owned!" Kagome cheered, "C'mere!"

She gave Inu-Yasha a tight hug around the neck, causing him to grunt and stumble backwards, but he slowly returned it, smiling as he laid his chin on her shoulder.

"Impressed, are you?" he inquired.

"Most definitely," Kagome chuckled, "You kicked ass! And you couldn't even see them!"

"Well… It was fun," Inu-Yasha commented, "But I'm just a little out of practice. On a good day, that punch wouldn't have hit me at all."

"How is that, by the way?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"A little sore. Kinda bruise-ish, but I'll be fine by lunchtime."

"Excellent," Kagome chuckled.

She released her hold on him, as did he for her, and, unable to stop herself from laughing slightly, she clasped his hand in between her own and guided him down the hall. Inu-Yasha gladly accepted the guidance, despite the fact that he had hardly any need for it.

Besides, it made his heart swell with warmth every time he and Kagome touched, and he wasn't eager to give it up.

-

Kagome swiftly lead Inu-Yasha into the art room, early, just as she had the first time.

As they walked in, the art teacher looked up from marking papers at her desk and her eyes widened.

"Higurashi, Tachisuji," she said, blinking with surprise, "You're back… Where were you all last week?"

"Oh," Kagome said with a shy smile, "See, Inu-Yasha got a cold, so I had to stay home with him seeing as he... can't exactly see. And they I got his cold when he got better, so he couldn't go anywhere either. Sorry."

"Do you have a note?" the teacher inquired.

Kagome shook her head.

"Did someone call in?" the teacher asked again.

"I… Someone might've…" Kagome said, looking to Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"I think I did, didn't I? On Wednesday?"

"Yeah," Kagome agreed.

"Oh, all right then," the teacher said, smiling, "I hope you're both feeling better. We've started a new project and it's on the board."

Kagome nodded her acknowledgement and sat Inu-Yasha beside her bag at the back table again.

She walked up to the board and read about the assignment, and then returned to Inu-Yasha's side.

"So?" he asked.

"We're supposed to draw someone or something from life… It's due tomorrow."

She smiled.

"Think we can pull it off?"

"Obviously," Inu-Yasha said, "I'll draw a grey blob."

Kagome chuckled and patted his hand.

"I'm gonna either draw… you or Buyo…" she said, "Whichever moves less."

Inu-Yasha chuckled and smiled.

"Probably me then," he said.

-

Soon afterwards, the classroom began to fill with other students toting around their book bags and sketchbooks.

To Kagome's dismay, Cho was one of the quickest people into the class. She was dressed in tight, bright pink and blue clothes, as usual, and Kagome cringed as she glanced in their direction.

The girl smiled as she saw Inu-Yasha, though the hanyou was trying not to cringe at her scent. Her perfume was almost unbearable.

Quickly, Cho strode up to the table and sat gracefully in a seat that seamed to magically be pulled out for her.

"Hey Inu-kun," she said cheerily, and then curtly added, "Higurashi."

Kagome flicked two clawed fingers in the air in a disdainful wave, and then turned to shuffling through her backpack for a sketchbook.

"Were you sick Inu-kun?" Cho cooed, "Is that why you were away?"

"Well yeah," he muttered, "And stop with the Inu-kun shit, if you please."

"Aw, but it suits you," she purred, leaning across the table to him.

Inu-Yasha could hear Kagome spewing out almost inaudible curse words under her breath, and he sighed sympathetically for her.

She really hated Cho, and she must've loathed seeing her muscling in with her closest friend.

"Look, Cho… Back off," he growled, "I…"

To his surprise, the girl giggled, sending a wave of fury bursting from Kagome's scent.

"That's cute," she said, "Do it again?"

"Do what?" Inu-Yasha snarled, arousing another giggle of pleasure from Cho.

"Wow, you really know how to be sexy for a girl, huh?" she said softly.

More fury from Kagome's end, and Inu-Yasha blinked with puzzlement.

"Be sexy? What the hell do you think you're talking about?" he demanded.

"Your voice is so… wild…" she sighed dreamily, "Has anyone ever told you how wonderful it is?"

Inu-Yasha frowned.

"No, and I don't want them to. Leave me alone."

Cho sighed, laughed, and leaned forward again, gently flicking his hair with a well-manicured nail.

"You really _are_ a hunk, you know that?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha quivered and slid his chair back to escape her finger.

"I told you to stop," he growled.

"Stop what?" she asked innocently.

-

Kagome, by now, was fairly pissed off.

_How dare she? _She was thinking, _How dare she come on to poor Yasha like that? Can't she see he doesn't give a damn about her?_

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and laid his hand on Kagome's shoulder nervously.

"Look," he said, "Stop trying to... do whatever the hell you're doing… I don't want anything to do with it, so leave me alone."

"But Inu-kun," she whined, pouting.

"Wipe that look off your face, or am I gonna have to punch it off?" Kagome whispered venomously, speaking for the first time since the banter had begun.

Cho smirked and leaned casually back in her chair.

"Ooh… Violent again, ne?" she chuckled, "You should really get that checked out Higurashi."

Kagome snorted out an unconcerned "Meh!" and folded her arms, glaring at the girl sitting across from her.

"Look, just stop hitting on Inu-Yasha," she said, "He clearly has no interest in you, so I'd appreciate if you took your whore-like ways someplace else, 'kay?"

"Oh, why?" Cho sneered, "So he'll end up with some plain girl like you?"

"That's not what I said," Kagome grumbled.

"Seriously… A gorgeous guy like you disserves better than her, Inu-kun," Cho said to Inu-Yasha sweetly.

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said, blinking, "But… I'm not with… And… Actually, of everyone I've ever met, I'd say Kagome'd be the girl I'd date, if I had to choose."

"Oh, thanks Yasha," Kagome chuckled quietly, a tiny blush staining her face.

"It's true," he assured her, patting her hand, "I ain't bluffing. If I had to ask someone out or I'd die, it'd be you Kag."

"You really need to improve your taste in girls Inu-kun," Cho sighed, "There are so many others out there…"

"But I like Kagome," Inu-Yasha said defensively, taking Kagome's hand and holding it close, "She's my best friend, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop insulting her… Unless you want me to hit you in the face, that is."

"You'd hit a girl?" Cho gasped, looking horrified.

"If she pissed me off, hell yes," Inu-Yasha said, frowning slightly, "And guess what Cho? You're pissing me off."

"Fine…" Cho grumbled, "Maybe I'll just sit at a different table today."

"Aw… Pity," Kagome whined sarcastically, "Oh, please stay!"

Cho snorted with distain, slipped out of the chair, and walked to another able to sit.

Kagome and Inu-Yasha grinned at each other.

"Excellent work," Kagome laughed.

"You too," Inu-Yasha said, "But… Don't let her get under your skin Kagome."

"Huh?" Kagome inquired, blinking at Inu-Yasha, her eyes widening with surprise.

How does he know? 

"Don't let her make you mad," Inu-Yasha continued, "I have no feelings towards that repulsive girl, so don't worry."

"Um… Okay," she said.

"And… uh," he said slowly, and his face suddenly brightened considerably, "Hey, you wanna see a movie tonight?"

Kagome tilted her head at him and smirked slightly.

"See? Yasha, you can't see," she reminded him.

"I know," he said, "Doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun."

"Ur… Okay," Kagome said, "Cool."

"Really?" Inu-Yasha asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Kagome replied.

"Oh, and it's a date by the way," Inu-Yasha said with a smirk, "So therefore, I get to pay for the tickets and crap."

Kagome blinked at Inu-Yasha, her jaw dropping.

"Wha…? A date? You just asked me out on a _date_?" she demanded.

"Sure did," Inu-Yasha laughed proudly.

Kagome gawked at him, almost unable to believe her ears.

"Why…?" she asked, "You…? What?"

Inu-Yasha chuckled and patted her hand, grinning at her.

"Don't worry; it's more of an excuse for you not to pay for anything than a real date," he assured her, "But it'll be fun; I promise."

"You evil, evil boy," Kagome sighed, and then smiled, "Okay. I accept… But I'm paying for my own ticket at least."

"No way," Inu-Yasha protested.

"Yes way," Kagome said.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"You will not buy the ticket!"

"I will!"

They frowned at each other fiercely for a moment before Kagome's forehead began to hurt and she leaned back in her seat, rubbing her brow and chuckling.

"Fine… You win…" she sighed dejectedly, "But only because my head hurts if I scowl too much."

Inu-Yasha's frown melted into a wide, triumphant smile, and he laughed and ruffled her hair.

"It'll be fun; I promise," he repeated.

"Ugh… Fine…" Kagome muttered, and then smiled at him, "How long have you been waiting to ask me?"

"Um… It was sort of spontaneous," he said, "But uh…"

He had to stop himself from putting his hand to his heart.

"I just… feel really good when we're together is all," he said absently, "It makes me feel warm… And… like…"

He trailed off and shrugged, giving Kagome a small smile as she blinked at him, suddenly blushing furiously.

_My God… He's being really sweet today…_she thought, _I wonder what's up?_

She smiled and held his hand again, causing his face to light up, and then the bell rang to start the class. Inu-Yasha cringed slightly as the high-pitched noise shot through his brain like a frozen arrow-tip, and then the class began.

oOoOoOoO

Art was a good class, save for when it was being uneventful. Kagome sat through the whole thing, having quiet conversations with Inu-Yasha at their recently evacuated table as she sketched him for their project.

He, of course, was excused from the project, because he wasn't allowed to draw something abstract.

The most exciting thing about the class was, as Kagome walked to the trash to throw out a broken pen, it exploded all over Cho, who then ran in a fit to the washroom to clean up while she was either pitied or laughed at.

-

Math was next, and it was, as Kagome put it, evil incarnated into little number equations.

The teacher was insistent on giving her make-up work for the days that she missed, but was unwilling to explain the complexities of Slope and Pythagorean Theorem to the befuddled girl.

Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha, who had already passed grade 9 math, and prodded him into teaching her how to do her homework…

And as soon as she had almost understood, more new material was laid down onto her desk; most of which was as confusing as looking at Romanised characters for an imaginary language while trying to puzzle out what it said, even though it said nothing at all.

Sighing with utter frustration, Kagome had again tried to have Inu-Yasha teach her, though the bell rang, causing the half-youkai to swear quietly, and Kagome had decided that that was quite enough of the math shit, thank you very much.

OOoOoOoO

The start of lunch, compared to the rest of the day so far, was magnificent.

The deep fryer in the cafeteria had broken, causing a pleasant lack of grease scents lingering in the air.

As Kagome and Inu-Yasha walked down the hall, the hanyou automatically noticed this and perked.

The cafeteria was usually hell for his sensitive nose, but it was still raining heavily outside…

And he had no intentions of going out there with all the –shudder- thunder around.

"Hey Kag?" he asked, "Maybe… We can eat in there today, huh?"

He jerked his head at the cafeteria, and Kagome looked at him, puzzlement on her face.

"I thought you hated it in there," she said.

"I do," Inu-Yasha replied, "But I… heard the deep fryer's broken… So I'm safe today."

"Oh good," Kagome said a little brightly, "Let's go in then."

She guided the boy through the large double doors that led into the cafeteria.

The room's bland green walls were littered with posters advertising the first school dance of the year, which would be occurring the next Wednesday.

All around them, despite the fact that there was a week until said event, the room was nearly drowned in talk about who was taking who, who was or wasn't going, who was planning to kiss…

Stuff that Kagome and Inu-Yasha really didn't need to hear.

The hanyou could clearly hear at least thirteen different conversations, and he cringed and flattened his ears against his skull, trying to block them out at least a little.

Kagome looked up at him to see his face contorted in irritation, and held his hand, drawing his attention.

"Are you hurting?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha shook his head and gave her a grin.

"I'm fine," he assured her, and then glanced around, "Any empty seats?"

He spotted a table that no human outlines rose above, and before Kagome could answer, pulled her swiftly to it by the hand.

He sat himself at the end of the lunch table, and pulled Kagome down beside him.

She gave a disgruntled "eep", but then gave him an amused smile.

"I wanted to get this table before someone else did," he explained.

Kagome chuckled softly and then placed her backpack on the bench beside her. She pulled out the two bowls of instant Ramen noodles and the thermos.

She prepared the two bowls quickly and then passed the beef flavoured one to Inu-Yasha.

He accepted it gratefully and was halfway done his noodles by the time Kagome had just started hers. She giggled at him and gently flicked his nose.

He cringed, snorted, and then rubbed his nose as Kagome laughed quietly.

"Crazy bitch," he muttered playfully, and then flicked her nose in return.

"Ow," she squeaked, clapping a hand to her nose, "Hey!"

It was Inu-Yasha's turn to laugh, but his smile swiftly fell as he caught Cho's scent enter in through the cafeteria doors and begin a speedy approach towards their table.

"Shit," he cursed softly, and ducked his head in a vain attempt to avoid the girl's eyes.

Kagome raised her eyebrow and turned to see Cho marching swiftly towards them.

"Shit…" she echoed.

"Higurashi?" the girl said.

She was in an all-new outfit now, since her previous one had been accidentally doused in ink.

"Look, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

"Sure; what's up young evil pinkling?" Kagome inquired, turning around and crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands behind her head, "Go ahead Cho; I'm listening."

"No… I mean in private," Cho insisted.

"Then no," Kagome replied, "I can't leave Inu-Yasha here by himself. You might have little pinkling spies lurking around to steal and rape him like in the mall. Remember that Yasha?"

Inu-Yasha shuddered and nodded.

"We weren't going to rape him!" Cho said indignantly.

"Yes you were," Inu-Yasha grumbled.

Kagome chuckled and Cho clenched her fist in frustration.

"But Higurashi, I… Dang it, I promise nothing will happen to him. I just want to talk to you," she said, "Please?"

Inu-Yasha looked to Kagome and shook his head, telling her she didn't have to go anywhere, though she shrugged.

"Okay, fine," she said, "Be a good boy while I'm gone, Yasha."

She stood and Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.

"Yes _mother_," he said sarcastically.

Kagome giggled and patted his cheek affectionately before heading off reluctantly with her worst enemy.

Unknown to her, Inu-Yasha waited until the two were safely out of the cafeteria before following slowly.

He knew there was little reason, but he was worried about Kagome's safety.

He leaned casually against the wall beside the door, his ears trained on the conversation of the two girls.

OOoOoOoO

Out in the bland hallway, Kagome narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, leaning back against the wall.

"So… What's this all about?" she asked.

Cho scoffed, gladly throwing off the polite act that she had kept in front of Inu-Yasha.

"Oh, not much," Cho sighed, "Just…"

She cut her eyes at the clawed girl and handed her a slip of paper.

"Here" she said coolly.

Kagome looked at the paper, her eyes round.

"What the hell?" she demanded, "An invitation? To a party? I thought you hated me."

"Oh, I do," Cho said, "But Inu-Yasha won't come without you, so-"

"Oh, is that what this is?" Kagome asked angrily, "You just wanna get at Inu-Yasha?"

Cho shrugged and smiled a little.

"Could be, Higurashi," she said.

"Look," Kagome growled, "He doesn't like you now; what makes you think some party's gonna change his mind?"

"I think it might," Cho smirked, "A few dances and I'm quite confident he'll be mine."

Kagome sighed and shook her head.

Couldn't the girl tell that Inu-Yasha wasn't interested?

And what would how well she could dance matter?

Inu-Yasha couldn't see much more than grey blobs!

"Okay," Kagome snarled, "I now know that you're a freaking whore. You have problems."

Cho shrugged.

"I have problems?" she repeated, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement as she eyed the girl whom everyone called "Goth", "Higurashi, I just think you're smothering the poor boy."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kagome demanded, "Smothering?"

"Well, you won't let him be alone…"

Cho trailed off and smirked as she could see Kagome's anger building.

"He's blind, baka! I'm helping him out!"

"Whatever," Cho scoffed, "I think you're just trying to keep him to yourself."

"Why would I do that?" Kagome asked.

"I see the way you look at him," Cho said softly, "That look in your eyes. You love him, don't you?"

Kagome's heart jolted, but externally, she didn't waver. She loved the boy as her best friend.

So what?

He felt the same way for her; it was obvious. It wasn't like she was _in_ love with him.

"What?" Kagome demanded, "I don't _love_ Inu-Yasha! We're just friends? What the crap?"

Cho nodded and sighed dreamily as she looked up to the ceiling.

"Such a hunk shouldn't be seen around someone like you," she said, "He needs a good girlfriend, with good connections… and good looks…"

Kagome snorted and looked to the ground.

She knew she wasn't ugly, but Cho was just playing on her nerves.

Perhaps the girl had heard, like so many others had, that Kagome was an Emo and just about anything could set her over the edge.

Kagome still had little clue of where they had all gotten the notion from.

Yes, she had nearly killed herself, _once_. She had never thought about it before or after the incident, and she had vowed, since meeting Inu-Yasha, that she'd never even let such a thought cross her mind again.

It had been the stupidest thing she had ever done.

-

"Cho…" Kagome growled, but the girl began to laugh softly and stared at Kagome.

"That look," Cho continued, smiling slightly, "Of such… utter trust… I see it in both of you. It's so funny… I'd just love to tear it into little shreds…"

"You give that a try," Kagome said, "See if you make it away with your face intact."

Cho giggled again and wagged her finger at Kagome.

"Higurashi…" she said warningly, "You have to stop being so violent; really."

"Why do you want him?" Kagome blurted.

"Hmm? Little Inu-kun?" Cho asked, and got a dreamy look on her face, "He's so hot… Plus, you want him, I can tell."

"Urm… Not really," Kagome said slowly.

She felt her cheeks start to burn, though was extremely puzzled by this.

_But… I don't want him like that… Do I..?_

"So… You only want him because you think I want him?" she asked.

Cho shrugged.

"Well, he's super hot," she said absently, "If him being with me makes you miserable, it's an added plus."

"Wow…" Kagome said, nodding, "I think I get it now. You're mental."

Cho laughed, causing Kagome's temper to rise once more, and Cho took a step closer to her.

"Does he know Higurashi?" Cho asked softly.

"Know _what_?"

Cho glanced at Kagome's bare arms and smirked.

"About your scars."

Kagome's heart jumped in nervousness. She looked down at her arms.

The scars that covered the tops of them…

She frowned.

"What… do my scars have to do with anything?" Kagome asked.

"Hardly attractive," Cho stated simply, "I guess, by the look on your face, that you haven't told him about them."

"Why do they matter?" Kagome demanded angrily.

"Little things matter Kagome," she said with a smirk, "Maybe you don't want him to be able to see again. So that he won't know what you really are."

"And what am I?" Kagome snarled.

Cho smirked.

"You're a lost little girl Kagome," she said quietly, "You're hardly as confident as you seem. You're lost. You've got no one. That's why you cut up your arms, I presume."

Kagome blinked at Cho with shock.

_But I didn't do these,_ she thought, _It was my father, not me… I wouldn't cut myself up for the fun of it…_

"That's… not true…" Kagome muttered.

Cho did nothing but smirk. She was about to walk away from Kagome, but she tapped her on the shoulder lightly.

"I expect to see both of you there," Cho whispered, "Or else I may just have a couple of my "friends" on the football teams go after Inu-Yasha. And you know they'll do anything for me. And _I_ know you care about him too much to let that happen."

Kagome stiffened in anger, and Cho smiled pleasantly and walked away.

"See you there!" she called cheerfully over her shoulder.

Kagome snorted and angrily punched the wall.

"DAMN IT!"

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha was shocked.

He had heard almost all of Kagome and Cho's conversation, save for the last bit when he couldn't stand to listen any more.

_Scars? Kagome has scars? But… How?_

Kagome hadn't cut herself, he was sure of that, but… Then how did she get those…?

_Oh shit…_

Inu-Yasha suddenly remembered Kagome's father coming into the house, cutting her…

The hanyou rapidly felt extremely guilty, the shame weighing heavily in his heart like a large lump of stone.

Those scars were his fault.

If only he had been able to reach Kagome quicker on that day!

Cursing himself softly, he bit his lip and clenched his fist angrily.

_Oh Kagome…_

And Cho had told Kagome that she was lost. That she had no one. No one who cared about what happened to her.

_That's not true Kagome_, Inu-Yasha thought,_ That's not true at all. You have me, don't you?_ _I care about you._

He wanted to rush to Kagome and tell her that, but then she would have wondered how he could've heard that.

Cho had been whispering when she had said that, and he had been on the other side of a closed door.

_I'll tell her just a little later_, Inu-Yasha thought anyways, _I don't care if she wonders about me. She needs to know that I care. That she's not alone. God… I don't want Kagome to feel like there's no one out there who cares about her._

He sighed frustratedly and headed back to the table swiftly. He sat back against the wall as he had been before Kagome had left. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt until he heard Kagome enter the cafeteria once more.

As she walked to the table, Inu-Yasha looked up from his shirt and tilted his head.

"Kag?" he asked, despite the fact that he was already well aware that it was her.

He just had to go along with the almost-helpless blind guy act for a little while more… Then he could tell her what he was.

_Give me a week or so…_ he thought to himself, _I gotta get my nerve up to tell her…_

"Yeah… Hey Yasha," she said quietly, though she couldn't help but sound a tiny bit depressed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Sure," Kagome said, smiling at him as she took her seat.

"So… What did Cho want?" he asked innocently.

"She… wants us to go to some party she's having," Kagome said.

She tossed the brightly coloured paper onto the table with scorn and glared at it as Inu-Yasha feigned surprise at the information.

"Well, did you tell her we're not going?" Inu-Yasha asked, "I mean… When is it? I don't want to go."

"It's…"

Kagome paused, reading the paper.

"Tomorrow night…"

Inu-Yasha frowned and folded his arms.

"We're not going," he said defiantly.

Kagome bit her lip and sighed sadly, and Inu-Yasha jolted and looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, we are," she said softly.

"Why?" Inu-Yasha demanded, "I hate Cho. You hate Cho. We all hate Cho. Why are we going?"

Kagome stared into Inu-Yasha's puzzled eyes and felt a warmth stir in her chest.

Was Cho's threat real? Would she really set a bunch of people on Inu-Yasha if they didn't go?

Kagome didn't want to even think about Inu-Yasha getting hurt anymore. He didn't need more worries about people after his head.

"I don't want you to get hurt, that's why…" she said softly.

Inu-Yasha's eyes became round with increasing puzzlement and he blinked with shock.

"What d'you mean?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head and sighed.

"It doesn't matter; we have to go," she said, "Sorry Yasha."

"Feh…" the boy grumbled, but them smiled and patted Kagome's hand reassuringly, "Oh well; it might be fun if we can avoid most people."

"Right," Kagome agreed, smiling slightly as well.

She could see in his eyes that Inu-Yasha desperately did not want to go anywhere, but he had accepted anyway, but she could also see that he was deeply troubled by something.

Kagome was beginning to be able to read the boy through his eyes, though what she found puzzled her.

There was almost always pain, but at the same time, affection. And now, there was tremendous worry.

While puzzling over this, Inu-Yasha slowly reached out to her and took her hand.

He squeezed it tightly, his heart throbbing with fret for the girl.

After classes, he'd have a bit of talking to do.

OOoOoOoO

After lunch was Gym class.

Kagome despised it as well, and her teacher was still making a little bit of a fuss about Inu-Yasha sitting in on them.

They were doing track and field events this week.

Kagome wasn't exactly the best in her class, but she was better than most at many of the events, plus, she had her own little cheering squad of one.

-

Language class was the last period of the day, and to both teens, the most fun.

Kagome loved Language class, primarily because she got to write. Inu-Yasha seemed to greatly enjoy it as well; he too, had quite a way with words on paper.

Today, the class was collaborating with the Tech class. They were to partner up, write a short film script, and then film it.

Inu-Yasha and Kagome, naturally, were together on the project.

"So… What do you wanna do?" Kagome asked excitedly.

Projects like this always had her over the edge with joy. The one part of school that didn't suck!

"A comedy," Inu-Yasha said swiftly "Comedy and action."

"Staring a Tae Kwon Do raccoon!" Kagome giggled.

"Right!" Inu-Yasha said excitedly, "And Buyo can be the damsel in distress!"

"I like it," Kagome said, beaming, "Now all we have to do is find a raccoon, teach him a few moves…"

She punched the air, Tae Kwon Do style, and then laughed.

"And we're good to go!"

"Awesome!" Inu-Yasha laughed, "Let's write the script first though."

Kagome nodded and pulled out a few pieces of lined paper and a pen.

"Okay, we'll call it "Rakun no aru Shi: Revenge of the Kitty!" Kagome said.

"Yeah, and we'll have a raccoon and a cat fighting over the love of Buyo… Who is playing the girl," Inu-Yasha said.

"You grumpy at Buyo or what?" Kagome asked with a chuckle.

"Yep," Inu-Yasha said.

He grinned widely and Kagome began to laugh again.

"Let's do it!" she said, and then swiftly began to write the first few lines.

-

By the end of class, Inu-Yasha was in an extremely good mood.

The script was halfway done, and involved four fight scenes, multiple catnip induced ramblings, and many, many Buyo degradations.

_That'll teach the fleabag to mess with my love life,_ Inu-Yasha thought triumphantly.

Though, just as Inu-Yasha's mood hit its peak as he thought of Buyo playing the damsel in distress, his happiness quickly tumbled to the ground as Cho's earlier words reverberated in his head.

_"You're lost. You've got no one."_

Leaning against the locker beside Kagome's as the girl grabbed her things, Inu-Yasha suppressed a distressed sigh and rubbed his fingers through his bangs.

It wasn't true. He cared more for Kagome than anyone in the world.

She may have only him and a few others, but it was far from no one.

As Kagome finished packing her things and she held his hand to lead him home, he almost couldn't quell a tiny whimper.

_Kagome…_

The girl began to talk, but Inu-Yasha couldn't quite pay attention. He nodded and smiled, and laughed occasionally, but his mind was hardly present in the conversation at all.

He could scent the slight gloominess lurking about her, despite her cheerful façade.

_Is she really that bothered by what Cho said?_ Inu-Yasha wondered, _Just because Cho thinks she can win me over? Keh !Kagome has nothing to worry about from her… but…_

He glanced in his friend's direction, puzzled.

In his eyes, Kagome had no rival, but she doubted herself anyway… Why?

And then his mind traced to the scars lingering on Kagome's arms, and the whimper, as soft as it was, escaped his throat.

Why hadn't she told him?

Why hadn't she not tried to play the hero that day, and let him fight that bastard of a human?

_If only I had been quicker, then… She wouldn't even have them… It's all my fault…_

An urge to embrace Kagome; wrap his arms securely around her and protect her from any dangers; was almost overwhelming, and it made his heart ache with guilt.

_It's my fault…_

_-_

By now, the two were already outside. It had stopped raining, yet the sky was still covered by a thick, grey blanket of clouds with no end in sight.

They were walking just beneath the tree that the had first met under when Kagome decided it was time to question Inu-Yasha's slightly unnerving silence.

"Hey Yasha-" she started questioningly.

"Kagome…" Inu-Yasha whispered, interrupting her.

His blinded eyes locked on hers, he stopped moving and held her by the shoulders.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

Slowly, he slid his hands down her arms until he found her hands. He held them gently, squeezing them in between both of his.

Kagome raised her eyebrow.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Kagome… why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.

"Tell you _what_?" She inquired.

"About… this…" he muttered.

He released one of her hands and ran his own hand up her arm, feeling the raised lines that etched it. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what he was doing.

"How… How did you-?"

"I heard Cho… talking about them to you," he admitted, "Your scars. Why didn't you say something to me?"

"You heard?" she inquired, "H… How…?

Inu-Yasha bit his lip, looking away guiltily.

"I was worried about you… So I followed you… I'm sorry," he muttered, "It… I wanted to make sure she wouldn't hurt you but…"

He shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he repeated, his eyes wide and hurt looking.

"I… didn't think they would matter," Kagome said truthfully, "Why?"

"Kagome," Inu-Yasha said, shaking his head, "It does matter. It matters big time."

He sat down on the concrete at the base of their tree, and Kagome followed suit.

"Why does it matter?" Kagome asked.

"Because someone hurt you," he said, "Some lowlife jackass permanently damaged you. Kagome... I know you feel that you're responsible for me… But I feel that I'm responsible for you too."

Kagome eyes widened.

"But why?"

"Why?" he asked, and he laughed slightly, "Because, I'm all you've got, aren't I?"

Kagome eyed the ground.

"Hai. You are," she said quietly.

He sighed.

"If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do," he said, "I… just feel so guilty for all of this."

"You? Why?" Kagome questioned.

"Because," Inu-Yasha sighed, "Listen, I'm older than you, aren't I? And stronger, no offence… And even though I can't see, I should be the one looking out for you, not the other way around. If I had been able to reach you faster that day your dad hurt you… then you…"

He sighed again and his eyes darted off guiltily once more, and he gulped quietly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Oh… Inu-Yasha, it ain't your fault," Kagome assured him quickly, laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Feh," Inu-Yasha mumbled grumpily, "But I feel like it is."

"But it's not," Kagome said, "Stop it."

Inu-Yasha merely snorted irritably and continued to look guilt-ridden.

Kagome scooted over to his side and eyed him with concern.

_Why does he think it's his fault_? She wondered.

"Kagome," he muttered, "Can you forgive me for this?"

He took her hand tightly once more and stared at her, but to Kagome, it looked almost as if he didn't really wish for forgiveness.

He looked infinitely depressed, Kagome decided, and like he was convinced that it was his fault and even if she told him it was all right, he would keep blaming himself anyway.

That's just how the stubborn boy was.

"No," Kagome said, "Because it's not your fault, baka. Why're you being so protective all of a sudden?"

"It's what I do," he muttered, "I have to be. I… I just owe you so much Kagome…"

_I'm just as responsible for you as you are for me_, he thought.

Kagome continued to eye him with puzzlement.

_He's just about the weirdest person I've ever met_, Kagome thought. _He feels guilty for things that have almost nothing to do with him. …I just don't get you Inu-Yasha…_

"And besides," she started, "Um… they aren't all from that one time."

"What?" Inu-Yasha demanded, looking up at her swiftly, "_What_?"

"Dad's cut me up before, its no biggie," Kagome commented

Inu-Yasha merely stared at her, gawking, looking completely distraught.

Kagome was puzzled.

She had thought maybe the news that they weren't all from that one time he was there would cheer him up.

Apparently, she had been wrong.

Inu-Yasha looked as if he was about to start crying on her behalf. He was much more upset about her being hurt than she was.

_Kagome… you disserve better than that,_ he thought, his expression turning to one of fury.

"My God! How…? How dare he?" the hanyou snarled loudly, "That… Ugh! God damn the fucking son of a… fuck! Ah! I'll kill 'im, I fuckin' swear…"

He closed his eyes tightly, growled softly, and then sighed, pressing his rage downwards as Kagome stared at him, a bit puzzled, but touched as well.

"God… Kagome…" Inu-Yasha muttered.

Gently, he put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and embracing her.

Kagome's eyes widened at his unexpected hug and she began to blink with puzzlement.

"What're you doing?" she asked, a bit confused.

"It's called comforting, moron," he said, quoting her from a week before, but his voice was soft and caring, "I just don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"Yasha…" she mumbled, and he trembled and hugged her closer.

"Please Kagome…" he whispered, "Always tell me. Okay?"

His body shuddered again and he buried his face into Kagome's shoulder.

"Please?" he begged quietly.

Kagome couldn't understand why Inu-Yasha was so upset, but she smiled slightly and leaned her head against his.

"Okay, I promise," she said, "I'll always tell you."

Inu-Yasha looked up slowly, regaining his former position of attempting to be the comforter, not the person who needed comforting.

"You mean it?" he asked.

"Duh," Kagome said.

He gave her a relieved smile, and he slowly released her and lightly ruffled her hair.

Kagome appreciated what he was doing, but she frowned at him in puzzlement.

_What's with him today? One minute he's spazzing and the next, he's acting almost as if he's in love with me. What's up with that?_

-

"Kagome…" Inu-Yasha muttered, sounding a tiny but embarrassed, "I also heard what Cho said after the scar thing."

"You… did?" Kagome asked, her eyes widening.

He nodded, blushing a tiny bit.

"And it's not true," he said slowly.

"What's not?" Kagome asked.

"That you don't have anyone. That's not true."

He bit his lip, and then grinned at her slightly.

"I care Kagome," he said. "I care about you."

"You do?" Kagome asked.

"No shit," Inu-Yasha replied with a slight smile.

Kagome couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks," she said, "Wanna know something? I care about you too."

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said with a grin.

His heart felt slightly lighter. Even though he knew that already, he didn't know why, but hearing Kagome say that made him feel better.

_You like her_, his conscience told him.

_Feh, _he thought as a reply, but then his eyes widened, _Good lord, I just hugged her, didn't I? For a real comfort reason, I mean… Uh-oh…_

He felt his face begin to burn, but he ignored it. He suddenly felt really, _really_ weird, his face tingling, and it grew as Kagome comfortably leaned up against his shoulder.

He vaguely recognized the feeling, but he had only ever felt it once before, but with a different girl.

This puzzled him immensely; seeing as he had been deeply infatuated with the girl he had felt this for before.

He felt almost as if he wanted to kiss Kagome.

_Kiss her? I can't kiss her, _he thought worriedly, but his heart's yearning to comfort her told him otherwise, _Oh… But I want to… just on the cheek. That won't do any harm, will it? Will she hate me? Oh man…_

The first time he had ever felt this, he had ignored it… but now the hanyou decided to give his instincts a bit of a break.

Shyly, he shifted his arm and put it around her shoulders. Kagome looked at him, surprised, and he leaned over to her and touched his forehead to the side of her head.

"Kagome," he said quietly, "I just… want you to know I'm here for you… And I always will be because we're friends, and that's what friends do. I'll… I'll protect you. I promise."

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha, tilting her head slightly, unaware of a blush that was slowly creeping across her cheeks at the closeness.

_He'll protect me? _Kagome thought, her brow knitting with puzzlement, _He… wants to protect me? _

With that, Inu-Yasha pushed himself forward a tiny bit, and gave Kagome a light peck on the cheek.

Kagome's hazel orbs become wide, and she stared at Inu-Yasha in total shock. She raised her hand to her cheek and touched the spot where his lips had met her skin, the small tinge of red on her cheeks deepening considerably.

It felt so weird…

When she looked up into Inu-Yasha's eyes, she saw both embarrassment and happiness there, as if he had really, _really_ wanted to kiss her for some reason that was probably a mystery, even to him.

She also saw something else, like he was proud of himself for coming out and doing that. Kagome couldn't help but feel a little proud of him too.

She smiled slowly.

"Thanks Inu-Yasha," she said, "That was… really nice of you."

He blushed furiously and his amber orbs suddenly seemed very interested in the ground that they couldn't see.

Kagome's smile broadened and she patted his arm.

"Hey, no biggie," she laughed, and then rose to her knees and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek to return the favour.

His eyes widened and his blush deepened, but he smiled and slowly drew his arm back from the girl's shoulders.

That had felt nice.

He didn't know why he had had that crazy urge, but… it had been worth it.

"Oi," Kagome chuckled, "Now people really _are_ going to think we're going out, aren't they?"

"They might," Inu-Yasha replied quietly, shrugging, "Kagome… um… Sorry 'bout that… I don't know what came over me…"

"That's okay Yasha," Kagome assured him, smiling, "Haven't you ever heard of good friends kissing each other? On the cheek?"

"Sort of," he admitted.

"And…" she said slowly, "Aren't… Aren't we best friends Inu-Yasha?"

"'Course we are!" he exclaimed, "Kagome, I care about you more than anyone else! How could we not be best friends?"

He grinned and cupped her face, pulling her forward so that his forehead rested against hers.

"But don't think that lets you get away with buying your own movie ticket," he warned.

"Damn," Kagome sighed, snapping her fingers with disappointment, "I thought maybe I could talk you out of it."

The hanyou's smile only grew.

"Not a chance."

He snickered and tweaked her nose in an, unknown to her, youkai sort of endearment.

"And you're blushing," he said.

"What?" Kagome inquired.

She clapped her hands to her cheeks and concentrated, feeling the excess heat in her face.

"What the hell? How dare you know I'm blushing before I know I'm blushing?" Kagome exclaimed.

Inu-Yasha laughed and gave Kagome a loose embrace around the shoulders, and she began to chuckle as well.

"Sometimes Yasha…" she said, shaking her head, "You amaze me, you know that?"

"Nice to have a fan," he said with a smirk.

-

Briefly, the two companions forgot where they were. They sat in a contented silence, the hanyou still holding the girl in his arms.

Lately, they were both having an increasing amount of spacing-out sessions.

After a little while, they realized they should be heading home, so they walked back to the house in yet another comfortable silence.

As soon as they got there and Kagome opened the door, however, she found herself eye to eye with Buyo as he leapt off a small table and clung to her shoulders.

"Buyo!" she exclaimed with shock, and would have toppled backwards out the door if Inu-Yasha hadn't caught her hand and held her up, "Jeez! Don't do that!"

"_YOU KISSED!"_ Buyo yowled triumphantly, _"Don't bother denying it; I can smell your saliva on each other!"_

"Ew," Kagome commented.

She supported the cat's back legs with her arm and she scowled at him.

"You are the weirdest cat I know," she muttered.

"Weirdest cat I know, and I've been talking to them longer than you," Inu-Yasha agreed with a nod.

"_But you did! You K-I-S-S-E-D!"_ Buyo laughed, dropping from Kagome's arms, _"Oh yeah! Woo!"_

"Just on the cheek," Inu-Yasha muttered, folding his arm against his chest.

_"But I was right! Oh yeah!"_

The cat jumped onto his back paws and flailed his front ones around, singing.

_"I'm… too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt… So sexy it hurts…"_

Kagome and Inu-Yasha stared at the cat, blinking with shock. Inu-Yasha cringed and looked away.

"Good lord!" Kagome exclaimed, "You crazy neko-thing! You don't even own a shirt!"

"_Exactly; I'm too sexy for it!"_ Buyo meowed.

Inu-Yasha sighed deeply, muttering something sounding like, "What the hell does being sexy have to do with anything we were just talking about?"

Kagome smiled with amusement, but then the smile shifted into a wicked smirk

"Shouldn't you be saying that you're too sexy for your fur?" Kagome inquired innocently, "Because in that case…"

She paused and her smirk grew until Buyo gave an involuntary, nervous quiver.

"I could shave it off for you, if you'd like…"

"_Arg!"_ Buyo squealed, grabbing onto his rump with both paws as if trying to guard his fur, _"No! Not my beautiful pelt! Kaggy, you wouldn't!"_

Kagome began to giggle, and she knelt down and roughly mussed up the cat's ears and fur so it appeared as if he were sporting a Mohawk between his ears.

"Not now, I wouldn't," she assured him, "I have math homework to do… And Yasha, you're helping me."

Inu-Yasha looked up from zoning out at the floor, looked puzzled for a moment, and then grinned and nodded.

"Oh, of course," he said, "But can we work outside? I need a bit of air after being stuck in that stuffy school all day."

"Agreed," Kagome said.

"I'll meet you there, okay?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "I'll get us some bottled water or something."

"Okay," Kagome said with a nod, "I'm off."

She leaned her umbrella against the wall and then stepped back outside to go sit near her tree at the edge of the property.

-

Inu-Yasha couldn't help a small smile after her as she left.

_Okay, maybe the cat was right…_ he admitted, _May I am falling for her a little bit…_

The hanyou shrugged and snorted out "Feh!", and then headed to the kitchen.

Buyo followed at his heels and watched the boy accurately find the fridge door, open it, and pull out two bottles of cold water.

"_My God…"_ he muttered, and the shot a sly smile at Inu-Yasha, _"You hardly need Kaggy's help to get around at all, do you?"_

Inu-Yasha suddenly looked a little grim, and he shook his head and sighed.

"I… I need to pretend like I do a lot more than I do… I'm supposed to be a human, remember?" he said softly.

"_Right,"_ Buyo said, _"Why the hell don't you tell Kaggy what you are?"_

"It's hard," Inu-Yasha sighed, "I mean… I don't want her to not trust me, but…"

He rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand and sighed again.

"Just give me a week or so… Then I'll tell her," he mumbled.

"_But doesn't it hurt you to keep stuff like that inside… And away from her?"_ Buyo asked.

The cat's tone wasn't tricky any longer; now, it was gentle and slightly concerned.

"Of course it does," Inu-Yasha replied, "But…"

_I'm scared… I don't want to be hurt again…_

Buyo looked up at the hanyou and cocked his head, and then gave a smile and gently pawed at the leg of his jeans.

"_Well Yasha-boy," _he said with a large grin, _"I, for one, really like those dog-ears of yours."_

Inu-Yasha forced out a small smile, and then turned to head back out of the house to join Kagome.

-

Kagome, her math books on her outstretched legs, sat at the base of the tree that she had used to sleep in.

She yawned and stretched her arms and back against the trunk, and then looked up. She watched what little sunlight there was peeking through the clouds filter through gaps in the large tree's canopy. Some of its large leaves were beginning to change from green to orange, gold, and red.

It was quite a sight.

Kagome sighed happily as a slight breeze ruffle her hair, but then, suddenly, she felt tiny claws prick onto her shoulder.

When she turned her head to look, there was a small, brown bird sitting there, twittering quietly.

Kagome couldn't understand its words, and raised her eyebrow slightly as more small birds began to fly down from the treetops to perch on her shoulders and head.

"Okay…" she said a little puzzledly, "Just none of you guys crap on me, okay?"

She couldn't tell if they could understand her or not, because all they did was continue to chirp quietly.

Then, there was the sound of larger wings rustling from above her, and in a blur of black feathers, a crow dove out of the tree to casually rest on Kagome's leg.

"_Hi,"_ she said, and she began to run her beak through her feathers to preen.

"Ur… Hi…" Kagome replied, "Yo, what's with everybody sitting on me?"

"_Oh, it's cuz we know you're not going to hit us with a rake," _the crow explained as she looked up from preening, _"Why?"_

Kagome cut her eyes at the bird and frowned slightly.

"How do you know I'm not gonna hit you with a rake?" she asked.

"_Because you don't have one,"_ the bird said simply, _"Oh, that and you have interspecies trust because you speak our language."_

"Uh-huh…" Kagome said, nodding slowly, "So… can everything understand me then?"

"_Carnivores, mostly," the_ crow explained, _"My family has stories about humans like you. Very few herbivores will be able to understand you, but they'll still trust you."_

"Oh, thank God… I don't have to go vegan then," Kagome said, blowing out a sigh of relief.

"_Vegan?"_ the crow repeated.

Kagome waved her hand dismissively.

"Never mind," she said.

She looked down at her math homework and gave a hopeless sigh.

"God damn this…" she grumbled.

From the house, she heard the door open, and she saw Inu-Yasha walk around the side, clutching two water bottles in his hands.

"Kagome?" he called, "Where are you?"

"Over here!" she called, "Just walk straight!"

Inu-Yasha nodded and walked swiftly to her and the tree. Once her silhouette was in his sights, however, he noticed dramatic alterations caused by the creatures perched on her.

He could smell birds all over her, and he smiled.

"Wow, your silhouette seems slightly off," he commented.

"Yeah, that's cuz I'm covered in birds," she said.

He smiled and sat beside her, and the two black birds that had taken roost in her hair hopped onto his shoulder.

"Birds, eh?" he laughed, "Well, don't think they can hide your twiggy-ness. You still need to get untwigified."

"Bah," Kagome grumbled, "Whatever. Now help me with math. Birds; off, I can't move with you guys there."

Swiftly, the crow squawked the same message to the other birds, and they all took off in a flurry of feathers, save for one of the black ones roosting with Inu-Yasha.

"Look Yasha," Kagome giggled, stroking her finger along the bird's head, "You've got a buddy."

"Yay," Inu-Yasha said.

He gently itched the bird in between its eyes with a claw and he leaned over Kagome to peer at her math book.

He squinted, trying to see it, but was unsuccessful.

He sighed, but then gave Kagome a smile.

"Okay, tell me what you need help with."

oOoOoOoO

The sky was dark by the time Kagome's math homework was complete. She had made Inu-Yasha go through every problem with her in excruciating detail, so that she wouldn't be as confused as a blind wombat anymore when it came to the equations.

Having Inu-Yasha know what he was talking about was a huge help.

Kagome could remember trying to get math help from her mother and grandfather while they were at home.

The results were disastrous.

Her mother had specialized in the arts in school, and wasn't very good at math herself.

Her grandfather, however, would go into longwinded stories about math when he was younger, and while explaining things to Kagome, if he got something wrong, he would claim the problem had been possessed by a youkai and use sutras to try to ward it out.

Kagome sighed at the thought, but then grinned at Inu-Yasha.

"Thanks Yasha, you're a huge help," she said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and smiled.

"No problem," he said, "Hey… What time do you think it is?"

"No clue," Kagome replied, "Want to go to that movie now?"

"You bet," he sighed, "I need some senseless violence or something to get the damn numbers out of my head."

"Yeah? Well at least you understand the damn numbers in your head," Kagome laughed.

She hit herself in the forehead in a desperate attempt to dispel the math, but it was unsuccessful, and she let out a deep sigh.

She picked up her math work and held it under her arm tightly as the two friends stood to return to the house.

Inu-Yasha took her sketchbook and when they got to the back door, he held it open for her and they deposited her things on the kitchen table.

"I'd grab a jacket," he suggested, "I think it's gonna get cooler tonight."

"Right," Kagome said.

She went to the front door and opened the closet. She pushed aside some clothes on hangers, tossed Inu-Yasha his leather jacket, and then pulled out a baggy, dark blue one of her own.

As she put it on, Buyo crept back into the front hall from another room and stared at them inquisitively.

"_Where the heck are you two going?"_ he inquired curiously.

"Out," Kagome said simply, "To a movie."

"_Out?" _Buyo repeated, _"Like, on a date, out?"_

"Sort of," Inu-Yasha admitted.

He pulled one arm through his jacket before realizing his money was up in his room, so he darted away to retrieve it.

Kagome watched him go and smiled slyly. She reached to grab her wallet from the table near the door where she usually put it, but she heard a disapproving sound.

"Tsk tsk, Kagome," Inu-Yasha called, "Don't touch your wallet at all. I'm paying and that's that."

She heard him blow a raspberry at her, and she sighed dejectedly, wondering how he could tell.

Frowning and determined to pay for herself, she felt inside her pockets and was relieved to find that she had at least enough money to pay for a ticket.

She smirked triumphantly as Inu-Yasha bounded back down the stairs and grinned at her.

"We walking?" he asked.

"Unless you wanna take a taxi," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha shook his head and hooked his arm around hers.

"Okay, let's go then," he said cheerfully.

He headed for the door, and then Kagome looked over her shoulder.

Buyo was dancing around triumphantly, singing his "I'm too sexy," song once more.

She laughed and shook her head, and Inu-Yasha turned to give a cocky smirk to the cat.

"Oh, Buyo, by the way…" he said, "We need you to play in a movie for school. You have a leading roll."

"_I do? What is it?_" Buyo inquired, and he struck a majestic pose, _"The all-mighty neko hero? An evil villain?"_

Kagome covered her mouth with one hand to suppress a giggle and Inu-Yasha's smirk grew to one of all but malevolence.

"You're the girl," he said.

Buyo gawked and the two companions stepped out of the house, and Inu-Yasha closed to the door to the scream of, _"I'M A WHAT!" _from a rather disgruntled pussy-cat.

* * *


	28. Not Quite As Planned

* * *

A/N: Okay, author's note time!

I was kind of laughing when I read one review that pointed out to me that Takai means expensive. I did, in fact know that, but I didn't actually know that Takai meant anything for a while; it was just a name to me. XD

Takai, in Japanese, also means loud, and something to do with death, so I'm Death/Expensive/Loud Wolf! Yay!

Also; something about yen, so that we're all on the same page with the money stuff. 1000 yen is equal to approximately 10 American or Canadian dollars.

* * *

Chapter 27: Not Quite As Planned

* * *

While holding Kagome's hand as the two companions walked up the small movie theater in the bustling city of Tokyo, Inu-Yasha couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky.

Life was good… and he wasn't even being sarcastic.

Sure, he was blind, had no idea where his house was, he was having weird feelings for Kagome and was calling her his mate when his instincts took partial control over him, and his brother probably though he had kicked the bucket a while back, but… other than that, the past few weeks had been the best in his life.

He finally _belonged_ somewhere.

Someone finally _needed _him.

-

Kagome too, felt lucky.

The walk to the theater had been an all-but silent one, though it had been extremely comfortable for both participants.

Kagome, for one, couldn't get the boy who was holding her hand out of her brain.

She couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but just looking at Inu-Yasha filled her with warmth and worry.

_Is this… some sort love that I'm feeling?_ She wondered.

After knowing Inu-Yasha for just a few days, she had begun to feel this, but ever since a car had hit him, the feelings had intensified greatly.

Now, they were almost an ache in her heart, and it puzzled her beyond compare.

Seeing his smile warmed her greatly, though when she looked into his eyes, she could see that he felt this too, but there was also pain.

She wished she knew what that pain was; she wanted desperately to help him.

What she didn't know was that she was.

-

As they came to the theater doors, Inu-Yasha dropped her hand and hooked his arm around hers, forcing her slightly closer.

He extended a hand to push open the door, and cordially escorted Kagome into the main entranceway where they would buy the tickets. The area was large and elaborate, with posters advertising new movies and odd, silver decorations that seemed to have no real purpose. Since it was still a school night, the theater didn't seem to be overly crowded at all.

Inu-Yasha let the door swing close and leaned against the wall, letting Kagome do the same.

"So… What do you want to see?" he inquired.

"I don't know… Let's see what's playing," she said, and she glanced up at the black headboard that listed movies and times, "Uh, there's _Howl's Moving Castle_, _The Incredibles_, _Alien VS Predator_, _Star Wars 3_, _Polar Express_ and _Godzilla Final Wars_. Anything sound good?"

She looked to Inu-Yasha, who shrugged and put his hands behind his head.

"Dunno. I heard that Howl thingy is supposed to be good," he said absently, "But right now, _Star Wars_ sounds the best."

"I agree," Kagome said, and she looked up at the board again, "Uh oh… It's in English with subtitles though."

"That's okay; I know English," he said.

"So… Do you wanna see both?" Kagome inquired, "_Howl's Moving Castle_ starts in fifteen minutes, and then we can get into _Star Wars_ right after that."

"Sounds good," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, and then lowered his voice, "Are we… sneaking in?"

"We can pay for both, if you'd like," Kagome said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged, but it would certainly make him feel more comfortable.

He found it odd that vandalizing public property was a breeze for him, but sneaking into a movie made him a bit edgy.

Kagome reached slowly into her pocket, pulled out some money, and then slid it into his hand. He stared at it blankly for an instant before frowning and sighing with frustration.

"Kagome…" he grumbled.

"Nuh-uh, you aren't paying for all of it," she insisted, "Please just frickin' use my money okay?"

"But _I'm_ supposed to pay," he pressed, "I'm treating you tonight; not the other way around!"

"Cut the chivalry Yasha," Kagome sighed, folding her arms, "I want to pay for my ticket at least."

The girl frowned at him and he frowned back until he though of a trick-compromise.

"Okay, you pay for one ticket, I'll pay for the other three," he said.

"Three…?" Kagome inquired, but she realized by the look on his face that he didn't feel right sneaking into a movie, so she sighed and nodded, "Fine… Fine…"

"Good!" he said brightly.

He ruffled her hair and strode off towards a ticket-sales booth.

"Hi, I'd like two for _Howl's Moving Castle_ and two for _Star Wars_," he said.

The elderly woman behind the register gazed at him inquisitively and looked around to only see Kagome with him.

"Uh… Four tickets, sir?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, and then gestured to Kagome, "We're going to two movies. That's okay, right?"

The woman cracked a huge smile and nodded as Inu-Yasha paid, and then handed him the tickets.

"Bless you, young man!" she said brightly, looking as if she were about to burst into tears of joy at finding teenagers that were honest enough to pay for both movies that they were going to see.

Inu-Yasha smiled and took the tickets, handing Kagome both hers, and her money. She stared at it in shock before glowering at the innocently smiling boy before her.

"You didn't use my money!" she growled.

"Of course I didn't," he laughed, holding his hand out to her, "What? You thought I would?"

Kagome sighed, her scowl fading, and she shook her head.

"Not really," she admitted.

She laid her hand on Inu-Yasha's and he took it tightly, but waited for her to guide him. She sighed, though couldn't prevent a smile from crossing her lips. She led the boy through the second set of doors that led to the theaters and the concession booths.

Inu-Yasha sniffed and smiled slightly.

It was a while since he had been to a movie, and the scents, despite how artificial most were, were slightly refreshing.

"Would you like anything?" Inu-Yasha asked, pointing to a large concession booth with a sparkling sign.

"Only if I'm paying," Kagome said with a smirk.

"Nope, no paying for you," he scolded, "Jeez! I try to show a girl an okay time, and she won't let me pay for stuff! Unbelievable!"

He rubbed his forehead in frustration as Kagome snickered quietly and shook her head.

"You are a total nutcase, you know that?" she laughed, and shook her head again, "All right, fine. If it means so much that you pay, go ahead. Have fun."

Inu-Yasha turned to her and gaped with momentary disbelief before putting on a straight face.

"Is this some sort of trick?" he asked suspiciously, cutting his eyes at her.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head.

"No," she replied, and Inu-Yasha gawked again before grinning brightly.

He all but jumped with joy, hugged her around the shoulders, and quickly kissed her cheek.

"Thank you!" he said, half out of glee and half out of exasperation.

Kagome laughed quietly, red marring the brow of her nose, and she patted him on the shoulder as he darted off to the line.

"What d'you want?" he asked over his shoulder.

"A Coke," she replied with a shrug, "Uh… Sprite, actually."

"Sprite; okay," he said with a nod.

He swiftly pulled his money out of his pocket again, requested two large Sprites, paid, and headed back to Kagome.

"You're doing pretty good tonight for a blind dude," she said as he handed her the Sprite.

"Almost blind," he corrected her, "I can see blobs."

"Ah yes, the blobs," Kagome said, and then sighed, "Hey; maybe if I get a job I can save up for lazar eye surgery for you."

"It won't be necessary," he said confidently, "I think I can feel my eyes healing already!"

He closed one lid and gently prodded it with a finger to emphasize his point, and Kagome laughed quietly.

"Okay, Mr. Not-So-Blind, let's go to our movie," she said.

She grabbed his arm again and pulled him down a corridor of movie posters to theater 12, where _Howl's_ _Moving Castle_ was playing.

-

Upon entering the theater however, they found it to be completely empty other than a woman and her two daughters, sitting down the middle near the front.

"Oh, we should sit at the back," Kagome suggested, who was rather pleased with the large amounts of seats to choose from, "How about right near the wall?"

She smiled a little shyly at Inu-Yasha.

"It's kind of cozy there," she said.

The hanyou boy smiled back at her and nodded, so she led him carefully up the stairs to the back.

Knowing how antisocial and edgy Inu-Yasha could be, Kagome allowed him to have the wall seat despite the fact that there was a lack of other humans in the room.

Who knew? Maybe there would be more people coming in as the movie began.

The girl took a sip of her soft drink and then placed it in the cup holder to her right. Inu-Yasha would have done the same, but he had finished his drink while walking down the hall. He placed it down on the floor by his feet, and Kagome rolled her eyes and sniggered.

"What?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

Kagome shook her head.

"Nothing… Nothing…" she said.

After a few minutes of watching advertisements, the previews began to start. Since their movie was only PG, the commercials were all for comedy and children's movies, all of which seemed like the same thing put on by different people with most of the characters being talking farm animals.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle every once and a while at the stupidity, and then, the movie started.

It began with a town and a train with a large amount of smoke billowing from its pipe, and a girl named Sophie making hats.

Kagome watched with mild interest and Inu-Yasha listened closely. It was easy to understand what was going on, but he thought it would be a lot easier if people had invented some sort of combination of smells to go along with the movie.

But then again, humans didn't have the best noses in the world, so for them, there was little point.

_Maybe one of Sessho-Maru's companies can make one,_ he thought.

-

Meanwhile, Kagome yawned and stretched out her arms before putting one arm the armrest on Inu-Yasha's side. He moved his arm to do the same, but found hers there. Instead of dismissing it and putting his arm elsewhere, he laid his on top of hers.

Kagome blinked at his arm through the dark, her face heating up. His did as well, and he gently held her hand. She smiled and sat back in her seat, grasping to him in return.

They sat and watched/listened as Sophie was magically walking through the air with a slightly girlish-looking, blond magician person.

"I'll bet that's Howl," Kagome muttered, "The wizardy guy."

Inu-Yasha nodded his agreement and yawned quietly, and one of his ears twitched slightly at the sound of footsteps coming up the aisle towards them.

He glanced there casually and Kagome followed gaze, though was alarmed to see a teenaged boy walking stealthily through the theater towards them.

Inu-Yasha snorted his distaste at the boy's scent; he reeked of lust. As well, he recognized it; it was a sex-obsessed gang member from his old school, and he didn't want him anywhere near Kagome.

Kagome raised her eyebrow at the boy as he came closer and she shot a glance at Inu-Yasha as his grip on her hand tightened. He had a slight grimace on his face and a deep scowl on his brow. He clenched her fingers in between his, wariness sharpening his movements.

The boy's scent was of lust, and the only female in his age range around was Kagome.

_She's mine,_ he thought angrily, but his anger, mentally, faded into extreme embarrassment, _Yikes! Why the hell did I even think that? Kagome and I aren't even together…_

He bit his lip.

But she is mine… My mate… I feel her soul… 

The hanyou cringed as he felt his internal youkai instincts rising because of his anger, and he forced them back into his head and gently soothed them, tenderly coddling the internal dog demon; stroking its ears and hushing it as if it were his baby brother.

-

Though it was weird; he almost felt like he _could _feel her. There was a lump in his chest, throbbing gently next to his heart.

It had formed, he supposed, incredibly slowly so that he hadn't noticed up until now.

Or maybe it had been when Kagome had unwittingly soothed the ache of his scar; he couldn't be sure.

He hadn't been quite positive of what it was, but tonight, as Kagome laughed, or smiled, or blushed, he could feel it fluttering with excitement, though when she had become depressed as she mentioned lazar eye surgery, he too, felt depressed in the odd little spot he had developed, and he couldn't help but wonder if she could feel him as well or if it was merely a youkai thing.

-

Inu-Yasha tried desperately to clam his anger while the human boy looked around, locked his eyes on Kagome, and continued hastily up towards them. He walked with a cocky swagger, and then seated himself directly beside the girl.

She glanced at him with irritation, though he grinned at her with an annoyingly high amount of self-confidence.

"Would you mind sitting elsewhere?" Kagome asked him, "There's a whole empty theater here."

"Hey, it's a free country, ain't it?" the boy replied, "I'll sit where I want."

The arrogant smile never left his face, and Kagome frowned and shifted away from him, towards Inu-Yasha. He smiled despite his own resentment and caressed her hand, and it was obvious that her agitation was eased slightly.

They both turned their attention back to the movie, and Kagome automatically began to laugh as she saw the girl on the screen magically transformed into an old woman with an abnormally large nose.

"What?" Inu-Yasha inquired at a whisper, and Kagome described the scene to him through a giggle.

He smiled and laughed softly with amusement.

The boy on Kagome's right tapped her shoulder, though she ignored him.

"You know what else would be funny?" he asked.

Kagome growled quietly and huddled closer to Inu-Yasha, not even looking him in the face.

"Hey, you ignoring me babe?" he asked.

Kagome growled again, and Inu-Yasha frowned and leaned over Kagome to stare the boy in the eye.

"Yo; can't you see she wants you to piss off?" he hissed.

"Oh, what? Is the girl a mute now? Can't talk for herself?" the boy sneered.

With this, Kagome whirled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him roughly so that he was nose to nose with her, forcing the boy's suddenly slightly frightened blue eyes to meet with her furious hazel ones.

"Listen you vile, putrid little fruitcake, either you shut the _fuck_ up and leave me alone, or I'm gonna kick your girly ass all the way out onto the grass and roll you in dog shit, got it?"

"Hey, whatever turns you on," the boy smirked, and Kagome gasped with disgust and socked the boy on the cheek before pushing him backwards and huddling close to Inu-Yasha.

The hanyou lips were pursed as he tried not to howl with laughter, and then, after a few more minutes, he sighed and leaned against Kagome so he could speak to her more easily without being too loud.

"Hey," he said, "Would you like to switch seats? Uh… You can probably see better from my spot."

Kagome looked over at him and blinked as she was met by his warm amber eyes.

His gave her an innocent smile and she smiled back, blushing slightly.

He was giving up his seat so that she wouldn't be bothered. How valiant.

Kagome nodded and whispered her thanks and he stood, allowed her to sit in his seat and took hers.

The boy, who was now nursing a bruised cheek, frowned with irritation and stood as well, walking down the row to take a seat as far away from Inu-Yasha as he could get.

Apparently, he was beginning to remember the hanyou as well.

-

"You all right?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

Kagome nodded and leaned her head against Inu-Yasha's shoulder.

"Thanks," she said, "Oh… You can have my drink, if you want it."

Inu-Yasha gave her a bright smile.

"Thanks," he said, and he picked up her over half-full cup and took a large sip from it.

Kagome chuckled and cuddled closer, using the hanyou's shoulder as a pillow. He stared at the movie screen before him, trying to ignore a blush that was passing over his face and he sighed.

The closer Kagome got, the more he craved to hold her and cuddle with her for her warmth, and the more he yearned to kiss her again.

His blush deepened considerably at his strange urges, though he gave in to one and slid on arm hesitantly around Kagome's shoulders.

She looked at him, blinked, and blushed.

"Yasha…" she mumbled.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

Kagome nodded against his shoulder and he smiled, though even through the dark, she could see his flushed face.

"Oh good," he said.

He gave the girl a gentle squeeze against his side, though at that moment, the armrest decided to maliciously jab her in the side.

Kagome frowned and shoved the large, annoying piece of plastic out of her way so that she wouldn't be at risk of prodding her kidneys out, and she leaned closer to the boy who was holding her. His arm tightened around her and they sat comfortably, Kagome watching the movie and Inu-Yasha listening closely to figure out just what was going on.

-

Occasionally, however, the film completely left his mind and all he could think about was Kagome and how close the two of them were.

It felt incredibly wonderful to hold her and have her willingly lean into him. Every once and a while, he would wonder if she liked snuggling as much as he found that he did, and every time he tested her scent, he was reassured that she did.

He tilted his head and sighed softly.

Sitting like this made him feel extremely vulnerable, though despite his loathing of feeling at all weak in the world, he enjoyed this greatly.

Almost as if… this weakness in him was a good thing… But was any weakness good?

Inu-Yasha was perplexed out of his seventeen-year-old brain.

Why was he feeling these things? Why now? Why with Kagome?

-

Soon, his head was rested on top of hers, and before he could stop it, he felt affection for her flowing through him, so he softly kissed her temple.

She was taken off guard and gasped quietly with surprise and blushed, and then gently elbowed him.

"Don't do that too much in public," she joked, "Or I'm gonna turn red permanently."

The boy nodded, red staining his cheeks as well, but he found that he liked kissing her like that.

The fact that she hadn't rejected any of the closeness he had begun to crave was a huge plus in his life.

Though, every time he thought about his odd cravings, he began to feel ashamed and confused.

Why did he feel like this for Kagome? Was this what love was supposed to feel like, instead of the odd infatuation he had had with Kikyo? Was he supposed to begin to ache whenever the touching stopped?

Questions sent his mind spinning once more, but he pushed them aside.

This was his and Kagome's first date-like-thing, and he didn't want his doubt to ruin anything.

Even though he had claimed it wasn't really a date, it was turning into more and more of one.

They were snuggling, blushing every few minutes, and unable to let each other go.

It was almost the complete opposite of his first date with Kikyo. That had been all but awkward.

Inu-Yasha cringed.

Why did he compare everything to _her_? He wanted to forget her, but she was almost always in the back of his mind, nagging.

It wasn't as if he still liked her at all; quite the opposite, but when he was in similar situations with Kagome, he couldn't help but compare the two girls despite the fact that Kagome always, _always_ came out on top.

He debated whether he should ask her if she'd like to continue going out on small dates like this with him.

He knew he'd enjoy it, and he was fairly sure she would too.

The Sprite, despite his outer appearance, had made him slightly giddy on the inside, giving him the extra boost of self-assurance that he needed, and he smiled.

_You're becoming infatuated again, _he warned himself, and then gave an internal snort as a reply, _Keh! Whatever! At least it feels good all the time this time… I wonder how Kagome feels? I think I will ask her if she'd like to be with me._

_-_

As the movie progressed, Kagome had to do more commentary so that Inu-Yasha would understand the plot. The movie heightened in sappiness continually as Sophie fell in love with Howl, and a random, fat dog that huffed all the time appeared.

_For a story in the middle of a war, this movie needs a hell of a lot more violence, _Inu-Yasha thought.

Kagome was half asleep, snuggling with him by this point, and was slightly giggly from the Sprite she had consumed earlier as well.

At any dramatic or supposedly sad event, she began to laugh softly, unable to stop herself, while mumbling out apologies to Inu-Yasha, who assured her that it was fine.

oOoOoOoO

By the time the film was over and the love song played during the end credits, Kagome was laughing loudly.

"C'mon, Yasha, I've got the tune, we should sing along," she snickered.

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, and Kagome began to laugh harder.

"Listen; you just change the words," she explained.

She began to sway to the tune.

"This song… it is so slow… I makes me want to throw… My liver across the room… La la la la la!" Kagome sang, "Do you get it Inu-Yasha? You try."

"Uh…" he mumbled, "I'm not a very good singer."

"Neither am I," Kagome laughed.

"I thought you sounded pretty good, despite the liver part," Inu-Yasha said quietly.

Kagome stared at him with surprise and burst out laughing again.

"Oh, you're sweet," she commented.

She gave him a peck on the cheek, causing his face to flush crimson for about the hundredth time that night.

"C'mon Inu-Yasha," she pressed.

She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow until he sighed grudgingly and nodded.

"Uh… This song makes me want to hurl… And uh… I'd like to eat a squirrel?" he sang hesitantly.

Kagome giggled and nodded enthusiastically, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

"See? You're not bad," she said, beaming at him, "Let's keep going!"

oOoOoOoO

Twenty minutes and an unimaginable amount of bad lyrics later, Kagome at Inu-Yasha were sitting in the crowded theater that was showing _Star Wars Episode 3_.

They had managed to get a seat at the back of the theater that was near to the wall again, though Inu-Yasha had a few people on his right and Kagome had some empty seats beside her.

Kagome stared blankly at the screen as advertisements for cars and food flashed slowly across it. There was even an advertisement for advertising.

She sighed.

"Pathetic…" she whispered.

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched at her remark, though her decided not to comment on it.

"So… Uh, Kagome?" he asked slowly.

"Uh-huh?" she replied.

"I was wondering," he said shyly, "Um, would you be willing… to go out like this again sometime?"

"Huh?" Kagome inquired, looking up at him, "You mean, go out with you again on a date?"

"Well, yeah," Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Would you… be willing… to be with me? Just like this for a while?"

He turned to her and smiled.

"It feels nice for me… Being together with you like this," he admitted, "Does it feel nice for you?"

Kagome tilted her head, pondering, and then smiled and gave a nod.

"Yeah, it does," she said.

"So, you'd be with me?" Inu-Yasha asked, "I mean, nothing serious or anything. Just like we're doing now?"

"Okay, sounds fun," Kagome said with a grin.

"Cool," Inu-Yasha said, allowing himself a small smile, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Kagome assured him.

-

Soon, the previews began to start up again, and to Inu-Yasha's horror and annoyance, he caught the scent of the same teenaged boy from the other movie approaching, but this time, he also could pick out four other scents he recognized.

The gang was all here, and that definitely wasn't a good sign.

"Kagome," he whispered, "Could you do me a favour and stick close to me?"

Kagome gave Inu-Yasha a puzzled frown, though she nodded and scooted on her seat so that she was as close to him as she could get, and he swiftly pushed the armrest up and out of her way.

"What's up?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha said nothing but casually turned his head to stare at the five boys approaching them… again.

Kagome followed his eyes and sighed with frustration as she spotted them.

"Not again," she grumbled.

The hanyou nodded in agreement and sat quietly, reaching out to take Kagome's hand again. His fingers intertwined with hers, and he felt infinitely better.

Kagome squeezed his hand tightly in return and closed her eyes with irritation and edged closer to Inu-Yasha as the boys took the empty seats at her side, and she found herself seated next to the same boy as she was in the other theater.

"Whoa, déjà vu, eh babe?" he said, grinning at her.

"Why are you still here?" Kagome asked, "My god, can you not sit somewhere else?"

"This is the only spot with five seats together left," he said with an exaggerated pout, "But, you know, if I get to sit next to a babe like you-"

He was cut off as Inu-Yasha peered around in front of Kagome and glowered at the boy.

"Yo, leave her alone," he hissed, "I can't believe you're so thick I have to tell you this twice. She's with _me_and if you try one more thing on her you're gonna wish you never even saw her."

He put one arm around Kagome's waist and pulled her protectively to his side.

Kagome blinked up at Inu-Yasha, crimson progressing up her face again.

Inu-Yasha said nothing more because he wasn't exactly keen on disturbing the other people in the theater, though he did want to keep Kagome safe and out of reach of that boy.

He bent down towards Kagome's ear and rested his forehead in her hair.

"Are you okay with sitting here?" he whispered.

Kagome shrugged and nodded, though she, as well, didn't say anything because the movie was starting.

"We could move if you'd like," he continued.

Kagome shook her head again and leaned up against Inu-Yasha's side and he wrapped his other arm around her securely.

_**They will not touch you, Kagome…**_

_**-**_

The girl in question, meanwhile, was now almost half-asleep despite the explosions and blaster-fire coming from the speakers around the theater.

The way she was positioned had her cheek against Inu-Yasha's shoulder and a bit of his hair in her face.

And… Wow… He smelt really good.

Kagome knew for a fact that Inu-Yasha didn't wear any cologne, or use any shampoo, but still…

He had a wonderful scent.

He reminded her of the woods; like the smells of the moist leaves on the forest floor, the pine and maple tree, combined with the scents of spices that were unknown to her.

But nonetheless, it was putting her to sleep.

She turned her head, smiled against his shoulder, and cuddled into him, and his arms tightened around her.

"You falling asleep on me?" he asked.

Kagome smirked.

"Ur mel's utting me oo leep…" she whispered against his arm.

His ears twitched and he let a smile cross his face, and he nudged her to get her to look up at him.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"Your smell is putting me to sleep," she repeated with a grin.

Inu-Yasha gave the girl a puzzled look, and she snickered softly.

"You smell nice," she stated simply.

Inu-Yasha's face was swiftly altered to red again, and he looked to his feet with embarrassment while Kagome chuckled.

"How about me? Do I smell okay?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and couldn't help a smile.

"Yeah," he said, "You smell extremely okay."

Kagome nodded as if to say, "Cool", and she smiled and forced her eyes to open all the way and focus on the movie screen in front of her.

oOoOoOoO

By the time Anakin Skywalker was telling Padmé that "she was so beautiful because he was in love with her", both Kagome and Inu-Yasha were trying not to gag.

Not only did Kagome despise the actor whom played Anakin, but also that love scene had to be the worst one she had ever seen, and Inu-Yasha readily agreed: the only thing Anakin could deliver properly was a scowl and that the scene's dialogue had truly been pathetic.

_Even I could write a better one,_ Inu-Yasha thought with a smirk, _If I was tellin' a girl that she was beautiful, it sure as hell wouldn't be like that._

He trained one ear on Kagome and listened to her snicker softly at the scene. She stopped abruptly, however, as she heard a soft sound of scraping plastic to her side.

She looked out of he corner of her eye to see the perverted boy had pushed up the armrest that separated the two of them.

She didn't know how, but Inu-Yasha was also aware of this development, and he wrapped his arms even more snugly around her, as if to shield her from any oncoming threats. Kagome couldn't help but relax in his arms, despite the fact that the pervert beside her had edged slightly closer to her.

She, annoyed with the notion that she was being hit on, had moved so near to her companion that if she got any closer, she would be sitting on his lap.

She then heard the perverted boy groan and let out an exaggerated yawn, stretched out an arm slowly towards her, and closer to her.

Before he could even touch her, however, his face ran into the swiftly and accurately placed fist of an extremely irritated and protective hanyou.

The boy yelped, drawing the puzzled glances of some nearby spectators and a snicker from Kagome, as Inu-Yasha drew back his fist and put his arm back around Kagome.

"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with you?" the boy hissed, rubbing his cheek tenderly where dark bruises were forming in two spots, where Inu-Yasha had struck him and where Kagome had.

"What the fuck is wrong with _you_?" Inu-Yasha retorted at a low growl, "She told you to stay the hell away from her. She's _mine_, and I'll damn well fight you to keep you away."

Kagome blinked with puzzlement at Inu-Yasha's comment that she was _his_, though she could tell by the look on his face that he was mostly saying that to convince the other boy that they were really _together_.

Though, when she looked into his angry eyes, she was startled to find a little bit of wildness flashing in them.

He _did_ mean that… at least, a little…

-

The boy looked daggers at the hanyou, and Inu-Yasha shot his own blades back at him before the boy turned his head away to mutter angrily among his companions.

Inu-Yasha smirked triumphantly and leaned back in his seat, though Kagome was still staring at him.

He sniffed and then gave the girl a slightly apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he whispered, "Those creeps go to the school I used to… And… they hate me."

"Oh," Kagome said slowly, and then smiled, "Okay."

"Yeah…" Inu-Yasha continued, "So… after, they might be looking for a fight; just to warn you."

Kagome nodded again and then yawned behind her hand.

-

They sat through the rest of the movie in reasonable silence, save for the part where Anakin had his limbs chopped off and began to burn in the lava.

Then, they were both laughing.

They also began to laugh at the overly dramatic, exaggerated "NOOOOO!" right at the end of the movie.

It was "most excellent", as Kagome put it.

To try to avoid the gang from Inu-Yasha's old school, however, they ducked out of the theater right before the credits began, slinking swiftly down the stairs behind an abnormally wide couple that easily concealed them.

They darted out of the dark room before the lights had a chance to rekindle, and Kagome hooked her arm around Inu-Yasha's and led him out of the building swiftly and into the cool, night air.

The hanyou breathed it in contentedly before shooting a wide smile at Kagome.

"Well, what d'you say? Did tonight go well?" he asked.

Kagome nodded and grinned.

"Yep; it sure did," she said, "I liked… um…"

A blush crept across her cheeks and her smile turned slightly timid.

"I liked sitting with you the way we did," she admitted, "Close… It was really comfy."

Inu-Yasha stuck his head up proudly and chuckled to himself.

"Good," he said, "I liked it too."

Kagome's smile brightened automatically, and she smirked and began to lead Inu-Yasha away from the building and start on the way home, though she was interrupted by an unnecessarily loud "AHEM" from behind them.

Kagome stopped with one foot in midair, as she was about to take a step, and then twirled expertly on her heel, forcing Inu-Yasha to, a little awkwardly, do the same.

-

Behind them, and not unexpectedly either, stood the gang from inside the movie theater, framed in the unnatural glow of the florescent lights seeping through the glass doors behind them, along with the red of a clock that flashed the numbers 11:24 over and over again.

Inu-Yasha's lip curled in a snarl of revulsion.

He should've known better than to try to get away. These five… They could somehow _always_ catch up.

Kagome frowned at them; she could see them all clearly now in the light.

All five of them were dressed in a sort of stereotypical "punk-rocker" fashion; dark coloured clothes, studded bracelets, and chains hanging from their baggy pants.

The one boy who had been trying to make a move on Kagome had short, spiked up blond hair and dark, almost creepy looking eyes.

Kagome raised her eyebrow and Inu-Yasha squeezed her arm tighter.

"What the hell do you guys want?" he growled.

Another boy with shoulder-length brown hair pursed his lips amusedly before sneering at the two companions.

"So… Albino, it _is_ you," he laughed, "We thought so…"

Inu-Yasha frowned again and protectively held Kagome to his side.

"Yeah, it's me Grease-Neck," Inu-Yasha spat, "What the hell do you want?"

"That girl would be nice," a chunkier boy snorted out.

Kagome's face contorted with disgust and, she raised an eyebrow at the boys and stuck up her head proudly, trying to seem impassive or amused, though secretly, people like this scared the shit out of her.

"Yeah right," she scoffed, "Like I'd even voluntarily stand _near_you people."

"You might not have a choice, wench," the blond one laughed.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her brow.

"Why me?" She mumbled, "Why must males always be trying to come on to _me_? I'm not even hugely attractive! Yasha, I need help…"

Inu-Yasha smirked and held Kagome close, affectionately patting her head.

"Don't worry Kag; I won't let them touch you," he promised.

"What's the promise of that albino worth?" A third, black haired boy inquired, "You know babe, he's probably two-timing you with some other girl."

Kagome feigned shock and blinked at Inu-Yasha, her jaw dropping.

"Oh my God," she said, "Oh my God, Yasha's… Wow… Inu-Yasha, I never thought you had it in you."

"I know; me neither," Inu-Yasha commented with a shrug, "Go figure."

"You know, he probably _is," _a fourth boy mused, "I mean, wasn't he seeing that Kikyo girl a while back? She could still be around somewhere."

Inu-Yasha stiffened at Kikyo's name, his eyes narrowing to a dangerous squint.

"Kikyo could be dead for all I care," he hissed, "If you ever say that name again to me, I'll kick your ass."

The five did nothing but chuckle, which really got Inu-Yasha riled. His fingers itched, as they almost always did, to tear them all to ribbons, but he knew he couldn't do that.

-

Kagome watched the scene with interest and growing frustration, until finally, she sighed, pulled away from Inu-Yasha, rolled up her sleeve, and delivered the blond boy another hard punch in the face.

The laughter, unsurprisingly, stopped abruptly and Inu-Yasha blinked with surprise.

"Good lord," the boy groaned, "What the hell is your problem, bitch? This isn't _your _fight."

Kagome sneered and gave a small laugh of distain.

"You're an idiot," she said, "You… You start insulting Inu-Yasha, and you automatically get me involved."

"Hah. The albino needs a girl to stick up for-"

A loud _fwap!_ was heard and the black haired boy was swiftly silenced due to Kagome's fist against his jaw.

"He doesn't _need _me to stick up for him," she growled,"But I want to, because he's my friend."

Before any more complaints could be voiced, Kagome whirled again on the wide-eyed, slightly puzzled hanyou, cupped his face, and pointedly kissed him on the tip of his nose.

Inu-Yasha blinked in shock, his cheeks flushing scarlet, and he gawked silently at the girl before him.

"K-Kagome…" he stammered, "I… I…"

Kagome smiled fondly at the flustered boy and patted his cheek, and he slowly took a hold on her hand, locking fingers with her.

-

The world evaporated again, leaving the hanyou and the miko standing together, hand-in-hand, enclosed in a comforting darkness that was all their own.

Inu-Yasha began to smile at Kagome, and she back at him.

_Let's stay…_

…_just like this…_

_I want to stay by your side…_

_I'm glad you're here with me…_

_I feel…_

…_something special for you…_

Feelings melded, and the darkness around them intensified. The world was gone.

_We need to stay together._

Inu-Yasha didn't know how he heard Kagome's thought, but he did.

He nodded slowly, and was about to draw forward to embrace her, but suddenly, the darkness shattered, showering down around him like chunks of obsidian glass.

-

Then came pain.

Inu-Yasha was unaware of what was happening to him; all he knew was that it hurt…

And he felt dazed, as if he couldn't move… or didn't want to.

He groaned softly as his body was suddenly thrust against what seemed to be a brick wall, and someone struck him from behind, cutting into the back of his arms with some sort of blade, kicking and punching.

What was happening?

He was cold; his jacket was gone.

What was going on?

Where was Kagome?

For that matter, where was _he_?

Puzzlement, more than pain, took him, and he dropped to his knees to try to think as more strikes were landed on his back.

Inu-Yasha's brow knitted with puzzlement, but then was forcefully hit in the face, causing his fang to dig into his lower lip.

Tasting blood, Inu-Yahsa finally came out of his stupor and realized that he was being attacked, most likely by the gang of boys that hated him.

With a growl of anger, he pushed himself to his feet.

_**They ain't gonna mess with me like this again…**_

oOoOoOoO

Kagome was in a daze.

She had been knocked violently to the ground, and after shaking her head a few times to regain her vision from a black haze, Inu-Yasha was nowhere to be found.

She blinked with shock and hastily forced herself to her feet.

"Yasha?" she called worriedly, but no response came.

She groaned and rubbed her bruised cranium, and then sneezed quietly.

What the hell had happened?

Why had she suddenly awoken on the ground, and why did it feel like she had been zoning out with Inu-Yasha for much longer than it had seemed at the time?

She groaned again and eyed her surroundings, and then blinked with shock. She had been lying in dirt, behind a bush at the side of the theater.

Frowning, she clawed an orange leaf from her hair, and glanced around the corner she was hidden behind.

There was the exit of the theater that she had been standing in front of before, and the clock, still flashing.

It now read 11: 32.

Kagome stared at the digital numbers for a moment before being able to comprehend what had happed to her.

She must have fainted or something, or been knocked out… for at least seven minutes…

How on earth had _that_ happened?

Worry suddenly pulsating in her chest, she glanced around frantically for something, _anything_, that could show her where Inu-Yasha was.

Something inside her brought her to turn around again, so she headed back to where she woke up to look around.

"Where did he go?" she breathed worriedly.

Nervously, she dug her nails into her opposite palm, and took a few hesitant steps past the bushes and glanced around again.

A black lump, caught in the brambles of a different bush, caught her eye, and she cautiously approached it and gave it a poke.

Leather.

Without a second thought, she scooped the coat into her arms, and to be sure it was Inu-Yasha's, gave it a tentative sniff.

She sighed.

It was his, all right; it smelled strongly of her friend.

She bit her lip.

Where was he?

-

Kagome pulled on Inu-Yasha's jacket over top over hers, instead of carrying it.

The warm, baggy thing that smelled of Inu-Yasha awarded her with an immediate, calming affect. Kagome blew out a sigh and clutched the coat against her body, and then walked slowly across the pavement, watching and listening for any signs of Inu-Yasha.

She concentrated intensely on the sounds around her, and she listened past the chirps of insects and the distant hum of traffic, until she began to hear the sounds of a scuffle; thuds of one body impacting another, something hitting brick, grunts, groans, and deep, guttural growls.

Though the growls sounded much like a stray dog that was being harassed, Kagome immediately recognized the voice as Inu-Yasha's.

A jolt of both worry and relief sprang through Kagome's chest, and she hurried across the pavement, her hand skimming the brick wall, as she rushed to find her companion.

"Inu-Yasha?" she called, "Inu-Yasha!"

The sounds were growing closer with each step, and soon Kagome's hand slipped into a dip in the wall; a wide alleyway originally created for refuse bins.

Kagome whirled on the alley, and to her horror, found the gang of teenagers shameless beating a standing, but bruised and bleeding Inu-Yasha.

One of the boys, however, was unconscious on the ground with four even gashes cutting through his shirt.

"Holy shit," Kagome breathed, putting her hand to her mouth.

Swiftly, a bristling Inu-Yasha whirled on her, he seeming to be the only on who had heard her soft curse words.

Kagome wasn't quite sure of what she had seen, but it seemed almost as if his eyes had flashed red, glowing with an otherworldly light, but then, it seemed as if the redness was caused by blood running into his eyes.

He blinked at her with glazed-looking eyes and gave a tiny, unheard whisper of her name, before one of his opponents crashed a metal bar onto the back of his head and he groaned and slumped against the nearest wall.

Kagome's eyes flashed horror and fury, the heat of anger accumulating inside her very being.

"You fuckheads!" she yelled, and, all rational thoughts leaving her, rushed forwards in a blind charge, "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!"

Her eyes clouding over, she yelled and crashed her fist into the face of the closest person to her, though before she could get any father with her mad attack, a cloud of thick, silver fog began to surround her in a warmth that wasn't unlike the one she had shared with Inu-Yasha before this catastrophe.

"Kagome…"

A deep, growling voice echoed around her, rocking deep into her core and causing her legs to feel like the had been transformed into cement blocks and slowed her to a stand-still.

"Kagome… Let me take this one, all right?"

Kagome trembled as the fog surrounding her began to swirl and thicken, packing itself into the form of a horse-sized, silver dog. The fog solidified, shaggy fur suddenly covering it, its red eyes gleaming.

She was barely aware of a dog-kiss that was planted on her cheek, and cries of shock and "Holy FUCK!" from around her.

Inu-Yasha was all that mattered to her.

-

She limped with stiff legs to the dazed boy who was still leaning weakly against the wall.

"Inu-Yasha," she breathed, and she grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently, "Inu-Yasha, answer me; are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha blinked slowly as if he didn't even register her presence, and his body trembled slightly at her touch.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome pressed, "C'mon buddy, answer me."

The hanyou blinked again before his knees slowly gave out and he sunk down onto the dirt and blood spattered pavement.

Kagome dropped with him and pulled him into her arms, and was suddenly alone with him as she rocked him and cooed softly to him, trying to get a response out of him.

"C'mon Inu-Yasha, please answer me… I'm begging you Yasha, please… Please…"

Slowly, the dazed boy blinked again, and then swiftly once more, the glazed look upon his face giving way to puzzlement again.

"Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome heart sped up and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh thank God," she chuckled, but her tone turned grave again, "Oh shit… Inu-Yasha, you're so… injured… Are you feeling all right? Why didn't you fight back?"

Inu-Yasha gave a puzzled blink and leaned his slightly sore body against Kagome's comforting arms.

"Fight? What was I fighting?" he asked.

Kagome stared with puzzlement at Inu-Yasha, unable to comprehend what he meant by that.

"That gang…" she answered softly, "Oh, Inu-Yasha they were… They hurt you so badly… Didn't you even notice?"

Inu-Yasha gave another confused blink.

In truth, he did only have a vague idea of what she was talking about; he had blanked out several times.

"I… I didn't," he replied, shaking his head, and then drew back and gave Kagome an embarrassed smile, "…I blanked out…"

"So did I," Kagome whispered, "I don't understand; do you?"

Inu-Yasha shook his head, and Kagome held him closer again, rubbing one of his bruised and cut shoulders while kissing his cheek gently.

He allowed himself a contended smile and breathed out a sigh, giving Kagome a kiss on the cheek in return, though his lips left a tiny, bloody smudge on her skin.

Kagome sighed deeply and stroked her fingers through Inu-Yasha's bangs, wiping the blood from a slash wound that marred his forehead. She gently brushed her thumb along her friend's lips to remove the blood, only to have another crimson drop spring from the small puncture mark caused by one of his own fangs.

Kagome bit her lip and shook her head sadly, while Inu-Yasha looked down to stare blankly at his arms.

They seemed to be covered in a warm, sticky goop, which his nose automatically identified as blood.

"Oh… I'm bleeding," he said a little dumbly, "Well, I didn't see that coming."

Kagome inclined her head slightly and chuckled.

"Poor Yasha; you're more out of it than I was," she said, though she sighed deeply when he gave her a nod, "I don't understand any of this… Why did… we black out?"

The hanyou merely shook his head and cringed as her cool finger ran through the warm blood caking his skin.

"Yasha… Are you in a lot of pain?" Kagome asked at a consoling whisper.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and shook his head.

"Because, you're bleeding a lot," she continued.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Plus you got hit over the head with a big chunk of metal," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded again and cringed, rubbing the back of his head tenderly.

"I know that much," he said, "I think that's gonna leave a mark."

"No shit…" Kagome said with a half-hearted laugh.

She drew back slightly and held Inu-Yasha's hands, watching grimly as his blood trickled from the gashes on his arms and down his fingers in thick, red drops.

She blew out another sigh and held the bleeding boy close, gently rocking him again before peering over his shoulder to become aware of the world once more.

-

The dog, _her _dog, was standing, glowing with an ethereal light, in the middle of the alley, surrounded by unconscious boys.

Kagome blinked up at him as he smiled down at her and padded towards her and Inu-Yasha, bowing his head so that he could reach them.

"None of them hurt you any more, did they?" he asked softly.

Kagome shook her head, while Inu-Yasha jolted in shock and looked over his shoulder, blinking nervously.

Whatever this creature was, it had very little scent, and hardly made a sound when it walked.

"Who said that?" he asked.

"It's the dog," Kagome told him gently, "It's okay."

Inu-Yasha blinked again as Kagome turned him around to face the large canine, and he bared his large fangs in a grin.

"Well well, little one," he said gently, "Looks like you took quite a beating."

Inu-Yasha merely stared blankly at what little he could see of the dog.

The voice was so… familiar…

The dog took a step closer and touched Inu-Yasha's bloodied cheek with his snout.

The boy jolted nervously, but nevertheless, the dog began to gently bathe his wounds, licking his face and then his arms.

Inu-Yasha sat in shock as Kagome watched, and couldn't help a warm and amused grin. Though the blood continued to flow from the wounds, it was a lot slower now than before, and the large canine smirked triumphantly.

"Those will heal more quickly now," he told Inu-Yasha.

Slowly, Inu-Yasha nodded, and then hesitantly reached out a clawed hand to the dog's face.

The dog leaned into it, and Inu-Yasha, a little awkwardly, ground his fingers into the dog's furry cheek.

This too, felt extremely familiar to him, and as the dog drew closer, only one thought bounced through his head.

_Father? Is… Is it you, Father?_

He could immediately scent the dog's amusement, as if he could read his mind, and then received another lick on the cheek before he moved away to Kagome.

His brow knitted with worry and he gave Kagome's cheek a lick as well.

"You're not hurt, are you Kagome?" he inquired.

Kagome shook her head.

"I'm fine," she replied, reaching up to gently scratch the dog's snout, "Thanks though; but you should go before someone else sees you, okay?"

The dog nodded and smiled, and was gone in a puff of silver mist that dissolved into the air.

-

Inu-Yasha blinked, stunned, and his posture slumped. Kagome scooted closer to him again and took him into her arms, and he sighed thankfully and rested his head against her shoulder.

"Inu-Yasha, I'm going to call the police," she said quietly as she drew back, pulled Inu-Yasha's jacket off and draped it around his shoulders again.

"No," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, "Don't."

"But Inu-Yasha," she mumbled, "Look; they sliced you up…"

"So?" He asked, frowning as he flicked a small drop of blood that was trickling down his forehead, "We didn't call when you got cut up."

"That was a matter of my pride," Kagome protested.

"So? This is a matter of mine," Inu-Yasha replied, "Please Kagome… Don't…"

He stared at her with wide, pleading eyes that she couldn't even hope to resist, and she gave in to a reluctant smile.

"Okay," she said, "But we are most definitely taking a cab home."

Under his bandana, Inu-Yasha's ears drooped, but he knew that he'd have to give in this time.

"Okay," he said reluctantly, "Let's go then."

Kagome smiled at him and pulled him to his feet gently, still keeping him close as she guided him back to the theater and a payphone.

oOoOoOoO

Before long, Kagome had called up a taxi to take them home, and she and Inu-Yasha were waiting patiently at the curb.

"Hey Yasha," Kagome said softly, "Tell me… if you feel faint at all, all right? You lost a lot of blood."

"I'll be fine," Inu-Yasha said, and he wiped his still slowly bleeding brow on the back on his hand, "To tell you the truth, I'm not even dizzy."

He gave Kagome a reassuring grin, though the girl merely sighed and pulled him closer to her side, though she minded his arm carefully.

"I… still don't understand what happened," she whispered, "I'm… sorry I didn't come to you sooner."

"It wasn't your fault," Inu-Yasha assured her.

He put his arm around her shoulders and grinned at her, leaning his head on top of hers.

"It's no problem, okay?" he said quietly, "And… Hey, I like the dog."

Kagome smirked and chuckled softly to herself and leaned against Inu-Yasha's side.

"Good, because he seemed to like you a lot," she replied.

Inu-Yasha smirked again, though he sighed with puzzlement.

_His voice… was a lot like Father's… I don't understand…_

Once more, Inu-Yasha was consumed by an unnerving confusion, caused by several things: his feelings towards Kagome, the fact that they had both blacked out, and the giant silver dog that, for some reason, reminded him of the father that he could barely remember.

-

After a few minutes, Inu-Yasha could hear a taxi on the roads among the other speeding cars a few blocks away, and he could only hope that it was theirs. He tapped his foot on the pavement a little irritably, and then used his arm that wasn't holding Kagome to wipe more blood from his forehead.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Kagome inquired again.

"Yes, I'm _fine_ Kagome," Inu-Yasha grumbled, rolling his eyes, "Jeez…"

He smirked at her and gently cuddled her closer to nuzzle into her hair.

"You baka; you can be worse than me sometimes, you know that?" he laughed.

Kagome blew her bangs out of her eyes and smiled, leaning into the hanyou's embrace.

"Quite an achievement, ne?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and then looked up from her head as he heard the taxi turn the corner and head towards them.

He could tell it was a taxi because of the scent of alcohol, vomit, the cleaner that was used to get rid of the smell of vomit, cigarettes, and by the bright colours of green and yellow the paint smelled like.

Yes… Paint colours could smell… if you trained your nose to recognize the differences, that is.

-

The taxi ground to a halt in front of them and the window closest to them rolled down, revealing the middle-aged man in a baseball cap that was driving.

"You Miss Higurashi?" He asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said.

She stepped off the curb and fished in her pockets for a piece of paper and a pen, and scribbled down the address and handed it to him through the window.

He looked at the paper for a moment before nodded and jerking his head at the back seat, gesturing for them to get in.

Kagome smiled her thanks and, despite his attempt to be courteous to her, she shoved Inu-Yasha into the cab before she slid in beside him and closed the door.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as the driver started the engine, and pulled away from the curb, and he coughed quietly as he pulled into a lane behind another taxi.

"So…" he said slowly, "Movies huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Kagome replied, smiling.

"Any good?" the man inquired.

Kagome smirked. Taxi driver small talk… It was priceless, yet extremely annoying.

"_Howl's Moving Castle _was okay, but a bit too sappy for my tastes," Kagome replied, "_Star Wars_ was also good but…"

"It could have been a lot better," Inu-Yasha put in.

Kagome nodded her agreement, and the driving gave an understanding "Uh-huh".

-

There was another silence, and during this, Inu-Yasha's eyelids began to droop sleepily, and he unconsciously began to lean his head onto Kagome's.

Kagome smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and he smiled sleepily before his lids fluttered closed over his blind eyes and he quickly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Kagome gave the hanyou a fond smile and patted one of his bloodstained hands, and the driver smirked back at her over his shoulder as they came to a stoplight.

"First date?" he asked.

Kagome smiled.

"Sort of," she said.

The man nodded and smiled at the two cuddling teens, but then looked a bit concerned as he saw the blood leaking down Inu-Yasha's temple.

"He's not… intoxicated is he?" he asked a bit nervously.

"No," Kagome said swiftly, "He's blind, and some guys dragged him into a fight, that's all."

She gently tilted the hanyou's head and wiped the blood with her sleeve before resting his head on her shoulder this time.

"That ain't good," the driver said sympathetically, poking at the rim of his hat impatiently as he waited for the light to change, "You call the police?"

"Hai," Kagome lied, "Those guys cut him up pretty bad, but he'll be okay."

"You want me to drop you off at the hospital instead?" he inquired.

"Nah," Kagome said swiftly, "I mean, I'm worried and all, but he just won't see a doctor… Besides, I know some things about first aid."

The man nodded and made a grunt of comprehension as Kagome gently began to flick Inu-Yasha's bangs.

_He's kind of cute when he's asleep,_ Kagome thought with a smile.

For some reason, _puppy_ was one of the only other words she could think of to describe him, and when she tried to shake it out, it just keep flashing across her brain like a broken neon sign.

_Puppy._

He looked like an oversized, humanoid _puppy_ to her for some reason.

She grinned and kissed his nose as she had done before, and the tiny smile that was all ready on his face grew.

_When did I become so confident with this kissing thing?_ She pondered, _The first time we kissed each other way today, but… it feels… so natural… _

Deep in her chest, Kagome could feel affection for the boy pulsing again, so much that it ached.

It was a bit puzzling to her, but she merely smiled and closed her eyes as well.

-

Soon, the light changed colour again and the taxi was moving once more.

Since Inu-Yasha and Kagome had been able to walk to the theater in the first place, the drive was an extremely short one.

Within six minutes, the taxi had pulled into their house's driveway. After opening her eyes, Kagome gently nudged Inu-Yasha awake and slipped out of the vehicle before paying the driver ¥1000 for the trip, and also to cover any extra expenses, because Inu-Yasha had bled on the back seat a little bit.

oOoOoOoO

Inside, Kagome had flicked a light on and sat Inu-Yasha down on the couch as she had the first day she had met him, to treat his wounds.

Kagome was in the washroom, scrounging for bandages, gauze, and disinfectant cream, while Inu-Yasha was lying lazily on the couch, his eyes closed again.

Damn, was he ever tired!

He yawned and ran his hand through his bangs, and then absently scratched at his ears through the cloth of his bandana.

He found that, from experience, losing blood made him tired rather than woozy.

He heard the quiet noise of claws on the carpet and opened one eye to see the blurred lump that was Buyo.

"_So…"_ Buyo said slowly, eyeing his over, _"Took a long time, ne?_ _…Did you have sex?"_

Inu-Yasha frowned at Buyo and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, silently pleading for the cat to suddenly get a severe case of the fleas, and he shook his head.

"No Buyo, we did not have sex," he said.

"_Do you wish you did have sex?"_ Buyo inquired.

Inu-Yasha grunted and pulled the pillow out from behind his head and hurled it at the cat.

"NO, I don't wish that I had sex," he replied.

Buyo, despite his girth, easily dodged the fluffy projectile, and grinned widely at the drowsy hanyou, but his smile fell as he eyed the wounds marring Inu-Yasha's arms and forehead.

"_What happened to you?" _he asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged absently and yawned again.

"Apparently, I got in a fight," he said, "But I blacked out, so I don't really know that much of what happened."

"_Really?"_ Buyo inquired.

Inu-Yasha nodded, and the calico cat cocked his head inquisitively, and then leapt lightly onto Inu-Yasha's chest to peer into his eyes.

"_Why did you black out?"_ he asked.

The hanyou gave another shrug.

"We… Kagome was sort of sticking up for me… and she… She kissed my nose and-"

"_Oh, she kissed you," _Buyo purred.

"Quiet!" Inu-Yasha barked, and then sighed, "Anyway, she… _you know_, and I held her hand, and… I felt like I was suddenly… so warm, and I… I could feel her, and… almost hear her thoughts… But it felt so natural and…"

"And we stood there before we both suddenly woke up in a daze," Kagome concluded.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes up and cocked his head to be able to look at Kagome, and gave her a small smile.

She stood at the threshold to the room, her medical supplies clutched tightly in her arms.

"So you felt it too, huh?" Kagome inquired.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, nodding, "Weird, ain't it?"

Buyo looked between the two teens and frowned as he thought, and then, his yellow eyes widened.

"_It's weird_…" he said slowly, _"I don't know why that would happen, but…"_

He paused again, and his ears twitched.

"_Oh, by the way, some raccoons asked if they could bunk in the attic; I told them yes," _he said, _"Is that okay?"_

"Sure," Kagome said with an absent shrug, and she walked over to Inu-Yasha and gently brushed the cat off him, "Yasha?"

He blinked up at her to show that he was listening, and she took his hands and pulled him into a sitting position as she plopped down onto the couch beside him.

Gently, she wiped the blood from his fingers with a damp cloth, and then proceeded to bathe both his arms and his forehead, though he vainly attempted to shoo her away.

"Oh, give it up, will ya?" she growled, "Stop making such a fuss!"

"_You_ stop making such a fuss," the hanyou retorted, "I'm _okay_ Kagome!"

"Like hell you are! Why are you so… so _soft_ sometimes and then other times you're so stubborn?" she demanded, "Just let me help you!"

Inu-Yasha glowered at her, but she merely rolled her eyes skyward, and attempted to dab at his forehead, but he turned away.

"Kagome, I'm seventeen; I'm not helpless" Inu-Yasha grumbled, "I… I don't want you to feel like you _have_ to take care of me."

Kagome stared at the back of Inu-Yasha's head for a moment, a little surprised by his comment, but then sighed and grabbed one of his long sideburns and yanked his head back towards her.

He yelped with shock and a little bit of pain, and then suddenly found Kagome breathing right in his face. He tried to pull back, but she still had a tight hold on his hair.

"Ka_gome_," he whined, but before he could continue his sentence, Kagome pressed a finger against his mouth.

"No, no, no," she growled, "You're an idiot, okay? I don't feel like I…. Okay, well, maybe I do feel like I have to take care of you, but it's not because I think you're helpless, all right?"

Inu-Yasha blinked at her with puzzlement, silently asking her to elaborate since he was still not obliged to speak yet.

"I take care of you," Kagome continued, a small smile spreading over her face, "Because I care about what happens to you. I care if you get hurt, and I want you to get better quicker, and if there's anything I can do to help you, I will. Do you understand?"

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly, the corner of his lip curling into a smile.

He grabbed Kagome's finger away from his face and gave it a squeeze, though his smile fell into a guilt-ridden grimace.

"I know," he said, "It's just… Every time this happens… I start to feel like I'm such a burden on you…"

Kagome smiled, though disbelief was clear in her expression, and she began to laugh quietly at his comment.

She flicked his bangs fondly and shook her head.

"Inu-Yasha; you're _never_ a burden," she assured him, "Now, just sit back and let me take care of you, okay? If I don't treat those gashes, who will?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and was about to voice that he would, but Kagome had all ready begun to spread disinfectant cream over the gashes on his arms.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, but began to lean back against the couch sleepily.

He cringed as Kagome spread the cool medicine over his brow, and then sighed again as she began to gently wrap the thick, white bandages around his limbs as he had done for her a while back.

"How's the rest of you?" she asked.

"Fine," he assured her, "Completely fine."

"And your head?"

"Even more fine. How about you?"

"Still a little rattled," the girl admitted, "And kind of tired."

"Well, go to bed then," Inu-Yasha stated simply.

She nodded, yawning behind her hand, and then stood from he spot beside him.

"Good night then," she said.

"Yeah; g'night," he replied, so Kagome turned and walked from the room.

Inu-Yasha could hear her quiet feet go up the stairs, could hear her go into her room, shut the door, and change into her pajamas, could hear her flick off her light and drop into her blankets.

He smiled.

She really _did_ sound exhausted.

He rubbed at the bandages on his arms and sniffed before leaning back against the couch and tilting his head back to stare blankly at the ceiling.

-

The couched sagged and he felt Buyo paw at his knee.

"_Inu-Yasha, I know why you blacked out… sort of," _he said.

Inu-Yasha glanced at the feline, his head cocking in puzzlement.

"Before you said you didn't," he said.

"_That's cuz Kaggy was around," _he said in a hushed voice, _"It has something to do with your… youkai-ness… Your instincts want her as your mate… and soon."_

He paused as Inu-Yasha merely rolled his eyes, and Buyo shook his head swiftly.

"_No, I mean it," _he insisted, _"That's why you could feel each other and could hear each other's thoughts… But it went a bit out of control…"_

"Sure," the hanyou scoffed, and he stood swiftly, thinking that Buyo was just trying to play cupid once more, and headed to the kitchen.

"_I'm serious!" _Buyo protested, his fur bristling, _"Inu-Yasha!"_

Inu-Yasha smirked, but he merely shook his head.

"Whatever kitty," he said absently, "I'm getting some ice cream. Want some?"

Buyo merely hissed indignantly at the boy and stalked off, though he was thinking maybe it was best if he didn't meddle with their love affairs too much; now Inu-Yasha wouldn't believe him if he said something that was true.

-

Inu-Yasha sighed and shook his head, and then opened the freezer and pulled out a large tub of ice cream.

He sniffed it and grinned.

Maple walnut. Excellent.

He felt around on the counter the drawer that contained spoons and pulled one out before sitting down at the table and eating the ice cream from the tub.

Kagome had said that he could as long as he didn't sneeze, cough, etcetera, into it.

Besides, he was too lazy to find a bowl anyway.

He savoured the coolness against his tongue for a moment, but suddenly, a tremor ran up and down his spine, causing his ears to stand straight up, and his stomach began to hurt.

Thinking that maybe the ice cream was disagreeing with him, he swallowed what he had in his mouth and then put the rest back in the freezer.

-

To his alarm, the chilled feeling wouldn't go away, even after he warmed himself with a few pillows.

Slowly, the feeling in his stomach turned into a frightened nausea, and the shivers became worse.

He couldn't explain it, but he hanyou felt as if something _bad _was going to happen, and he couldn't shake the feeling.

He'd had it before, several times, and it had always, _always_ resulted in something that was at the very least, undesirable.

It was sort of like a strange, sixth sense that he, and many other youkai had to danger.

He cringed.

If there was danger… he had a job to do.

He'd have to protect Kagome and Buyo.

He stood swiftly from his position on the couch, knocking his pillows aside, and then hurried up the stairs to Kagome's room.

oOoOoOoO

Kagome was lying, curled, in her blankets when she heard swift footsteps approaching her room from the hall, and promptly, Inu-Yasha flung back her door.

She opened one eye drowsily to peer at the boy.

He was frowning and she could almost be positive that he was growling softly under his breath.

"Yasha, what's up?" she asked.

He snorted and glanced quickly over his shoulder before closing the door halfway and walking swiftly to Kagome's bedside.

"I have a really bad feeling," he said quietly.

"Huh? About what?" Kagome inquired, opening her other eye and sitting up.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Something," he said simply, and before Kagome could say another word, he leapt onto her bed and sat cross-legged with his back to the wall, folding his arms against his chest.

"I'm going to keep watch," he said.

"Keep watch?" Kagome repeated.

She sat up and blinked puzzledly at the boy as he set his determined, but blind, gaze on her door.

"Inu-Yasha, go to bed," she sighed.

"No… I have a weird feeling, like some really bad is gonna happen," he said, "I'm going to stay up."

"Ugh… You shouldn't; you don't get nearly enough sleep as it is, you moron," she grumbled.

She frowned at the hanyou, though he looked in her direction with warmth sparking in his eyes.

"I just want to keep you safe," he said with a smile, "That's all."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but couldn't prevent a smile from passing over her face.

"I know…" she said, "But that doesn't mean you can never sleep again, ya know."

Inu-Yasha nodded and then turned his eyes back on the door. Kagome rolled her eyes, knowing better than to try to argue with the stubborn boy.

"Good night again," she said then, and then leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

He smiled shyly and turned his head to return it.

Kagome grinned at him, yawned, and then lay back in her blankets.

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched under his bandana, and he stayed still, listening contentedly to Kagome's soft breathing until she fell asleep again, though his eyelids began to droop, and he yawned loudly.

He blinked swiftly and shook his head, trying to keep himself awake, but the blood loss was catching up on him with exhaustion, and before he could even think about not wanting to fall asleep, the hanyou had slumped onto his side with a muted thud, deep in a warm slumber.

oOoOoOoO

_Sunset, and Inu-Yasha was sitting comfortably on a grassy hill, leaning backwards and supporting himself with his hands. His hair blew out behind him; a cool breeze buffeting his dog-ears. He yawned and then leaned forward and folded his arms into the billowy sleeves of the red kimono he was garbed in. _

_He looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled as Kagome, or at least the girl he recognized as her from his last dream, walked up beside him._

_She smiled back at him and sat down beside him, leaning against his ribs. _

_He put his arms around her, and she laughed softly and reached around his neck to rub one of his ears._

_He dog-purred happily and cocked his head, though for some reason, despite Kagome's comforting presence, he felt depressed._

_Softly, Kagome asked him what was bothering him, though he merely shook his head, claiming that it was nothing._

_She stared deep into his eyes, her bright hazel ones sparking with affection and worry, though suddenly, the ground began to shake._

_Kagome jolted, and Inu-Yasha swiftly shielded her with his arms. _

_A loud thump was heard, and then another… and then… another…_

oOoOoOoO

Kagome cringed at the sound of a dull thud to her side, and slowly opened her eyes. She was slightly surprised, and amused, to find Inu-Yasha keeled over, fast asleep.

She smiled fondly at the boy, though she rolled her eyes.

"I told him he needed sleep," she grumbled.

Cautiously, she sat up, trying not to move the bed too much.

Inu-Yasha grunted softly but didn't wake.

The girl smiled and gently pulled the blanket he was lying on out from underneath him, and then laid it over top of him instead.

He immediately curled into a ball, snuggling happily into the blankets.

Kagome laughed softly before laying back again, resting her hands behind her head.

Then, a noise caught her attention.

A thud, as if a door had just been shut.

Kagome bit her lip nervously, her heart suddenly beating madly against her eardrums.

A second thud drew her attention, and then another, this one sounding of glass clinking together.

Kagome gulped, and nearly cried out when she felt something warm pushing closer to her before remembering that Inu-Yasha was there.

Slowly, Inu-Yasha's arms enclosed around her, and when she looked up at him, Kagome was surprised to see his amber eyes gleaming ahead through the darkness, his whole body going rigid and poised to attack.

"Inu-Yasha, you hear that?" she asked softly.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"What is it?"

He shrugged, though pulled her closer protectively.

Then, the noise again… closer this time…

_Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…_

Inu-Yasha sat up slowly, still holding Kagome close, and he sniffed, trying to identify the intruder.

His eyes widened with worry when he properly assessed the scent; he had smelled it before.

_Oh shit, it's not… Why now?_

Slowly, the noises continued from downstairs, and Inu-Yasha didn't know what to do.

_Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump…_

* * *


	29. A Look Into The Past IV

* * *

Chapter 28: A Look Into The Past (#4)

* * *

Sessho-Maru had never quite understood humans, and as he watched the blond girl in the "I Swim" t-shirt prancing around before him, flailing at imaginary dog-ears at the top of her head, his opinion of the race dropped about another ten points.

Clenching Inu-Yasha tighter in his arms so that the boy let out a soft squeak, he took a slow step back away from the girl, Syd, and then another.

To his quiet horror, her prancing came to an abrupt halt and she locked her sparkly blue eyes on him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Away," Sessho-Maru replied simply.

"Nuh-uh, no way!" Syd exclaimed.

She leapt forward and grabbed Sessho-Maru by the shoulders. The youkai glowered at her, but she smiled brightly at him.

"You didn't even tell me your name or the name of the cute little dog-eared guy," she protested.

Sessho-Maru's lip curled slightly as Inu-Yasha squirmed in his grasp.

"I see no need to introduce my self to you," he growled.

Syd's face fell and she frowned at him.

"Well, you're super polite," she said sarcastically.

Sessho-Maru growled and released Inu-Yasha with one hand, raising his claws to Syd's throat, forcing his youkai acid into them to have them glow a sickly green.

"You try my patience, girl," he snarled.

Syd stared with puzzled amazement at the glowing nails, but then gulped quietly and gave a nervous grin.

"Wait!" Inu-Yasha squeaked, "Wait! Nii-san!"

Sessho-Maru's snarl fell slightly and he looked down at the hanyou pup clinging to his tail.

"What?" he inquired.

"Well, Syd's from around here, isn't she?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "So... Doesn't that mean she can help us?"

Sessho-Maru blinked down at his younger brother, and a small smirk played on his lips. He lowered his claws and re-established his grip on Inu-Yasha.

"Clever," he commented, "You're smarter than I thought, whelp."

Inu-Yasha grinned proudly.

"What d'you mean?" Syd inquired.

Sessho-Maru wasn't sure how to tell the girl without sounding insane, so Inu-Yasha took the liberty of doing it for him.

"My name is Inu-Yasha and his is Sessho-Maru," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, "We're not from around here, and we're really lost. Can you help us?"

Syd blinked puzzledly at the two youkai before her and tapped her chin.

"Help you with what?" she inquired.

Inu-Yasha looked up at Sessho-Maru and the older youkai sighed.

"Are we still on earth?" he inquired.

"Ur, yes? Syd said confusedly, "That's a dumb question."

Sessho-Maru ignored her comment and continued.

"And what year is it?" he asked.

Syd inclined her head and rubbed it slightly with the heel of her hand.

"I'm not quite sure," she said embarrassedly, "Somewhere in the 1980's though."

Inu-Yasha looked up at Sessho-Maru and twitched his ears.

"But that's at least-"

"Five hundred years forward from where we started…" Sessho-Maru concluded, "More, actually… More like a bit over six… Maybe even more…"

"What are you talking about Sesshilies?" Syd asked innocently.

Sessho-Maru blinked with surprise and annoyance.

"Sesshilies?" he repeated, raising his eyebrow slightly.

Syd nodded enthusiastically and grinned.

"Your name sounds sort of angry," she explained, "So I thought I'd give you a happy nickname!"

"I think she's insane," Inu-Yasha whispered so softly that only Sessho-Maru heard him.

Sessho-Maru nodded with agreement and then stared intently at the smiling girl before him.

"If you ever repeat what I'm going to tell you; I'll kill you," he said calmly.

"Okay," Syd replied cheerfully, as if she didn't quite believe Sessho-Maru's words.

"My brother and I are from another, past era of this planet," Sessho-Maru said simply.

Syd stood, blinking at Sessho-Maru in awe.

"Whoa… That explains the lack of manors!" Syd said, sticking her forefinger into the air as if in triumph, "But… uh…"

She paused and eyed Sessho-Maru over and had to quell a squeal of delight as she regarded Inu-Yasha's quivering dog-ears., while Sessho-Maru puzzled over her surprising lack of disbelief at his words.

"So…" Syd said slowly, tapping her chin, "You're… what?"

"Youkai!" Inu-Yasha squeaked proudly, "And you gotta show us around… Otherwise, those government jerks will come and hurt us and stuff."

"A good knowledge of this time and its technology could prove invaluable," Sessho-Maru agreed, and he looked to Syd, "You will explain it to me."

"Why should I do that?" Syd inquired, "I mean… You ass! You ran me over!"

She glared at Sessho-Maru and he lower eyelid twitched slightly with irritation. The youkai sighed and flexed his claws.

"If you don't… I'll kill you," he said.

Syd, to Sessho-Maru's surprise, blew a raspberry at him and pulled a face by dragging down her lower eyelids and scrunching up her nose while sticking her tongue out.

Sessho-Maru had no idea what to make of this and stared at the girl quizzically. Inu-Yasha looked between the girl and his older brother and sighed, his ears drooping.

This was getting them absolutely nowhere.

_Guess I gotta do something then,_ he thought determinedly.

-

"I'm not scared of you, Sesshilies," Syd scoffed, jabbing her finger at Sessho-Maru's nose, " Youkai or not! In fact…"

She was about to say something vulgar but was interrupted by a delicate, saddened sniff.

All eyes went to Inu-Yasha.

His lower lip was quivering, his ears drooping pathetically, and he let out a whimper as forced tears dribbled down his dirt-stained cheeks.

"S-So you won't help us?" he asked, his voice trembling, "B-But… W-We'll die here if you don't… Oh, p-please?"

Syd gawked at the pup and rushed forward, snatching him from his brother and rocking him in the crook of her arm.

"Aw… Little Yasha, don't cry, please?" she said in a voice one would use for speaking to babies, "Please?"

Inu-Yasha put on his best sad-puppy face and forced his lower lip to tremble again.

"Please help us?" he begged.

"Okay, but only if you stop crying," she replied.

Automatically, Inu-Yasha's drooping ears perked and he smiled widely.

"Arigato!" he exclaimed, and after hesitating for an instant, decided it would be appropriate to hug the girl around the neck before leaping back to Sessho-Maru's arms and wiping his eyes on his tail.

"Well…" Syd sighed, "Come home with me then. I guess I could tell you some stuff."

Sessho-Maru nodded and Syd began to walk off through the trees. Assuming that the girl knew where she was headed, Sessho-Maru followed slowly behind, placing one hand over his brother's ears once more.

"How did you know to do that?" Sessho-Maru inquired at a whisper.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"The woman at the village at home were real suckers for it from their own children," Inu-Yasha explained, "See, I'm little, so it's cute when I do it. She felt bad for me."

Sessho-Maru nodded understandingly and regarded the hanyou child in his arms with a growing respect.

The child was much more clever than he had first made him out to be.

oOoOoOoO

Syd swiftly lead the two youkai out of the forest and back into the main city. It was early morning by now, and the sun had just begun to rise.

Sessho-Maru was incredibly annoyed with all the humans around, while Inu-Yasha was merely fascinated with all the floating lights produced by odd poles at the roadsides and the tall buildings.

As they walked, Syd quietly explained cars and public transit, and how the street signs and traffic lights worked.

Sessho-Maru listened closely, and soon the threesome came to an extremely tall building.

"I live in a condo here," Syd explained, gesturing to the building, "A condo's like a little house that you rent. You know what renting is, right?"

Sessho-Maru nodded as Inu-Yasha squirmed in his grasp to look at a man on the corner of the street that was playing an odd, stringed instrument looking vaguely like a koto.

The sounds coming from it entranced the young hanyou, and he yearned to pluck the strings, like he had at home with his mother's koto.

"Nii-san," he said to Sessho-Maru, pointing to the man's koto-like-thing, "Can I go see the instrument? Please?"

Sessho-Maru was about to answer when Syd slapped him hard on the shoulder, and his hold on his brother weakened enough for him to squirm to the ground.

"Let the kid have some fun!" Syd laughed, though she merely received a killing glare from Sessho-Maru.

"C'mon Nii-san!" Inu-Yasha said happily, tugging on his older brother's pant leg.

Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the man, and Inu-Yasha's face lit up and he hugged his brother's leg.

"Arigato!" he squeaked.

Sessho-Maru sighed and watched as Inu-Yasha released him and ran ahead, standing in front of the man with the instrument along with a few others, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet.

The man looked up from his song and smiled at Inu-Yasha as Sessho-Maru and Syd slowly walked up from behind the young hanyou.

As the song the man was playing ended, the other humans applauded, and all moved off, but the odd threesome of a youkai, hanyou, and an apparently human girl remained.

"Nice ears kid," the man said with a grin to Inu-Yasha, and then mouthed "What's with the get-up?" to Sessho-Maru and Syd.

"A costume party," Syd said swiftly, "Isn't he a cutie? He went as a dog-human hybrid from ancient Japan!"

Inu-Yasha looked back over his shoulder at the grinning blond girl as the man nodded understandingly, and the hanyou raised his eyebrow.

"Eh?" he asked, and Syd gave him a look that told him to just go along with it, and he turned back to the human.

"What's that instrument called?" he inquired curiously, "It's really nice sounding."

"This?" the man asked, looking down at the instrument in his hands, "This, kid, is a guitar."

"A guitar…" Inu-Yasha repeated, and his ears perked as he grinned, "It sounds so wonderful!"

He reached out a tiny, clawed hand and tilted his head.

"Can… Can I touch a string?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," the man said with a grin.

He knelt down to the small hanyou boy, and Inu-Yasha bit his lip and gently plucked the first string.

Its high note rang out clearly through the air, and Inu-Yasha's whole face lit up and he laughed and looked back at Sessho-Maru.

"Nii-san! It's like mother's koto!" he said brightly, and gently plucked the next string, laughing as the new, deeper note sounded.

"Like it, huh kid?" The man asked, and when Inu-Yasha nodded enthusiastically, the man smiled widely, "Wanna try it?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes sparkled happily, and he looked over his shoulder at Sessho-Maru.

"Can I, Nii-san? Can I?" he inquired.

Sessho-Maru blinked, puzzled, but then nodded and Inu-Yasha's face all but glowed with joy. The man gently passed the guitar into the little hanyou's awaiting arms.

Grinning, the boy sat with the instrument in his lap and gently plucked a few of the strings.

"Nii-san, remember that song mother used to sing to me?" he asked, looking up to Sessho-Maru, "Do you think I could play it?"

Sessho-Maru shrugged as Inu-Yasha hummed the tune to himself softly, and then again, plucking strings slowly along to the tune, fiddling with chords that he felt sounded nice as he went along.

The man whom the guitar belonged to stared with surprise at the little boy, and Inu-Yasha smiled.

"Ni-san?" he inquired as he played the first verse over again a few times, "Will you sing it with me? You know the words, don't you?"

"Uh…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, "I'm not… much of a singer."

"But you're good," Inu-Yasha squeaked, "And… Syd won't know the words… "

"Sorry whelp, you're going to have to sing by yourself," Sessho-Maru said, crossing his arms.

Inu-Yasha gave a slight shrug and closed his eyes, swaying gently back and forth as he remembered the lyrics to a special hanyou song his mother used to sing to him.

"Chichi wa iwareta… arakasi no te wa mamori no te… Haha wa iwareta… hito no te aru wa hagukumi no tame…" he sang softly, strumming along to his song, "Ryoi te awase tobira wo hikari…"

Forgetting the rest of the words, he merely hummed again and swayed back and forth, slowly playing the last notes of the song until he was through.

When he opened his eyes, he found both Syd and the guitar-man to be gawking at him.

"What?" he asked in puzzlement.

"Whoa, kid, you're good!" the man exclaimed.

"Indubitably!" Syd agreed loudly, scooping the young boy into her arms and leaving the guitar on the pavement, "You rock, you cute little kid! Yay! Sesshilies, you never told me Yasha-Pup was good with music."

Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes and grumbled softly about his nickname, and the man, still impressed, picked up his guitar, and after bidding the three good morning, left.

-

Syd twirled in a circle with Inu-Yasha in her arms and cuddled him as he grunted and squirmed to be put down.

Swiftly, Sessho-Maru snatched him away as Syd had done, and Inu-Yasha almost automatically relaxed.

"Well, come on then," Syd said, gesturing to the building before them, "We need to go up to my condo."

Sessho-Maru nodded and followed the girl as she pranced happily into the building. She waved cheerily at another human and led Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha up a large, beige, dirty flight of stairs.

"This is… quite a tall building," Sessho-Maru commented quietly.

"Yep," Syd stated proudly, "Forty floors!"

"That's really high!" Inu-Yasha squeaked, looking up at all the stairs before them.

"My condo's on the tenth floor," Syd said, "Hey… I'll race you Sesshilies!"

Sessho-Maru scoffed and smirked.

"You'd lose," he said.

"Why are you so cocky?" Syd complained, "You won't even race me to prove it."

"I have no need to," Sessho-Maru replied with a tiny, arrogant smirk.

Syd sighed and pouted.

"You're no fun," she grumbled.

"He's never any fun," Inu-Yasha commented.

Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes and glared down at the whelp in his arms as they mastered another flight of stairs.

-

Soon, they were on the tenth floor, and Syd led the two youkai into her room. She unlocked the door and opened it wide for them.

"Welcome to my home!" she said cheerfully, gesturing inside, "Come in, come in!"

Sessho-Maru cautiously padded into the home, almost as if he were half expecting an ambush, though Syd skipped in happily.

The one room that the could see as they walked into the home was large, but cozy looking, and was divided in the center, one half being living room and the other a kitchen, both painted in multiple blues and reds. There were also two doors, one leading to a washroom and the other to a separate bedroom.

Sessho-Maru glanced around before allowing Inu-Yasha to step down onto the soft carpeting. The small hanyou looked around the apartment in wonder before happily leaping onto a comfortable couch and bouncing happily on it.

Syd laughed and ruffled the little boy's ears, though Sessho-Maru kept a cold stare locked on her.

"So?" he said.

"So what?" Syd inquired.

"You said you'd tell me about this world," Sessho-Maru said.

Syd shrugged and yawned widely.

"In the morning," she said.

"It _is_ the morning," Sessho-Maru said.

"Huh?" Syd said puzzledly, rubbing her head, "Wha…? Oh yeah! You're right."

She yawned again and stretched her arms out above her head.

"Ugh… But I'm tired; can't I nap first?" she whined.

"No," Sessho-Maru said simply, taking a seat on the couch beside his brother, "The sooner you explain things to me, the sooner my brother and I can leave."

"I _am_ sort of tired though…" Inu-Yasha said quietly, "Can I sleep?"

"You? Why not?" Sessho-Maru said.

Inu-Yasha grinned and, before Sessho-Maru could protest, curled up in his lap and promptly dosed off, his small chest gently heaving as he breathed, his mouth slightly agape.

Syd smiled and went into her kitchen. She took a plastic container of food from a cupboard and brought it to the sofa as she sat beside Sessho-Maru.

"Muffin?" she asked, offering him a sweet smelling, bread like substance.

"I don't eat human food," he said quietly.

"Just eat it," Syd sighed, "It's good."

The youkai frowned. He was slightly hungry, but he was reluctant to take food from this odd girl.

Sessho-Maru stared intently at the muffin, and as soon as Syd turned her head, whisked it away from her and placed it to his side, out of her sight.

"Ah hah!" she said, "You took it!"

"Hmm? Took what?" the youkai inquired.

Syd sighed.

"The muffin," she said.

"What in the seven hells is a muffin?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Syd groaned and rolled her eyes, and pulled another muffin from the plastic contained and took a bite out of it. Sessho-Maru slipped his sandals off and crossed his legs, gripping his sleeping younger brother with one arm.

"I'd take the backpack off too," Syd suggested.

Sessho-Maru nodded slowly and placed the sack in front of him on the floor. He opened it, pulled out his haori, and wrapped Inu-Yasha snugly in it.

Syd yawned loudly and rubbed the back of her head, and then looked to Sessho-Maru.

"Okay, we may as well start," she said, "What do you want to know first?"

oOoOoOoO

By the time Syd had completed her explanation of the modern era, it was ten o'clock at night. Inu-Yasha had woken up, and was now munching on the muffin Sessho-Maru had swiped hours before.

Sessho-Maru was, for once in his life, looking slightly flustered, and Syd was snoring on the floor.

"Well… This world doesn't sound too hard," Inu-Yasha said through a mouthful of muffin, and he broke off a piece and held it out to his brother, "Here Nii-san; take it."

Sessho-Maru slowly took the food from the hanyou and eyed it curiously.

"I detest to even look at something called a muffin, but…" he mumbled, and then cautiously tasted the thing.

After finding it slightly satisfactory, he ate the food, and Inu-Yasha offered him another piece, which he politely declined.

He leaned back against the cushions of the couch and sighed.

He had been informed about the government, laws, money systems, and much more: everything that would be necessary for him to integrate properly into an all-human society.

"I can't believe that killing was outlawed," he sighed, "Gods, but what do you do with someone who gets in your way constantly and pisses you off?"

Apparently, Syd had also taught him some modern lingo.

"You talk," Syd said sleepily.

The girl opened one eye and smiled at Sessho-Maru, who gave another frustrated sigh.

"All these laws and whatnot… Who the hell does this "Government" think it is?" he growled.

"It thinks it's the government," Syd sighed, "And that means it thinks it's the ruler of the planet."

"Damn it to hell," Sessho-Maru sighed.

He stood and rubbed his brow with frustration.

Syd looked up at him puzzledly.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Well, it's simple," he said, "I plan to get some money and then proceed to-"

"No, no, no," the girl said swiftly, cutting him off.

Sessho-Maru glared at the incredibly rude child with malice, rage welling in his chest at the disrespect.

"You can't leave now," she said, "Weren't you listening? Do you know how far you'll get without money?"

Sessho-Maru frowned, unsure of what to say, and the girl sighed with exasperation and rolled her eyes skyward.

"Look, just stay the night, and tomorrow I'll buy you both some clothes, okay?" she said.

Sessho-Maru frowned.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, "Explain yourself."

Syd merely shrugged and yawned widely, and Sessho-Maru's frown deepened.

"We should purchase those items now then," he said quietly, "I loath being in any sort of debt to you, girl. The quicker we are out of here, the quicker I can repay you."

Syd stared at the youkai as if he were insane and shook her head swiftly.

"No way," she said, "I'm tired, and you two must be too… We're waiting 'til morning."

Inu-Yasha looked up at Syd and seemed like he was about to protest, but he, as well, gave a loud yawn.

"Nii-san, can we just wait until morning?" he inquired.

Sessho-Maru sighed, his frown deepening even further. He stared at the exhausted child, and thought his options over slowly.

It was true; if he left now, without any funds, how far could he get in the city?

And Inu-Yasha was exhausted, and having a sleepy child with him wouldn't exactly be the best thing in the world… And there was no way in hell that he would even consider leaving his whelp of a sibling with this loopy human.

"I suppose…" he grumbled.

"Excellent!" Syd said, "You can sleep on the pull-out bed!"

Both Sessho-Maru and Inu-Yasha looked puzzled and Syd waved her hand dismissively to tell them to forget it before shooing the small hanyou off the couch and throwing the cushions aside.

She pulled on a metal bar, and managed to heave a large, folded-in bed out from the couch as Inu-Yasha stared in awe and his brother blinked with puzzlement.

Syd then went to a closet to pull out pillows and blankets.

"Girl…" Sessho-Maru said slowly, sniffing, "There are no other people here. Do you not have parents?"

Syd shrugged.

"Meh," was her only reply, and she tossed a blanket into his arms, and some pillows at Inu-Yasha, though they toppled the tiny boy over with a yelp.

"You guys sleep here," she said, gesturing to the bed, "I'm in the other room; good night."

She grinned, turned off the lights, and sped off, leaving the two baffled youkai standing beside the pull-out bed.

-

Slowly, Sessho-Maru leaned back, closing the door. He placed his backpack on the ground as well, though he pulled his sword out of it and placed it on the floor beside the bed.

There wasn't anything special about the blade, though holding it with him assured him that most humans who mistook him for one would leave him be.

He sat, a little awkwardly on the bed, and patted the mattress beside him.

"Whelp; get some sleep," he instructed, "You must be exhausted."

Inu-Yasha yawned and scrambled up onto the mattress, and Sessho-Maru draped the blanket around his younger brother.

He sat there in a slightly awkward, to him, silence, before coughing quietly to break it.

"How's your arm?" he inquired quietly.

Inu-Yasha blinked with surprise at his older brother and smiled widely.

"A lot better; thanks Nii-san," he said softly.

Sessho-Maru nodded his approval, the tip of his tail give a tiny, semi-contented flick.

"Nii-san…" Inu-Yasha piped up once more, "You sound sleepy too… You should sleep."

"I'd rather be in a tree," he grumbled, "But…"

The older youkai couldn't quell a tiny yawn and he let himself lay down on the mattress, and before he knew it, Inu-Yasha was curled up against his chest in a warm ball, nestling into his tail fur.

Sessho-Maru looked down at the hanyou's blissfully smiling face and couldn't help but crack a tiny smile as well.

"Nii-san?" Inu-Yasha whispered, "Will you sing me that lullaby again? The one from before?"

Sessho-Maru blinked with surprise.

"I told you… I'm not much of a singer," he muttered.

"But you sang it really well before," the boy pressed, "Please?"

"Inu-Yasha… It's a spell when a youkai says those words," he muttered, "I only sang it to make you…"

"You sang it to make me feel batter?" Inu-Yasha suggested.

"No, I sang it to get you to shut up," he lied, and then sighed, "Look, Inu-Yasha…"

"Please Sessho? Please?" Inu-Yasha begged, looking pleadingly at his older brother, "Please?"

Sessho-Maru was about to protest again, when he heard a cry of irritation from another room.

"My God, Sesshilies! Just sing him the damned song!" Syd yelled.

"Don't start telling me what to do!" Sessho-Maru called back.

He looked down at Inu-Yasha's pleading face and sighed.

"Fine… But you owe me, whelp," he grumbled.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked and he grinned broadly, snuggling into his brother and closing his eyes.

Sessho-Maru blew out a sigh and began to sing the lullaby softly to his brother and before he had even completed the second verse, the pup was fast asleep.

Sessho-Maru looked down at the whelp, and found himself to be smiling again as his paternal instincts rose. He sighed again, held the whelp to his chest, and rolled over onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling over his head.

"Was this… somehow your doing, Father?" he asked aloud, "Did you want me not to hate my brother, so you sent us somewhere where… I'd have to protect him? I bet… wherever you are, Father, you're laughing at me, aren't you? …I can't blame you, but…"

He closed his eyes, gently rubbing Inu-Yasha's back as he slept.

"You… wanted me to get over _her_, didn't you Father?" he whispered, "_She's _gone, and there's nothing either of us can do… I know it wasn't the whelp's fault, but… You wanted me to not hate him."

He bent his head and rested his nose in between his brother's ears, delicately inhaling the hanyou's scent.

_It's not so bad…_ he thought, _I've met full-blooded youkai that smell worse._

He blew out a soft sigh into his brother's ears, and gave his forehead a tentative lick.

"Hey pup?" he whispered, though he expected no answer, "Look, I… I know it wasn't you… I know it wasn't your fault that _she_ died… And… I know… that you can't survive here without me… So we're going to stay together, all right? I promise… that I'll protect you, little brother."

He closed his eyes tightly and sighed again, though he was secretly a little disappointed that Inu-Yasha would never hear his sentiments.

He sighed once more and relaxed against the mattress, wrapping his tail around the whelp and consciously allowed himself to fall into a light sleep.

oOoOoOoO oOoOoOoO oOoOoOoO

When the dream came to Sessho-Maru, he was well aware that it _was_ a dream, though despite his efforts to wake himself, he was unable to break free.

He sat calmly on the edge of a rocky cliff, staring out over the horizon, watching the clouds drift across the sky and looking over the land that was his father's… And was his, too.

All the lands of the West belonged to his family.

He smirked slightly, unable to hide the pride on his face, and he took in the fresh scents of the woods behind him.

Then, he caught a new, soft scent that he recognized.

It belonged to _her_.

Sessho-Maru stiffened for a moment before the scent caused all his muscles to relax and become slightly limp.

He cringed, despising the feeling of weakness, though he couldn't shake it and sighed as he heard _her_ gentle pawsteps padding through the grass behind him.

_Her_ name was Akai.

She was a neko-panther youkai who had been taken in by his father after her clan had planned to destroy her for being a half-breed.

The girl had long copper hair, eyes like molten gold, a tabby-striped cat tail, and cat ears crowning her head that were layered with a thin coating of fuzz that mirrored the colour of her hair.

…And Sessho-Maru couldn't help it… For years, ever since the girl had been rescued, he hadn't been able to quell the affection that had sprung deep in his chest for her.

He thought it was going to drive him insane.

Though he had been encouraged by his father to find a mate, he had had no intentions to let a thing like _love_ make him weak.

He had failed though.

-

Slowly, the neko girl sat beside him in the grass, though he tried to keep his eyes on the sky.

"Hey Sessho," she said cheerfully.

Sessho-Maru grunted in acknowledgement and continued to stare blankly ahead. The neko girl smiled and, to the inu youkai's dismay, leaned comfortably up against his ribcage.

He was unable to keep a blush from staining his cheeks, and he gulped quietly to keep back a tiny sigh of his internal contentment.

He adored having this youkai close, though he would never… no, _could_ never admit it.

She snickered softly as she spotted his blush, though she didn't comment about it and merely sat quietly, following his silent gaze across the horizon.

Sessho-Maru cringed again, internally begging her to leave. He didn't want to accidentally blurt something _too_ affectionate, though, with Akai, he was bound to.

Plus, he was thinking deeply.

-

His father, the great lord of the West, had just chosen a mortal woman as his mate.

Sure, she wasn't a horrible mortal. He honestly didn't mind her very much, though now, she was pregnant with his father's pup.

He was to have a little brother within a few weeks.

A _hanyou._

Sessho-Maru didn't know what to make of the situation.

The hanyou would be part mortal, and therefore weak… Unless, of course, he inherited a great amount of their father's strength.

Sessho-Maru supposed that his father might expect him to perform some brotherly duties to the whelp, and he supposed that he would until the child was old enough to not need him anymore.

Contrary to popular belief, Sessho-Maru, for the moment, had nothing against hanyous other than the fact that they were generally weaklings.

He vowed quietly that he would _try_ not to get too close to the pup, despite the close family ties that were quickly established between inu youkai.

-

He sighed, puzzled, and by his side, Akai looked up at him, frowning a tiny bit before her smile reformed and she gave his cheek a gentle lick.

A tremor ran up and down Sessho-Maru's spine and he looked swiftly to Akai, who then smiled fondly at him.

"What in the hells was that for?" he demanded, though despite his attempts to sound angry, his question merely ended up coming out as a quiet bark.

Akai shrugged and leaned her head on his shoulder, knowing that he had no intentions of pulling away.

"You… seemed troubled, that's all," she commented quietly.

Sessho-Maru stared at her for a moment, trying to fix his normally ice-cold glare on her, but he… he just _couldn't_, and when her tail unconsciously curled around his waist, his pathetic glare was completely felled and he was left to look a little embarrassed.

To his relief, Akai had closed her eyes and didn't see his cheeks turn a deeper shade of crimson, though he knew that she could smell his embarrassment.

She laughed softly and then opened her eyes to stare at him briefly.

"Hey Sessho…?" she said softly.

Sessho-Maru stared into the neko's eyes and gulped quietly.

"Hai?" he replied.

Akai stared at him for another moment before smiling shyly and shaking her head.

"Nothing, never mind," she said, and she gave him another cat-kiss on the cheek before turning her gaze on the sky again.

"It wasn't anything that you would've wanted to hear anyway…"

Sessho-Maru stared at the girl, his eyes becoming wide.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, craning his neck to peer into her face.

The neko shrugged, though she said nothing to inform him of her thoughts.

The inu youkai frowned.

He hated it when people kept information from him.

"It's nothing," Akai said quietly.

"If it was, you wouldn't have bothered to say anything," Sessho-Maru said grumpily, "Now, I demand that you tell me what you were about to ask me."

"It's…" she whispered quietly, and then shook her head swiftly, "Um, hey? You're getting a little brother. What do you think of that?"

She paused and looked a little nervous to continue, but then did anyhow.

"He's going to be a hanyou," she said softly, "What do you think of _that_?"

-

Sessho-Maru stared at Akai and mused about her question.

His first reaction was: _he's going to be a weak, worthless, half-breed_, though he quickly quelled the response.

That was what a common youkai would think and, _he_, Sessho-Maru, was anything but.

He refused to let himself think like the stereotypical, idiotic youkai, who would taunt and torture the hanyou for amusement for not being born a full-blood.

He resented that, in doing so, he'd also be like the humans, who would also loathe the hanyou merely because he was half "monster".

No, he would not lower himself to judging someone merely by their heritage.

Blood didn't matter to him; all that mattered was strength.

Someone could have only a tiny drop of youkai blood in their veins, though if they were strong, Sessho-Maru couldn't care less.

-

"So…?" Akai pressed, "Sessho…? What do you think?"

Sessho-Maru, coming back to reality, stared at the girl for one more moment before shrugging absently and looking up to the sky.

"I don't care," he said.

Akai locked her eyes on the inu youkai, blinking her golden orbs with shock.

"What?" she inquired.

"I don't care," Sessho-Maru repeated, "The whelp will either be strong, or he won't be… If he's not… he will be a disgrace to the family, though…"

Sessho-Maru let his sentence trail off and he gave a gentle smirk.

"If he _is_ strong, I'll take him on as my student," he said, and he turned to Akai, "And you'll help me teach him, won't you?"

Akai stared blankly for a moment before bobbing her head in an exuberant nod.

"Of course," she said.

Sessho-Maru's smirk broadened and he nodded approvingly, and then sent a knowing smile towards the neko.

"That wasn't what you were going to ask me before," he stated, "Tell me what is."

Akai smiled shyly and shook her head, though Sessho-Maru swiftly moved so that he was in front of her, staring her in the face.

"Tell me _now_," he ordered, though Akai merely shook her head and attempted to playfully push him backwards.

Instead, he grabbed her wrist, smirking at her, and he leaned forward again to stare at her, attempting to weasel the information out of her.

"Akai," he growled warningly.

She giggled and shook her head again, though the inu youkai was losing some of his patience.

He grunted with irritation.

His plan was to swiftly grab her, pinion her against a tree, and _glare_ the question from her, though as he tried, the girl slipped and fell onto her back, and he, in turn, fell on top of her and found his face pressed almost unbearably close to hers.

He found their mouths pressed together, and he stared down at Akai with wide eyes, while she stared back up at him, her cat-ears folding backwards with embarrassment.

Shyly, pink staining his face, he leapt backwards and quickly helped the girl upright.

"Gomen, that was my fault," she mumbled, though Sessho-Maru swiftly shook his head, put his hand to his brow, and looked down to hide his blush.

Akai looked at his bowed head and laughed softly, a rosy blush colouring her cheeks as well, and she cautiously tilted the inu youkai's face upwards with a gentle finger.

"I was _going_ to ask if you and I could bunk together tonight; it's getting colder," she said a little shyly.

Now, "bunk together" had many meaning, but for youkai, there was only one unless the youkai being asked happened to be mates with the other youkai: it meant "Would you share a bed with me, because I need your body warmth".

It was an innocent enough question; he and Akai had shared a futon before, during the winter when the temperatures could get dangerously low, though it now made Sessho-Maru's face turn bright crimson before he was able to force out a nod.

Akai smiled gratefully and wagged her tail, and made as if to leave before whirling swiftly on Sessho-Maru and gently pecking him on the lips.

Sessho-Maru blinked dumbly at the neko as she smiled warmly and stood, disappearing back into the woods.

-

Then, a flash.

-

It was suddenly three weeks later.

And Akai… was dying in his arms.

Sessho-Maru begged; pleaded with the gods not to take her before he could tell her what need to be said, though they merely laughed, and then mocked him further by having her body burned in a flash forest fire before his father's legendary Tensaiga could be put to work.

Sessho-Maru became numb… bitter…

He was furious with himself, and just how the girl he… _loved_… had perished.

It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

He wanted _her_ back.

He wanted to tell _her_ he loved her, but there was no chance for that now.

It _wasn't_ _fair…_

oOoOoOoO oOoOoOoO oOoOoOoO

Sessho-Maru woke up with a jolt; sweat coating his brow and the stench of death stinking in his nostrils, though it was swiftly replaced with the scent of simmering meat and eggs.

He felt moistness against his cheek, and his forlorn gaze traced down to see his baby brother, still fast asleep, gently licking him.

Rage filled his eyes for a brief moment, though it died swiftly as the tiny boy gave a fearful whimper as his Nii-san's scent altered to match his mood. The fury turned back to a slightly melancholy expression, and he sighed.

He knew it wasn't Inu-Yasha's fault, nor was it his mother's.

No one had asked Akai to sacrifice herself for Izayoi and her unborn hanyou son, though she had.

Sessho-Maru cringed and buried his face against Inu-Yasha's head.

_If anything_, he though slowly, _I should be taking care of this whelp because of what that crazy neko did… Her death will not have been in vain…_

He sighed again, and to his surprise, he felt tiny arms locking around his neck and a gentle nuzzle on his throat.

He looked up from the tangled silver mane of the child, and Inu-Yasha tilted his head to lock his large, amber eyes on his brother's.

"Nii-san?" he asked softly, "Why are you so sad?"

Sessho-Maru blinked blankly at the tiny boy.

"What?" he asked.

"You're sad…" he whispered, and then cupped his older brother's cheek, his ears drooping, "I… didn't do that, did I?"

Sessho-Maru stared disbelievingly at the whelp in his arms and slowly shook his head.

"No, you didn't," he replied quietly.

Inu-Yasha stared up at Sessho-Maru, though his eyes slowly welled up with tears.

"You sure?" he whispered, "You… you smelled so angry and then sad…"

Sessho-Maru stared at his baby brother again, and then shook his head swiftly before sitting up and letting Inu-Yasha rest in his lap.

"Look, whelp, I'm not mad… or sad because of you, okay? Everything fine, so stop crying," he said.

Inu-Yasha gazed up at his brother and nodded swiftly, wiping his tears on the back of his sleeve. Upon doing this, however, Sessho-Maru noticed just how filthy his baby brother was: he was still covered in mud and grass stains, and a tiny bit of blood.

Before Sessho-Maru could comment, Inu-Yasha began to hug him around the waist contentedly.

"Gomen about saying all those bad words before, Nii-san," he said, "I don't think you're a bastard or anything like that."

He nuzzled into Sessho-Maru's t-shirt and smiled.

"I love you Nii-san," he whispered.

Sessho-Maru stared at the whelp for a moment before he gently laid his hand between Inu-Yasha's ears. He remembered being caught in this situation before, though now, he felt those paternal instincts jumping up his throat.

That could be considered love, couldn't it?

"Hai, I… uhh… feel… some affection for you as well, little brother," he said a little awkwardly.

Inu-Yasha blinked with shock before he began to giggle quietly, squeezing Sessho-Maru tighter.

"Arigato," he said.

Sessho-Maru stared down at the pup, and suddenly, a loud squeal was heard.

Sessho-Maru jerked around, one set of claws raised defensively, only to see Syd standing at the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes all but sparkling.

"That's so kawaii!" she exclaimed, "Brotherly love! Sesshilies, I didn't think you had it in you."

Sessho-Maru stared at the human girl intently, and then blew out a sigh as he bowed his head to look down on Inu-Yasha.

"Neither did I…" he whispered inaudibly.

Syd chuckled quietly at them smiled at the two youkai in her living room.

"I made breakfast," she said, "Who wants eggs?"

oOoOoOoO

Half-way through the day, Sessho-Maru decided that he wanted to at least begin to get their new, modern lives on track… though he bathed Inu-Yasha first to get all the grime off of him. He and Inu-Yasha needed money, clothes, food, and a place to live.

Syd informed him that she'd lend him money and that he and the whelp could stay with her until they found a place.

Sessho-Maru scoffed; how hard could it be?

-

Now, they were outside. Sessho-Maru remained in his modern-era clothes, though his tail was still draped over his shoulder like a living boa. He held Inu-Yasha in his arms; the young boy was still in his kimono, though he sported a large baseball cap to conceal his ears, but it constantly slipped and fell down over his eyes.

Syd laughed as Inu-Yasha grumbled and pushed his hat up for about the zillionth time, and steered the two brothers into an enormous building crawling with humans.

"It's called a mall," Syd said, "You guys had markets, right?"

"Hai," Sessho-Maru replied.

"Well, this is like hundreds of different markets all in one building," she said, "We're going to get you clothes and stuff here, okay?"

"I still have no money…" the youkai growled softly.

"I said I'll pay for you until you have some! Jeez!" Syd exclaimed as herded the two brothers through the interior "streets" of the mall.

Sessho-Maru was dazzled and slightly disturbed by the amounts of humans, scents, and sounds all concentrated so closely, while Inu-Yasha stared in awe at all the different shops they were passing.

She stopped Sessho-Maru at a green bench next to a large, loud fountain, and she peered closely at a stand that sported a small map of the interior of the mall.

Slowly, Sessho-Maru sat and allowed Inu-Yasha to scurry from his arms to look around.

The boy looked awed at the coolness of the tiles against his bare feet. As he looked down, the brim of his hat fell down over his eyes again, and with a grunt of irritation, he pushed it back up again.

"I don't like this thing," he muttered.

Sessho-Maru gave the whelp an amused smirk, and he glanced at Syd, folding his arms against his chest.

"Wench, are you nearly done?" he inquired.

"Um, yeah," Syd said, "Okay."

She turned to Sessho-Maru and forcibly put a plastic card into his palm.

The youkai looked at it with puzzlement, his brow knitting, and flipped it over to observe it fully.

"That's a credit card," Syd said, "Like I told you yesterday, remember?"

Sessho-Maru nodded and looked up.

"So…" he said slowly.

"It's mine," she said, "You're going to use it to buy things that you need. I'm going to take Inu-Yasha with me and buy him things with a different credit card, okay?"

Inu-Yasha's head jerked to the sound of his name, and he looked, alarmed, back at Sessho-Maru and Syd.

"What? I'm going with you?" he squeaked, pointing at Syd, and then looked up at her shyly, "You won't… throw-"

"She won't throw things at you Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru said with a sigh, "She has no concept or understanding of the differences between youkai, ningen, and hanyou."

Syd nodded swiftly.

"Right; what he said," she agreed.

Inu-Yasha looked considerably relieved, and his ears perked up happily under his hat.

"Oh good," he said, smiling.

Syd grinned, and then looked to Sessho-Maru again. She tapped the red credit card in his hand with a fingernail.

"The password for it is 5666," she said quietly, "Don't tell _anyone_. You remember how to use it?"

Sessho-Maru nodded and stood, as Syd took Inu-Yasha's tiny hand.

"We'll meet back here in two hours," the girl said, "Cool?"

Sessho-Maru nodded, remembering that "Cool" was like "okay", and he looked down at Inu-Yasha.

"Pup, stay with the girl," he instructed, "Don't leave her sights… And try not to talk to anyone else, do you understand?"

Inu-Yasha bobbed his head in a swift nod.

"Right Nii-san: I won't let you down, I promise!" he said sincerely.

"Good boy," Sessho-Maru said approvingly, and then looked up to Syd, locking his ice-cold gaze on hers, "Girl?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Do not let _anything_ happen to my little brother," he warned, "If something happens to him… I will personally take your head, okay?"

Syd stared at him and smiled, laughing softly.

"Enough with the death threats," she said, "You can trust me Sesshilies."

"Sesshilies…" the youkai growled out, the very word bitter in his mouth, "Oh gods…"

"God," Syd corrected, "Now, people only say God, not gods."

"Fine, GOD," Sessho-Maru repeated exasperatedly.

He drew a bewildered glance from a passing woman as he rubbed his fingers through his bangs and Syd chuckled softly.

"We'll see you later, okay?" She asked.

Sessho-Maru nodded and, with a flick of his finger serving as a wave to his younger sibling, turned elegantly on his heel and walked away.

Inu-Yasha watched him go, and then looked up at the girl who was grasping his fingers.

"What do we do now?" he asked softly.

"We buy you clothes," she said simply.

She turned towards a store called The GAP and gently escorted Inu-Yasha into it, across the suddenly wooded floorboards.

-

Inu-Yasha sat patiently on a carpeted bench protruding from the wall as Syd scampered back and forth, picking clothes out for him from the many shelves around he store. Every once and a while, she would return and place items onto an accumulating pile beside the young hanyou until it was taller than he was.

Inu-Yasha let out a yawn, and then looked up at Syd as she returned from her tenth round.

"Are you done yet?" he inquired innocently.

Syd nodded swiftly, though she whisked a baggy, blue pair of children's slacks and a red sweatshirt from the pile and delivered them into the boy's arms.

"There's a little room over there," Syd said quickly, pointing to a half-open door to her left, "Go try these things on in there to see if they fit all right, okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded a bit numbly, puzzled, and Syd grinned and shot off again into the shelves of clothes. The small hanyou raised one eyebrow in puzzlement, though he did as Syd had told him to and walked towards the room, though, before he got there, he spotted a small, white hat similar to the one he was wear except for one thing: it had small, pointed dog ears poking up from the top.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened as an idea dawned on him, and after awkwardly shuffling he items he held under his arms, he picked up the hat and examined it.

To his glee, he found that the hat would fit him perfectly; even his ears could fit into the little folds of material that served as the false ears.

Smirking with triumph, he managed to heave the massive (to him) pile of clothes into the small room and kick the door shut behind him.

-

The boy swiftly pulled off his red, mud caked kimono, a little relieved to be out of the dirty garments. Slowly, he looked through the new clothes and determined what order he was supposed to put things on in. Biting his lip, he stumbled into the baggy blue pants and yanked the sweatshirt up and over his head. The clothes were warm and dry, and he smiled contentedly. Turning to look behind him, he spotted a mirror, and he cocked his head as he looked at his reflection.

These new, different clothes didn't seem _too _bad…At least they were warm.

Inu-Yasha picked up the hat with the small ears sticking up from it and placed it on his head with the rim facing backwards. He used a claw to poke his real ears into the folds of fabric to conceal them. He snickered as he observed himself in the mirror.

Now, none of the humans would guess he had real dog ears, would they?

-

He tentatively pushed the door open again and poked his head out, looking around.

"Syd-chan?" he called, "Syd-chan, I'm done."

He could see the blond-haired girl's head jerk up from behind a row of shelves at his call. He waved a small arm in the air to draw her attention and walked out of the room to lean against the wall, folding his arms to his chest.

Syd scurried to him, though when she laid eyes on him, her jaw dropped and her blue eyes bulged.

He looked gust like a tiny, puppy rapper… An extremely cute, tiny, puppy rapper…

Syd's lips pulled back as she ground her teeth together, trying not to burst out laughing.

The little hanyou tilted his head, one eyebrow cocking with puzzlement.

"Is something wrong?" he inquired.

Syd shook her head swiftly, let out a tiny giggle, and then whisked the boy in the baggy clothes into her arms.

"No, no, nothing's wrong, you just look… _really_ kawaii," she said, "Where are your other things?"

Inu-Yasha pointed to the where he had been sitting previously, so Syd placed him back on his feet and picked up all of his clothes, including his muddied, torn kimono from the changing room.

She escorted him to a counter where Syd paid for all the clothes, including the ones Inu-Yasha was wearing. The woman behind the counter allowed Inu-Yasha to keep the newly bought clothes he had donned on; she cut off the tags with a pair of shiny scissors.

-

As soon as the store began to become swarmed with other patrons, Syd tightly grasped their bag of spoils in one hand while she took Inu-Yasha's with her other and guided him back outside.

"We got that done pretty quick, huh Inu-pup?" she said happily, "We should be proud."

"We should?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Oh yes, very much so," the girl said a she bobbed her head up and down in a nod.

She walked to a pedestal where a tree grew up out of the tiles and gestured for Inu-Yasha to sit on a bench in front of it. She fished through the bag of clothes for a minute, a look of determination on her face. Inu-Yasha cocked his head quizzically, and Syd laughed triumphantly as her hand emerged gripping a tiny pair of sandals.

"Here," she said, handing the to the hanyou boy, "They'll keep your feet off these tiles… They're completely filthy; you could probably get a friggin STD."

"ST-what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

He had put one sandal on and was pulling on the other as he looked up at his human escort with puzzlement.

Syd laughed a little embarrassedly, thinking she had said a little too much, and shook her head swiftly.

"Nothing, nothing," she assured him hurriedly.

She tilted her head and looked at her watch.

"You hungry?" she asked, "We have time to buy some food if you want."

Inu-Yasha looked up at Syd, his eyes glistening hopefully as his stomach gave a tiny, painful gurgle.

"Really?" he inquired, "O-Okay… What is there…?"

Inu-Yasha was expecting her to respond with something along the lines of dried bread and fruit, though instead, Syd grinned widely at the little boy and ruffled his cloth-covered ears.

"Anything you want Yasha-pup, anything you want."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED! …Later…

* * *


	30. Home Invasion

* * *

Chapter 29: Home Invasion

* * *

A/N: Woot, okay, I've finally updated! Sorry about the wait; I've had tons of homework and exams. Thanks very much to all my readers and reviewers, and special thanks Maki Totakiyami, who took the time to review every single chapter. .

* * *

_Thump… Thump… Thump… _

Downstairs, in the dark the low, clunking steps continued, patrolling the room beneath the two huddling teens.

Quietly, Kagome gulped to wet her dry mouth, and Inu-Yasha's arms tightened around her, as if to serve as a shield.

Blinking blindly ahead, the boy took another delicate sniff to confirm the identity of the intruder.

The distinct scents that their trespasser was giving off made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his fur bristle.

He knew that scent… That scent of gunpowder, alcohol, and encased drugs…

_Why now? Shit, why the hell now?_

Nervous sweat slowly began to pour down the hanyou's brow. He bit his lip and gulped back a loud, defensive growl so that he wouldn't alarm Kagome.

The girl in his grasp turned her trembling hazel gaze on him, griping onto one of his arms with shaking fingers.

"Inu-Yasha," she breathed, "Th… There's someone in the house, isn't there?"

"Hai," he replied with a nod.

He let his ears swivel under his bandana and was shocked to hear a second set of footsteps, quieter this time, creeping into the house.

Quiet male voices, the words unheard, began to seep up through the floor.

Kagome's grip on Inu-Yasha's arm tightened as she bit her lip and leaned backwards against him, trying to prevent herself from shaking.

"Who… Who do you think it is…?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha's amber eyes narrowed as he took another sniff, and then he shook his head, grunting with disbelief.

_It can't be… Bastards… How did…? _

He growled, though said nothing, his clawed digits squeezing into Kagome, though the enraged, fearful hanyou did his best not to hurt her.

Puzzled, Kagome twisted her body around to look into Inu-Yasha's eyes, though she was alarmed to see genuine fear sparking in the deep pools of amber-gold, behind the shrinking emotional barrier.

He was scared…

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome whispered.

"I… I don't know," he lied, "But I have an idea though…"

He shuddered involuntarily and raised one arm to wipe the cold sheen of sweat from his forehead.

Kagome cringed and had to resist the urge to bury her face against Inu-Yasha's shirt.

"You… don't think it's my dad again, do you?" she inquired.

Inu-Yasha merely shook his head.

"I have no clue," he repeated, "But… uh…"

Slowly, he lay Kagome back down against the bunched blankets and gently put a hand against her cheek as he eased himself into a fully upright position.

"Kags…?" he said slowly, "I'm… gonna go check it out, okay?"

"You?" Kagome nearly blurted, attempting to sit up once more, "But…! But you're hurt all ready and…!"

"Sh-h-h," he growled swiftly as he heard a clunk against the floor, "Listen, Kagome…"

He sighed, put a hand to his brow, and then smiled at her, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her back down to her mattress.

"It's okay," he assured her, "I know what I'm doing, all right? I'm not gonna let myself get hurt again."

He smirked at her, knowingly showing off his fangs.

"I'll be fine, I promise," he said, but then his face turned stern, "But you have to promise me something too."

"Like what?" Kagome asked tentatively.

Secretly, she was begging for him to say a hug, or perhaps a kiss on the cheek for when he returned, but instead, her worst fears were realized when he said,

"You have to promise you won't follow me."

Kagome rolled her eyes skyward and cringed in annoyance.

"Why did I know you were going to say that…?" she whispered.

"Because we're best friends," Inu-Yasha said, "Do you promise?"

Kagome glared at him for a moment before nodding and patting his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise you bakahead."

Inu-Yasha grinned and swiftly slipped from the bed, ruffling Kagome's hair on his way up.

"Well, you've made me one happy bakahead," the hanyou replied.

"Yay," Kagome commented half-sarcastically, "Just... be careful."

Inu-Yasha nodded, saluted the girl with two of his fingers, and then slid silently from the room and into the hallway.

oOoOoOoO

Swiftly, Inu-Yasha ducked down the stairs and concealed himself in the shadows of the kitchen and perked his ears to listen.

From the living room, he could hear the sound of heavily-clad feet shuffling around on the carpet, and another set of feet patrolling the area near the front door.

Though Inu-Yasha couldn't see them, his mind's eye showed him a clear picture of two men: one quite a bit younger than the other, both garbed in dark uniforms that had been engineered for combat with something that seemed to be not quite of this world.

Hanyou hunters.

Inu-Yasha gulped back a growl and ducked under the kitchen table, pressing his body to the wall. The sound of the feet continued until the older of the two men let out a frustrated sigh.

"Just _what_ are we doing in here without a warrant again?" he inquired to his partner.

"I told you," the other replied.

He had a slight American accent.

"I saw that hanyou come in here."

"Are you _positive?_" the first man inquired, "Agent Scott, if you're wrong, the boss is going to-"

"Have us pretty-well murdered, I know," Agent Scott said with a sigh, "But I'm sure I saw it go in here."

Inu-Yasha gulped and wiped more sweat from his brow. Had they figured him out? Would he have to leave Kagome? Or worse yet, would he have to run away and take her with him? Was she in danger as well?

_Of course she is! _He thought, cringing, _Just by knowing me she's in danger!_

"Just please, Agent Scott tell me this isn't-" the first man started.

"It's not some stunt," Scott snapped, "I may be new on the force, but I am not pulling this to get attention from the boss!"

The first man sighed again.

"Did you tell anyone else?" he asked at a low whisper.

"No," Scott said, "Only you, Agent Suka… So… in the _slight_ chance that I'm wrong the boss won't have me dismembered."

"Good plan," Agent Suka agreed, "Because… Honestly, it just looks like there's a few teens living here. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"So… where are they?"

"Who? The kids?" Suka inquired, and then he laughed, "Probably fast asleep."

"Should we check upstairs?" Scott inquired.

"Yeah, probably," Suka agreed, "We should be professional at all times, Agent Scott."

"Agreed."

Inu-Yasha flinched and followed the men with his ears.

What was he going to do? He couldn't let them go upstairs; if they found Kagome there, awake…

He didn't even want to think of what they might do to her.

A plan of slight self-sacrifice ran through his head, and he slunk from his hiding spot and darted behind the couch, his heart beating feverishly in his ears. He refused to let these two get any farther, even if he had to…

_Even if I have to kill them,_ he decided.

He cracked his knuckles, almost eager to put his claws to work.

Oh yes… A little revenge wouldn't be so bad, but…

He shook his head and dug his nails into the back of the couch instead. The hanyou _really_ didn't want any more blood to stain his fingers for a while.

-

Stiffening, Inu-Yasha kept his ears trained on the men, and slowly, he let a growl rumble up from his throat to get their attention and lure them from the stairs.

Agent Scott jolted and Agent Suka swiftly pulled a gun from the holster at his side and whirled, scowling a little blindly through the dark. Slowly, the man placed a case that he had been holding down on the ground, put both hands on his gun, and he edged slowly towards the source of Inu-Yasha's growl.

The hanyou let out another one, higher this time, and coughed as well to create a sound similar to a soft bark.

Slowly, the two men crept towards him, thinking there was some sort of dog there, and he smirked triumphantly.

"Checkmate, dudes," he hissed.

Before either human could react, Inu-Yasha leapt over the couch, forcing his blood to rush angrily and cause his eyes to flicker red.

Agent Scott let out a startled yell while Suka tried to swiftly release the safety on his gun.

He was too late, however. Inu-Yasha was much too quick.

In a matter of seconds, the hanyou was behind the older man, his arm hooked around his neck in a vice-like grip.

"Drop the gun," he snarled.

Instantly, the man complied, gasping quietly while his partner stumbled backwards with shock and, panicked, fumbled with his holster for his gun.

"H-Hanyou…" Suka croaked.

"Why yes, I am a hanyou, how observant," Inu-Yasha retorted.

He turned his reddened gaze on Agent Scott and bared his fangs.

"You, stay still," he ordered.

Obediently, the human froze, unsure of what to do.

Inu-Yasha let himself sneer with triumph.

"You two ain't so cocky now that I'm the only one with weapons here, ne?" he said.

"How… What… How long…?" the younger of the men stammered in shock.

"I've been listening since you two clowns barged in here," Inu-Yasha said, "And now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."

A stunned silence reverberated around the room before, once more, Agent Scott spoke out.

"What?" he demanded.

"Agent! Quiet!" Suka ordered hoarsely, though Inu-Yasha gently prodded him in the spine to remind him that his claws were still there, and still deadly, but the man merely sneered.

"You're bluffing," he said, addressing his captor, "Don't think I don't know… that you're blind."

Inu-Yasha blinked, unmoved, though Agent Scott suddenly appeared a lot less frightened and reached for his gun again.

"Touch your weapon and I send _both_ of your heads rolling," Inu-Yasha warned venomously, "You've seriously underestimated me if you think that me being blind gives you any sort of advantage."

Agent Scott's hand stayed in midair, right above his holster, and he stared, shocked, at the hanyou.

"How the hell could you tell that-?"

"Baka!" Inu-Yasha snapped, "I'm not a pathetic mortal like you. My senses are infinitely better than yours are."

_Not that I think all mortals are pathetic_, he added silently, his thoughts tracing back to Kagome, then Miroku and Sango, and finally to his mother.

"Now," Inu-Yasha continued, "I'm gonna give you two options. One, I let this dude go and you both leave and pretend like this never happened."

"As if that'll-" Agent Scott began angrily, but Inu-Yasha growled loudly at him, cutting him off.

"Listen asswipe, if you leave and then tell your boss, you two will also be killed for not being able to take me down," the hanyou stated, "And… If you don't agree to my "just walk away" plan… _I'll_ kill you."

oOoOoOoO

Agent Suka grunted with frustration in the hanyou's grasp, but he was a sensible man.

He knew that Inu-Yasha spoke the truth. He also knew that there wasn't much he could do to stop him.

He recalled seeing this hanyou fight before, over a year ago. He had seen him pull a huge tree out of the ground and toss it as if it were merely a twig.

He had no chance of competing with him in strength or speed.

Maybe… Just _maybe, _he could cause a distraction.

oOoOoOoO

Upstairs, Kagome paced anxiously in her room, her eyes closed as she tried not to let her imagination run away with her, playing out the various scenarios Inu-Yasha might become trapped in.

She ground her teeth together in frustration and cautiously stepped towards her door.

As she reached for the doorknob, she paused, and slowly, after considering her promise to Inu-Yasha, drew her hand back to run her fingers through her bangs in annoyance.

"I'm such an idiot," she hissed, "Why the hell did I promise him…? Goddamn…"

She paced another few steps before muttering, "screw it," to herself and walking to her bedside.

Squatting, she peered past the covers hanging over the edge into the dark, squinted, and then smirked as she spotted the long, wooden baseball bat her brother had bought and she had… _commandeered _for just such an occasion.

Taking a hold on the blunt tip, she pulled it from its spot and took it tightly by the tape-wrapped handle.

She thumped it lightly into her opposite hand, testing its strength, and her smirk grew.

_If I can sneak behind our little intruder… He'll never see it coming, especially if it's just some dumb robber._

Kagome's eyes lit with triumph, but her smirk turned bitter in an instant.

What if it _wasn't_ just a robber? What if it was the police? What if it was those men who were after Inu-Yasha?

Kagome gulped, her heart suddenly beating, panicked, in her ears.

What if it _was?_ What if they had caught Inu-Yasha already while she was still up here? What if he was already unconscious in some truck somewhere, being taken away from her forever? What if he was already _dead_?

So many questions sent Kagome's head reeling, and she dug her fingernails into the handle of her weapon. Closing her eyes, the girl forced herself to relax and listen to the sounds from below her.

To her relief, she could hear the growl that was Inu-Yasha's voice up through the floorboards, but she could also hear the low drone of two other male voices.

"Two of them?" she gasped, "Oh… Oh _shit…_"

She clenched her fists angrily, driving the tip of the bat into the carpet with frustration.

"Damn it…"

Biting her lip, she shifted from foot to foot, wondering what to do.

Her first thought was,

_Yeah! I'm armed! I'll kick their asses; let me at 'em! _

The small corner of her brain that wanted her to think things through won out, however, and she sighed and paced another few steps, contemplating a plan.

_Okay, I have to make sure they don't see me_, she mused, _I can probably sneak down the stairs and around, maybe through the kitchen… and… oh hell, I'm no good at this planning stuff…_

She cringed.

Like Inu-Yasha, she was more of an impulsive person than a planner.

"I don't have time for this," she mumbled.

She prowled back to her door and slowly wrenched it open, trying to keep it as quiet as she could. Ducking, Kagome snuck from her room to the top of the stairs.

There seemed to be an argument going on between Inu-Yasha and the two intruders, almost as if they vaguely knew each other, though her friend's voice was laced with deadly venom. Sighing softly, Kagome slung the bat over her shoulder and peered even more intently down the stairs, and then, to her right, she heard the sound of soft paws on the carpet.

Looking cautiously over her shoulder, she saw Buyo, accompanied by a sleepy-looking raccoon padding down the hall towards her.

"_Kaggy, what's going on?"_ Buyo inquired as his friend reared back on his haunches and yawned.

"Something bad," she said sotly, "There's… someone in the house. I dunno who."

Buyo's eyes became round with concern and he climbed onto Kagome's lap to stare down the stairs curiously.

The raccoon opened his dark eyes wider and looked over the edge of stairs as well, and then yawned again.

"_What're you gonna do about it, Kaggy?" _he inquired in a high voice.

Kagome looked at the raccoon, a little annoyed that Buyo's nickname for her had worn off on someone else, but she shrugged in response to his question.

"I think I'll…" she mumbled, standing slowly so that Buyo had a chance to hop from her knee, "I'm gonna…"

She carefully thumped the baseball bat against her shoulder, and then gave a reassuring smile to the two furballs.

"Well, I'll think of something."

"_Why doesn't that make me feel any safer…?" _Buyo wondered aloud.

Kagome smirked and then slowly began to creep down the stairs as quietly as she could.

Behind her, she heard her kitten beckon the raccoon to follow him, and the two of them left on their own skulking mission.

She blocked out the conversation of the males below her, and she focused on watching where she was walking. She nimbly stepped over her little brother's Gameboy, which he had left on the stairs, and warily dodged a bit of leftover cat food that had somehow made its way onto the carpet.

After making a mental note to yell the hell out of Buyo about that later, she scurried down to the base of the stairs and swiftly ducked into the kitchen to hide.

She minded her footing on the smooth tiles and ducked under the kitchen table, just as Inu-Yasha had done a few minutes before, and slid against the wall, clenching the baseball bat tightly in both fists.

_If they've so much as touched him…_ she growled internally, _I'll… I'll…_

She sighed softly.

This was _way_ too much shit for one night…

-

The heated conversation had now ended, and an uneasy silence seeped through the house, broken only by frustrated growls on Inu-Yasha's part.

Kagome took a small gulp of air and locked her fingernails into the wood of the bat.

Carefully, she peered around the corner of the threshold to the living room. She couldn't see much, but she _could_ see the heavily armoured legs and feet of a man who looked equipped to battle a large dinosaur.

She frowned, puzzled.

_Holy shit, all this, just to catch Inu-Yasha? _she wondered, _Could he really be so dangerous…?_

"Okay, okay monster boy," the man closest to Kagome said suddenly.

Kagome jumped and ducked further underneath the table, wondering why the man had just called her friend a monster.

"We'll… leave peacefully, all right?"

Kagome jolted. The honeyed tone of the man's voice told her immediately that he was lying through his teeth, though she heard Inu-Yasha's unmistakable grunt of affirmation.

Unable to bring herself to wait to see how things would play out, Kagome swiftly crawled from her hiding spot and stood, brandishing the bat threateningly as the man before her began to draw a gun to point at Inu-Yasha.

"DIE, FUCKER!" she screamed.

Caught by surprise, everyone in the room jumped, Inu-Yasha letting go of his hostage in a brief moment of panic, his red eyes flickering and dimming down to amber once more.

Kagome crashed the bat down hard on the younger man's head, and dazed, he lashed out at her with a fist, knocking the thing from her before he slumped to the ground and attempted to grab her leg.

She yelped and kicked him in the jaw, and his head dropped to the carpet.

Inu-Yasha and the other Agent gawked at the fiery girl for a moment before the man swiftly whirled on his captor, drawing a knife.

Inu-Yasha's keen ears heard it being drawn, and the startled boy stumbled backwards as the older man stabbed forward.

He barely nicked the hanyou, however; he merely left a shallow scratch across his stomach.

He yelped with surprise, catching Kagome's eyes.

One look at his blood sent her mind reeling with rage.

"You son of a-" she began furiously.

She leapt over the back of the couch in order to confront the Agent, but he drew a second gun from his holster and released the safety.

"Kags, get outta the way!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

He leapt clear over the man and grabbed Kagome in his arms, rolling to the floor with her.

There was an ear-splitting _bang!_ as the gun was fired. Inu-Yasha cringed and held Kagome tightly underneath him, serving himself up as a shield, though the bullet sped past them both and imbedded itself into the couch, which spurted cotton fluff out its back.

oOoOoOoO

Not sure what to do, the Agent Suka ran around the couch, grabbed his unconscious companion and hauled him to the back of the house. Panicked, he fumbled to slide the back door open, but as he did, he heard an unearthly shriek from above him that chilled his blood.

He looked up, his eyes wide, to see two angry raccoons and a rather portly cat leaping from the rooftop.

Swearing, he fumbled with his gun, but the cat landed hard on his arm, forcing him to drop his weapon.

He gulped and stared eye to yellow eye with the feline, and could have sworn it gave him a sinister smirk before launching itself at his head.

He yelled it alarm and flailed, unfortunately for Agent Scott, releasing him. The raccoons began to claw fiercely at the half-conscious man, and Agent Suka did the only thing he could do; he knocked the clawing cat from his head and ran into the woods behind the house.

oOoOoOoO

"_Kagome, Inu-Yasha!" _

The voice of the cat caused both teens to jump. Slowly, Inu-Yasha released Kagome and leaned back to look at her with concern.

"You hurt?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"No, you?" she replied.

"A little scratch on the stomach," he confessed, "But I'm okay…"

He winked.

"For real, this time."

Kagome chuckled as Inu-Yasha jumped to his feet and then offered a hand to her. When she took it, he pulled her to her feet and then stared hard into her eyes.

"Why did you…?"

"They were lying bastards," she blurted angrily, "I'm sorry I made you let that dude go, but the one I hit was lying; I could tell!"

Inu-Yasha nodded understandingly and gave a tiny smirk.

"So… You saved my hide," he said slowly, "Thanks Kagome."

The girl stared at him for a moment, almost as if she expected him to be mad with her. Instead, he looked a little concerned.

"How much did you hear…?" he asked.

"Starting from the point when the younger guy called you a monster," she replied a little puzzledly, "Why?"

Seeming a tiny bit relieved, Inu-Yasha sighed and shook his head.

"No reason," he said, and then glanced around, "Now, where's Buyo…?"

"_Outside!" _Buyo called, _"Quick you guys!"_

With a swift glance at each other, Inu-Yasha and Kagome bolted for the back door, still grasping each other's hand.

-

Outside, they were a little startled to find the younger of the two Agents splayed, unconscious, on the ground with two proud-looking raccoons perched on his back.

"What did you guys do?" Kagome demanded.

"_No time, no time!" _Buyo insisted, and he turned wide eyes on Inu-Yasha,_ "Yasha, the older dude, he got away."_

He nodded towards the woods.

"_That way; do you think you can catch him?"_

"Yeah, no problem," Inu-Yasha said with a swift jerk of his head.

"But what about this guy?" Kagome inquired, pointing hesitantly at the other, unconscious man.

"Leave him," Inu-Yasha instructed, "He'll get up soon and end up wandering back to wherever the hell he came from."

He smirked.

"He hit his head, so I doubt anyone will take what he's saying about anything seriously."

Kagome nodded and Inu-Yasha patted her hand, which he had only just realized he was still grasping to.

"I'm going after what's-his-name," he said, "All right?"

"But…" Kagome started quietly, "Your eyes…"

"Don't worry," he said with a grin, "I'll be able to track him by ear. I'll be okay."

Slowly, Kagome nodded, and she slipped her hand from his.

"Okay, but be really careful," she said worriedly.

"Heh, I will," he replied, and then gave her nose an affectionate tweak, "You liar."

"I know, I know," she said with a sigh.

She gave him a shy smiled and shrugged.

"Can you really blame me?"

"No," he chuckled.

He turned on his heel and smirked over his shoulder.

"See you in a little while," he said before bolting straight into the woods.

-

Kagome stared after her friend for a moment before she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"_He'll be fine Kagome,"_ Buyo assured her.

He strode over to her and patted her foot reassuringly with a plump paw.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she mumbled.

She bent over and scooped Buyo up into her arms, patting his ears affectionately.

"But… It… Damn it all, I can't help but worry, ya know?" she said quietly.

"_Heh, yeah, I know," _Buyo replied with a smile.

He stared up at Kagome for a minute before looking down at his two raccoon friends.

The two grey-and-black blobs of fur had taken to ripping small pieces of cloth off the unconscious man's blue uniform and tying them down over their ears, mimicking Inu-Yasha and his bandana.

Kagome snickered and gestured to the open back door with her foot.

"Go on you guys, get in," she said, "We'll wait for Inu-Yasha in there, huh?"

The two raccoons looked at each other, looked at her, and then to her surprise, both gave her thumbs-up and then waddled into the house.

She began to laugh quietly again, and she set Buyo down on the ground.

He gingerly padded back into the house, though Kagome lingered outdoors for another moment, wondering if Inu-Yasha would truly be all right by himself.

She sighed a little dejectedly.

There was barely even hope of following him now…

Worry weighing heavily inside of her, she turned a little reluctantly from the woods and headed into the house to turn on the television for the two whining raccoons.

oOoOoOoO

In the dark, muddy forest, Agent Suka ran as fast as his legs would allow him to.

He wiped the blood from a claw wound on his chin, silently hoping that he hadn't gotten rabies from the crazed cat.

He had no idea that a hanyou could enlist an army of animal to rally around his cause. This creature was even more dangerous than he had anticipated.

He felt horrible for leaving his partner behind, but what else could he have done?

If at least one of them hadn't got away, who would tell their boss about the hanyou's whereabouts?

Suka panted for air, though his muscles were burning. He was trained for long-distance chases, but he had started off sprinting: a big no-no for his training.

To his horror, he realized that he was beginning to slow, and even to stumble.

He knew the hanyou would be behind him somewhere.

When the creature had claimed that his blindness was no handicap, Suka hadn't quite believed him, but after seeing him leap to protect that girl…

He shuddered; if the hanyou caught up to him, he was as good as dead.

His all ready madly-beating heart jolted at the sound of leaves rustling and branches bending behind him.

He gulped and pushed himself to run faster, though the sounds of his pursuer merely grew louder and louder.

"He's… taken… to the trees…?" he gasped softly to himself, "But… how?"

Now, he direly wished he hadn't underestimated the hanyou.

He reached to his belt and, fumbling, he tried to pull out his third, and last gun. When he did, he realised that he merely had two bullets left and that it would waste much too much time to reload.

Cursing softly, he slid the gun back into its place, but his fingers also met something else: a piece of equipment he had forgotten that he had.

His radio.

-

Hope springing in his chest, he swiftly pulled it from his belt and stared hard at the buttons. He pressed the one that would connect him to the nearest available agent, though in doing this, he had nearly slowly to a walk.

He was suddenly spurred on again by the crack of a branch behind him.

He could mentally visualize the hanyou's eyes shifting from yellow to blood red as he raced in for the kill.

He gulped and pleaded for the radio to respond, and his heart leapt with relief as it crackled to life.

"This is HQ," came a faint, static-ridden male voice.

"Code 19," Suka spat, thinking that the HQ definitely needed to buy new radios, "This is Agent Suka."

"Suka?" replied the voice, "Where is Scott."

"Scott's down," he said swiftly, "I'm being pursued by Hanyou 153. I'm need backup."

"Hanyou 153?"

The man on the other end of the line sounded shocked.

"He's… still alive…?"

"Alive and kicking," the Agent said with a sigh, "I repeat; I need backup."

"Where are you?" the man asked.

"I'm, uh-" Suka started, but his sentence was cut short as his foot slipped in the mud of a steep ridge, and before he could even attempt to regain his footing, he plummeted sideways over the edge.

-

Lights flashed before the man's vision before it faded to black as he hit the ground with sickening thud.

Pain ebbed throughout his body, and he slowly opened his dazed eyes to realize that he had landed cripplingly, face-first on a rock. He saw red; his blood was running in a steady stream down the rock from his broken nose.

He blinked stupidly at it for a moment, and then glanced to his side where his radio was screaming at him to come in.

It was silenced suddenly as it was crushed beneath a bare foot. Suka looked up puzzledly to see the hanyou, his eyes pulsating an angry red against his pale face.

"Baka ningen," he growled, though pity laced the undertones of his voice, "You shouldn't have ever come looking for me."

In that moment, the Agent realized the hanyou's words were very true. He attempted to say something, but blood merely flowed up his throat and he choked and slumped, lifeless, to the dirt.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha stared grimly down at the corpse of the human at his feet.

The death-stink was all ready starting to waft from his body; it was sickening.

"Arg, curse you," Inu-Yasha growled.

He clenched his fists and stepped away from the body, looking to the ground. He paced uneasily through the mud, staring at the dirt until he spotted the vague outline of what he knew to be a puddle.

Squatting to the ground, he eyed his reflection curiously, and he confirmed his suspicions.

His eyes were still like that of his full youkai form.

"I guess… when I get really mad, they…" he mumbled, touching his lower eyelid gently.

He turned his gaze back on the corpse and sighed.

"At least that saved me the trouble of doing it," he muttered.

With a sigh, he effortlessly leapt back to the top of the cliff and began to slowly walk home, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, running out here in shorts: not a good idea," he said with a sigh.

He stopped and awkwardly rubbed at a scratch on his leg where his skin had been torn by a tree branch while he concentrated on soothing his rage.

After a few minutes, when he felt slightly calmer, he continued on his way, back to the house. The dead Agent was still lingering in his mind however; he had almost wished that the man had died by a quick swipe of his claws rather than falling on that rock.

He sighed and shook his head back and forth swiftly.

"Why the hell do I pity them…?" he snarled at himself.

_Those fuckers tried to kill me! They tried to shoot Kagome!_

He shook his head again and his pity faded. Anyone who even thought about hurting _his_ Kagome didn't disserve any pity.

He rubbed his forehead with his knuckles and then continued ahead, following Kagome's scent back to the house.

-

After a few minutes, Inu-Yasha managed to arrive at the back door of their house. Looking down, he noticed that the unconscious Agent was gone. Inu-Yasha flicked his ears and was able to hear an almost drunk-sounding rambling from the front of the house.

He peered around the corner to see what was the outline of the dazed man, ambling around the street, muttering about a giant raccoon.

The hanyou couldn't help but snicker.

He walked around to the back again. Extending a palm, he touched the glass of the back door hesitantly, and then tapped it with his knuckles.

"Kagome?" he called quietly, "You there?"

-

Inside, Kagome was sitting, slumped and worrying, on the couch as the three sleepy animals stared in awe at the television screen.

At the tap on the door, Kagome jumped to her feet and rushed over.

When she saw Inu-Yasha standing outside, she whisked the door open and beckoned him in.

"So?" she asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Inu-Yasha smiled and shrugged. He also deduced by the lack of cursing or shrieking that his eyes had returned to normal.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," he replied.

"C'mere," Kagome said swiftly.

She guided him to the couch and sat with him, patting his hand.

"So, what happened to the dude outside?" she inquired hastily.

"Which one, the one who was outside the door or the one in the woods?" he asked.

"Both," the girl pressed.

"Well, the dude who was right outside is gallivanting in the street, talking about raccoons," he said, and then sighed softly, "The other…"

"He… didn't get away, did he?" she asked.

"Nah… No, he… He died," Inu-Yasha said, cringing as the words left his mouth.

Kagome gawked at him, and Buyo and the two raccoons turned to look at him, eyes wide. Quickly sensing as need for privacy, or perhaps hoping a little too much for a tender moment's impending arrival, Buyo gently prodded the two raccoons out of the room while slowly following behind.

Kagome hardly noticed.

"He's… He's _dead_?" she repeated, her voice hushed.

Inu-Yasha nodded and sighed, putting his hand to his brow again.

"There's a cliff out there," he said, "The dude just… ran right off…"

Inu-Yasha leaned back into the cushions and sighed, covering his eyes and biting his lip

"Cracked his damned head against a rock," he muttered.

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha, looking to the carpet, her eyes turning grim. She didn't know what to say to her companion.

She couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, if Inu-Yasha had killed the man.

She cringed.

No, Inu-Yasha wouldn't… She just didn't think he would kill that man unless he had no other choice.

She sighed and slid her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"It's all right," she assured him softly, "That man… That man was out to kill you, right? This is best, isn't it…?"

Inu-Yasha's face reddened at Kagome's warmth, but he didn't take the time to notice his blush and sighed, leaning his head onto Kagome's shoulder for comfort.

"Yeah, it… it _is_ best…" he mumbled, "But still… What a crappy way to die…"

Kagome nodded in agreement and yawned quietly.

"This… It's way to early for this…" She mumbled, "What do we do about this?"

"There isn't anything we can do," he replied, "I mean, if we… report this, they'll find me… And they'll…"

He closed his eyes and shuddered, trying not to think of what would become of them if his new home were discovered, unprotected.

He gripped lightly to Kagome, blowing out a sigh that made his body quiver with unease.

"They _can't_ find me here with you," he whispered, "They'd kill us…"

He tilted his head to stare into what little he could see of her eyes.

"Kagome… I…" he mumbled, "I don't want them to hurt you…"

He pushed himself upright slowly, folding his hands together and staring despairingly at the floor.

His first instincts were to run; run as far away as he could get from Kagome, to keep her safe from the men… But would that really be enough?

Would they go after his best friend anyway?

He looked up at Kagome and felt his heart swell and a warm affection pulse through his veins.

In that instant, he knew that he cared much too much for Kagome to be able to leave her anyway.

-

He closed his eyes and smiled forlornly to himself.

"I'm sorry Kagome; I'm so selfish," he mumbled.

Kagome raised her eyebrow and stared puzzledly at Inu-Yasha. She laid her hand on his shoulder and frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I… I wanted to leave," he whispered, but before Kagome could even feel a jolt of panic and horror inside her gut, he continued to say, "I'm fairly sure the only way to keep you safe is to leave… But I'm too selfish… I… _can't…_ Will you forgive me?"

He looked up at her to give her an apologetic smile, and Kagome couldn't help but gawk at him, her heart beating with insane nervousness at the thought of him leaving her.

"Y-Yeah," she whispered, but then couldn't help but look a little hurt, "You… were gonna leave…?"

Her chest tightened uncomfortably, and she exasperatedly realized that she was going to cry, but Inu-Yasha shook his head slowly.

"No, I can't leave; not after all we've been through," he said as he straightened up, "But… honestly, you'd be a hell of a lot safer if I did."

"I don't give a shit," Kagome whispered, but was alarmed to find her voice tight and soft, "Inu-Yasha, I… I wouldn't be able to stand it if you left."

"I know," he replied.

He turned to her and gently cupped her cheek, pulling her forward to touch his forehead to hers.

"I wouldn't be able to stand it either…"

He carefully guided her into a more comfortable position, and then wrapped his arms around her, gently patting the back of her head.

"Don't cry," he said reassuringly, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I… I ain't crying…" she mumbled, "G-God damn it, I'm _not!"_

Inu-Yasha smirked and contentedly nuzzled against Kagome's head as he felt the first of her unwanted tears begin to run into his shirt.

"Oh fuck…" Kagome growled, "Fuck, fuck, fuck… Inu-Yasha, look what you made me do!"

The hanyou stared down at his friend sympathetically, a little unsure of what to do. After a short pause, he decided to try to cheer her up with a touch of cynical humour.

"Aw, poor Kaggy," Inu-Yasha said mockingly.

Kagome growled and weakly punched him in the chest before taking a deep breath and, just as he had predicted, chuckling softly.

"Thanks," she said, "Sarcasm… I… needed that."

"I know you did," Inu-Yasha replied proudly, "Heh… Do I know you or what?"

"Hell yeah," Kagome said.

She looked up into Inu-Yasha's face and smiled, wiping the few tears on her cheeks against the back of her hand.

"Thank you," she laughed.

She, a little invigorated, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

The hanyou beamed and began to laugh, a light blush staining the brow of his nose pink.

"Hey, what're friends for, right?" he replied, his amber eyes alight with amusement, "Okay, well, I'm ready to go back to sleep, how about you?"

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod, "Definitely; I'm beat…"

-

Slowly, the girl shakily pushed herself to her feet.

She sniffed quietly and wiped her eyes again, a shameful blush creeping across her cheeks.

"I can't believe I just did that," she grumbled.

Inu-Yasha didn't know exactly what to say to her, so he merely smiled and ruffled her hair. She grinned at him appreciatively, but her smile slowly fell as she remembered the heavily armoured men.

Still, she was extremely curious about why they were equipped as if to handle a huge animal.

Carefully, she took Inu-Yasha's hands and stared into his eyes.

"Hey, Yasha?" she inquired, "I was… just wondering…"

She paused as he tilted his head, puzzled.

"I was wondering why those men… had so much equipment to take you on with," she said worriedly, "Do you think… you can-"

"Tell you why?" Inu-Yasha concluded, raising his eyebrow.

"Y-Yeah…" Kagome said shyly, "Do you mind?"

Inu-Yasha pondered for a moment, but then shook his head.

"No I don't," he replied, "But is tomorrow okay? I'm kinda tired."

Kagome nodded swiftly and Inu-Yasha grinned and gave her a thumbs-up, and then tilted his head towards the stairs.

"Okay, I'll-" he began, but was cut short by a hard knock on the front door.

Both teens jumped and Kagome whirled, scurrying to the front of the house to stare, alarmed at the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I got no clue," Kagome said.

She glanced around on the floor and spotted her baseball bat. She ducked and picked it up quickly before staring intently at the door.

"I'll answer it," she said, and then jabbed her finger at the stairs, "Go change your shirt, it's all ripped up."

Inu-Yasha blinked and then took the hem of his shirt in his claws. He pulled it towards his face and was annoyed to see a long slash mark across the middle, plus many more, smaller tears he had earned from running through the woods.

"Shit, that was my favourite shirt too," he grumbled, "Okay, I'll be right back. Be careful, ne?"

"No problem Yasha," she assured him with a wink.

He smiled at her and then bounded up the stairs to change as she edged carefully towards the door.

-

Slowly, she unlocked the door and pulled it open only to see a nervous looking man in his late thirties brandishing a crucifix in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He had dishevelled, dark brown hair and was wearing a long coat over plaid pajamas, as if he had just come from bed.

"Um, can I… help you?" Kagome asked, eyeing the man over a little cynically.

"Are you Christian?" he demanded.

"Uh…" Kagome replied, blinking with surprise.

What sort of question was that?

"Young lady, were you baptized as a baby?" he continued, his voice's tone rising in anxiety.

"Uh, I don't know," Kagome said blankly, "Why do you ask? Who the hell are you?"

"No time, no time," he muttered, shaking his head, "May I come in?"

"Are you trying to sell your religion?" Kagome inquired, "Because, uh… I'm… uh… I have my own religion."

"No, I'm not selling anything," he assured her, though his gaze seemed distracted and his eyes wandered past her and fearfully into the house.

"Uh, I guess you could… come in, if you're not trying to convert anyone," she replied.

"Oh, dear, no," he said.

Kagome swiftly stepped aside and the man scuttled into the house, daintily wiping his shoes on the rug.

"Forgive me for this," he said, "But I was walking in the woods, you see; I had just buried a dead mouse out there; and I spotted a most sinister demon!"

"A demon…?" Kagome said, blinking absently, "Urm… Dude, are you feeling okay…?"

"Yes, a demon," he continued, ignoring her question, "It had eyes that were blazing red, like the fires of Hell itself! I followed it to this very house! I saw it walk in through the back door!"

Kagome continued to stare at the man blankly.

She was almost certain that it was Inu-Yasha that the man had seen, but the red eyes…?

It made no sense.

"Young lady," the man pleaded, "Would you allow me to bless this house?"

"Oh, it's all ready blessed," she said a bit absently, "I'm a priestess from Higurashi Shrine, see?"

She winked.

"This place is as friggin' holy as a priest on a Sunday," she assured him.

"Then how did the demon enter, unless…" he muttered, and then gasped, "Did you invite it in, priestess?"

"Um, I doubt it," she replied, "I'm sorry dude, but I haven't seen any red-eyed demons wandering around here."

The man looked troubled.

"You're… positive then…?" he muttered.

Kagome nodded and when the man looked away to peer intensely at a small, red-eyed sculpture of a fox on the windowsill, Kagome rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

She just wanted to go to bed…

_Why me…?_

_-_

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha sat at the top of the stairs in a clean t-shirt, listening a little amusedly to the banter below him.

He quickly deduced that the man must've been downwind of him, and had seen him while his eyes were still glowing.

Again, he felt bad that he had left Kagome ignorant to his demonic nature, but he couldn't help but chuckle.

_Poor Kagome, she must be way to tired for this_, he thought, _Maybe I should go down there and set things straight…_

He leaned his chin on his hand and couldn't stop himself from laughing a little loudly when Kagome tried to insist to the intruder that there was no demon living inside a stone fox figurine.

_Yeah, I'll go help, _he concluded.

He stood, stretched, and then padded quietly down the stairs.

"Oi," he said, sticking one hand out in a gesture of greetings, "Um, dude?"

The man, who was now looking inside a small urn beside the fox, turned, saw Inu-Yasha, and his face became pale as snow.

"There! There!" he cawed, pointing a shaking finger and Inu-Yasha, "That's it! The demon!"

He lifted his crucifix and thrust it towards Inu-Yasha violently.

"Demon, be gone!" he hollered.

Mockingly, Inu-Yasha clenched at his heart, gasping and stumbling backwards.

"Oh no! A piece of wood! I'm doomed! Satan, save meeeee!" he choked.

He sunk to one knee and gasped again.

Sighing, Kagome walked over to him, snickered, and then gently prodded him in the ribs with her foot.

"Get up you weirdo, stock mocking the poor guy," she said.

Inu-Yasha looked up at her and smirked a little apologetically.

"Sorry, I know…" he replied, and then pointed at the man, who recoiled a little, "Dude, no offence to your religion or anything. I'm totally cool with… uh… God! Yeah, God is cool."

He gave the man a cheerful thumbs-up, but he merely frowned.

"I saw you," he hissed, "You had glowing red eyes."

"Huh? Back there in the woods," Inu-Yasha asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the forest, "Oh… Well, that's weird…"

He smirked.

"Must've been the moonlight playing off my eyes, ne?" he laughed, "Wow, I wish I could've seen that."

The man stared warily at Inu-Yasha, his frown deepening as if he were positive the he was a demon who should have withered and died at the sight of the Holy Cross.

Swiftly, the man took Kagome by the shoulders and peered into her eyes.

"I know you may not believe me," he said swiftly, "But your friend is possessed by a demon. Be careful miss."

He turned and swiftly strode back to the door.

"Uh, yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Kagome said a little cheerily, "Bye then."

"Don't worry, I'll get help for you, miss," he said.

He pulled back the door and left without another word.

-

Kagome and Inu-Yasha both stared blankly at the door, and then at each other.

After a moment of silence, the two friends burst out laughing hysterically.

Kagome's knees gave out and she slumped to the floor beside Inu-Yasha, trying to quell her laughter.

"Oh man, what a character!" she chuckled, "Nice of him to worry, but…"

Inu-Yasha merely continued to snicker, and he shook his head.

"Ooh, Kagome, you'd better watch out, I'm _possessed_!" he said, raising his hand and contorting his fingers a little unnaturally.

He sat up on his knees and grabbed her shoulders, looming over her ominously before bending forward to her.

"I'm going to devour your soul," he hissed in her ear.

She barked out a laugh and gently shoved him backward.

"Get real," she chortled.

"Feh!" he snorted, "Heh, we really shouldn't make fun of that dude; he was just trying to-"

"Save my soul," Kagome concluded, "Yeah, but… Jeez, that was weird."

"Agreed," the hanyou said with a nod.

He patted Kagome's shoulder and grinned at her cheerily.

"It's good to hear you laughing," he commented, "After, you know… before…"

"Heh, yeah…" she replied with a sigh, "Damn, that was dumb of me…"

"Not really," he said absently, looking up at the ceiling as he leaned back against the carpet, "I mean… if… If I had thought you were going to leave, I would have done worse… Eh, sorry, I shouldn't have said it at all."

"Meh," Kagome said with a shrug, and then smiled as her friend let out a loud yawn.

"We should probably get some sleep," she suggested.

Inu-Yasha nodded his agreement and then pushed himself to his feet.

"Race you up the stairs," he challenged with a grin.

"Sure," Kagome replied, jumping upright, "Go!"

She bolted for the stairs, but Inu-Yasha easily beat her and to her surprise, whisked her into his arms and slung her over his shoulder.

"Hey, no fair!" she howled.

The hanyou laughed devilishly and trotted proudly up the stairs like a cat presenting his first kill.

"Oh yeah, I'm stealing your bed again, if you don't mind," he said, a hint of shyness in his voice.

"Hmm? Oh, sure, whatever," Kagome said absently, "Can I get down now…?"

"Wait a second, sheesh," he laughed.

He strode into her room and planted her in front of her bed with a grin before he darted around her and leapt onto her mattress, curling up comfortably against the wall.

"I dibs this spot!" he said enthusiastically.

Kagome smiled at him and shook her head, chuckling.

"Yeah, yeah," she said.

She flopped down beside him and closed her eyes, and was promptly asleep.

Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at her and yawned, burying his face against the sheets before he dozed off as well, trying to block out the idea that they'd have to go to Cho's house within the next few hours.

They'd have to make the best of it, he supposed…

* * *


	31. The Party

* * *

Chapter 30: The Party

* * *

_I wanna go home, I wanna go home, I wanna go home, I wanna-_

The thoughts repeated themselves over and over again in a rather sleepy Inu-Yasha's mind. He sat at the back of Language class, slumped forward across his desk, his eyelids drooping sleepily.

To the front of the class, a supply teacher paced back and forth in front of the blackboard, giving a grammar lesson about the proper use of the semicolon.

He sighed; he had actually been looking forward to the class today: they were supposed to be filming their amateur movie, but since the real teacher was sick, they weren't allowed to even touch the cameras.

He blinked groggily and looked to his side, where Kagome sat.

She yawned and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Bored?" she whispered.

"Hell yeah," he replied quietly.

Kagome smiled and leaned back in her chair. She reached out a hand to gently pat his bandaged arm.

"It's last period; we can leave soon," she assured him.

He nodded and then awkwardly scratched his left arm: the bandages were starting to make him itchy.

His ears twitched to the sound of a yawn of the boy in front of him, and then he continued to zone out, staring blankly ahead.

He vaguely wished that he didn't have to sit through school; if it weren't for Kagome, he wouldn't even be here at all.

"To tell the truth, I know all this stuff all ready," he said, tilting his head to look at Kagome.

"Yeah?" she replied.

Inu-Yasha nodded and sat up, stretching and cringing slightly as the bell to end the class rang loudly.

Sighs of relief and mindless chatter erupted around the room as all the students in the class began to stand from their desks and gather their books to leave.

Kagome pulled open her backpack and shoved her notebook in it before getting to her feet.

Inu-Yasha stretched again before he stood as well and took Kagome's bag from her to sling it over his shoulder.

"Oh, thanks," she said.

The hanyou merely shrugged and shifted the bag into a more secure position before looking up at the clock.

"I can't see," he said, pointing, "How many more hours before we have to go to hell?"

He raised his eyebrow and looked to Kagome, and she gave him a slightly forlorn smile: she knew he that he meant "how long until we have to go to Cho's stupid party?"

"I dunno, maybe… four hours?" She suggested.

The hanyou sighed and put a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

"Damn, I wish we didn't have to go…" he mumbled.

"Yeah…" Kagome agreed, "Sorry."

"No problem," he said, scratching at his arm again, "It's not like it was your idea or anything."

"Mmm…" she grumbled, "Oh well… Let's go."

She took his hand in hers and guided him from the room, filing out behind their other classmates.

Inu-Yasha yawned behind his hand again and blinked sleepily.

"Man… last night completely murdered me…" he muttered.

"I'm not surprised," Kagome said, patting his hand, "How're your arms feeling."

"Itchy," he said with a shrug, "And you? You got knocked out cold too, remember?"

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm completely fine, don't worry," she said, and then laughed as she knocked herself on the head, "Not even a bump!"

"Finally, some good news," Inu-Yasha commented with a nod, "But… Man… Crazy night, ne?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Kagome sighed, slightly exasperated, "Can you believe those bastards had the nerve to break into our house?"

"Frankly, yes; yes I can," the hanyou replied curtly, "I told you that you were in danger, but did you listen to me? _No_…"

"Ah, give it up," she laughed, bonking him lightly on the head with her fist, "I listened; I just didn't care."

"What a difference," Inu-Yasha sighed, rolling his eyes, "_Honestly_…"

Kagome smiled at him, snickering, and she tugged gently at his arm to get him to walk faster.

He complied, though he yawned widely again.

"So, how much sleep do you think you got last night?" he asked.

"I dunno," Kagome said with a shrug, "Two… Three hours tops, how about you?"

"Yeah, I'd say about the same," he agreed, and he cupped a hand to his chin, pondering for a moment before he said, "Hey, I have a plan."

"Yeah?" Kagome inquired, "What's that?"

"When we get home, we sleep," he said with a grin.

"Ooh," Kagome said, smiling, "I like it."

She guided her companion around the corner to her locker. She raised her eyebrow as she spotted a note taped to the metal door, and she slowly released Inu-Yasha's arm to take the small bit of cream-coloured paper between her fingers.

"_Cho's tonight; or else_!" it read.

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and crumpled the paper in her palm, tossing it over her shoulder.

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched and he jerked his head to follow the paper as it bounced awkwardly across the tiled floor.

"What was that?" he asked curiously.

"Garbage," Kagome replied pleasantly.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head puzzledly, though he decided that the small piece of paper wasn't really worth his time.

As Kagome opened her locker and began to pile her unneeded books into it, Inu-Yasha groaned sleepily and turned to press his forehead against another locker's cool metal surface.

He couldn't help but think about his companion, and about how he couldn't decide if she would be safer if he left her or not.

He turned his head and watched her vague form shuffling in her locker, and once more, his heart began to ache.

_I… Even if it would keep her safe, I just… I just… can't…_ he thought.

He closed his eyes and sighed sadly.

_I wish I knew what to do about this…_

_o_

Meanwhile, Kagome had pulled their coats from her locker, and now leaned back against its closed door, eyeing Inu-Yasha a little worriedly.

He suddenly looked so sad…

She gave his shoulder a nudge to get his attention. He turned to blink puzzledly at her, and she passed him his jacket.

"Oh… Thanks," he said quietly.

He took in from her and stared blankly at it for a moment before putting it on and folding his arms to his chest.

Kagome raised her eyebrow, looking inquisitively at her companion before laying her hand against his cheek.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

The hanyou shrugged and nodded, though he sighed, his eyes dropping to the floor as she peered at him a little more closely.

"Okay, you're defiantly not okay," Kagome concluded with a frown, "What's up?"

Inu-Yasha shook his head and sighed, covering Kagome's hand with his own.

"Kagome, I…" he mumbled, "I still…"

He sighed, closed his eyes briefly, and rubbed at his forehead.

"I, uhh…" he mumbled, "I don't… I don't wanna go, I _really _don't wanna go…"

Kagome fixed him with a confused frown, trying to comprehend his plight.

"What? I thought you couldn't wait to get out of here," she said.

"No, I mean… I…" he grumbled, cringing, "I mean… Remember what I said last night…?"

"Oh…" Kagome said with a comprehensive nod as she remembered his dilemma over whether leaving her or not would keep her safest, "Yeah. What about it?"

She paused.

"You're still all worried about what to do, eh? Whether to leave or not?" she asked, and when he nodded slowly, she sighed and couldn't help but flick his bangs affectionately.

"I have an idea about that," she stated, "How about… you stop thinking about it and just stay with me, 'kay?"

"You sure you want that?" he mused softly, "I mean… Either way, you're in danger…"

"Yeah," she agreed with a smile, "But this way, neither of us are lonely."

Inu-Yasha nodded and he shared Kagome's smile.

"Yeah, okay; a lack of loneliness is always nice," he said.

Kagome laughed and nodded vigorously, glad that she could get him to see things her way. She took both of his hands and, standing on tiptoes, kissed the tip of his nose just as she had done the previous night.

He stiffened, red slowly starting to coat his cheeks. His eyelids drooped and he felt, suddenly, as if she had drugged him with a sleeping potion.

"Ka…gome…" he stammered, "Keh… G… Umm… Th… Thanks."

Kagome grinned widely, and the hanyou, snapping out of his drowsy state and feeling slightly refreshed, wrapped Kagome in a friendly embrace, snickering.

"Jeez," he complained in jest, "You crazy bitch, why d'you have to go and embarrass me like that?"

"Because it's _fun_, you bastard," she replied, poking him gently in the ribs.

He jumped away from her and smirked sinisterly.

"If we weren't in the school, I'd challenge you to a fight," he said.

"A fight… to the _death_?" Kagome inquired, punching one fist into her opposite palm, "Bring it!"

"Jeez, not in here," Inu-Yasha said, gesturing around, "There's no pillows to utterly destroy you with. Back at the house, okay?"

"Ah, fine," she sighed.

She pulled her jacket on and seized his hand.

"But I warn you, it is _you_ who shall be utterly destroyed."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No."

"Yes"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yep!"

"Nuh-UH!"

"Yuh-HUH!"

oOoOoOoO

By the time Inu-Yasha and Kagome had declared a truce on the "Yes-No" war and decided that they were acting like immature preschoolers, they were all ready halfway home.

"But you have to admit," Kagome said to the hanyou, "It _did_ lighten the mood… And cheer you up, ne?"

"Oh, _hell_ yeah," he replied, "Fighting with you always cheers me up."

He ruffled her hair and she grumbled playfully and tried to knock his hand away before grabbing it and peering at it closely.

"I like your nails," she commented.

"Huh? You do? Since when?" he asked, puzzled.

"I dunno, but they're really cool…" she said, admiration clear in her voice, "Like, you'd think long nail's would look weird on a dude, but…"

She grinned and cupped both hands around his and grinned.

"I tell ya, Yasha, you… You defy all logic, you know that?" she laughed.

"Arigato," he said, smiling slightly.

He titled his head to look up at the sky and squinted against the sun's glare.

"Oh, hey, Kags," he said a bit absently, "You know how you were kinda confused in math today? If you ever need me to explain anything, just ask… I passed high school all ready, so I know all of this crap."

"You did?" Kagome asked, "When? Aren't you still seventeen?"

"Yeah, I actually passed it all online when I was twelve," he admitted, "Going there was only for… You know, developing my social skills."

Kagome blinked at him, her eyes round.

"Holy shit, you're like a genius kid then!" she exclaimed, "Cool!"

"Nah, I'm still pretty dumb," he laughed, "I just learn _really_ quickly."

Kagome nodded comprehendingly and Inu-Yasha decided to comfortably lock his fingers with hers for the rest of the walk home.

o

When they arrived at the house, Inu-Yasha, a little clumsily, ambled over to the couch and flopped down onto it, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

"God damn…" he mumbled through a yawn.

Kagome followed him and kneeled on the carpet, peering at him over the couch's arm.

"Heh, feet," she mumbled, poking his toe.

He cringed, trying vainly to hide a grin.

"Hey, leave my toes alone," he protested.

Kagome playfully stuck her tongue out at him before she stood, stretched, and wandered in front of him.

She sat on the floor, closer to his head this time, and leaned back against the couch.

She fumbled for the remote and flicked on the television, staring blankly at it for a moment.

Inu-Yasha titled his head to listen to the mindless blather coming from the plastic box before he held out his hand at let it plop down onto Kagome's head.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled quietly, switching the channel to the news.

The lady on the screen was sitting at a news desk, and she shuffled the papers before her a little awkwardly.

"-So people in the area are warned to be wary of abnormally large raccoons, back to you, Taka…"

The news about the weather popped up and Kagome and Inu-Yasha both stared, wide-eyed, at the screen for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Holy shit," Inu-Yasha panted, "Can you believe that? Oh God…"

Kagome put a hand to her forehead and took a deep breath to suppress her giggles, and then shook her head.

"That is… _so_ funny," she mumbled, snickering.

They watched the weather report and Inu-Yasha, bored, sat up and dropped onto the floor beside Kagome.

"C'mere," he said, patting his lap, "Grooming."

Kagome raised one eyebrow, but shifted over to him.

He lifted her into his lap and began to run his claws through her hair, grooming her.

"… So… What, you gonna be a hair stylist when you grow up?" the girl joked.

"Nah, this is only fun with you… And some random little kid my brother wants to adopt… And cats," he said, shrugging.

"You weirdo," she joked.

She leaned back against his chest and sighed sleepily.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked slightly and he snickered before nuzzling into her hair.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, the hanyou absently pulling his claws through the girl's hair.

Inu-Yasha could feel that Kagome was almost asleep in his arms, and his mind traced back to the previous night in the movie theater.

He had never been so close to a girl before…

And to be honest, he had really enjoyed himself… And Kagome _had_ said that she was willing to be with him for a little while…

"Hey, about last night…" he said quietly, "Uh… Does this mean we're… dating now?"

"Hmm?" Kagome replied, tilting her head over her shoulder to look at him, "Why? D'you wanna be dating now?"

"I dunno, do you?" he inquired.

"If you do, I'm cool with it," she answered with a shrug.

"But would you… actually _want_ to?" he pressed.

"Well…" Kagome said slowly, her cheeks turning slightly red, "Y-Yeah, I think I would."

Inu-Yasha's heart skipped excitedly and his ears perked up so high that he had to swiftly yank one arm away from Kagome to squish them down again.

"Awesome," he said with a grin, "Me too."

He sighed, a tiny note of relief in his breath, and he rested his head against Kagome's sleepily.

He would have gladly stayed like that as well, if only they hadn't heard a loud, untimely knock coming from the front door.

"Gah, I got it," Kagome huffed, "Let me up."

A little reluctantly, the hanyou drew back, and the girl, also a little hesitant, pushed herself to her feet and made her way out of the room.

Rubbing her forehead sleepily, she blinked against the bright light seeping through the windows before unlocking the front door and pulling it open.

o

In the doorway stood a man of about fifty, garbed in mostly black with a briefcase dangling from one hand.

_Solicitors? _Was the first thought that jumped into Kagome's brain, and she sighed slightly.

"Aw man," she grumbled before the man had a chance to say anything, "Please, dude… I don't wanna buy anything; go away..."

"I'm not here to sell anything Miss Higurashi," he replied calmly.

"Whoa… Mind-reading solicitor…" she said under her breath, her eyes growing wide.

"No, I merely saw your family name in the phonebook Miss Higurashi," the man said politely, "Your neighbour called me and told be all about your problem."

"That I haven't gotten any sleep in the last, like, week?" she said, cocking her head curiously, "Why? You selling mattresses?"

"I'm not selling _anything_," the man repeated.

"Ohh, yeah, sorry, I forgot," Kagome said with a nod.

She paused and eyed the man over curiously.

"So… What problem do you mean? …Are you a psychiatrist?"

"No," the man said, shaking his head, "I'm an… an exorcist."

Kagome stared at the man, baffled, her eyes round with shock.

"Oh shit…" she breathed, "Look, dude, there aren't any… Inu-Yasha is _not _possessed!"

"So you _do _know what I'm talking about," the man said with a nod.

"Yeah, only cuz my neighbour came in here last night saying he saw my friend with glowing eyes!" she said exasperatedly, "It was the glare of moonlight! Jeez!"

Around the corner, Inu-Yasha, puzzled, heaved himself to his feet and walked up behind Kagome, scratching his head confusedly. The man at the door stared at him warily and slowly, cautiously, opened his suitcase and pulled out a small spray bottle.

"Did someone mention me?" he inquired a little dumbly, "Who's at the door?"

"Another dude who thinks you're possessed," Kagome sighed.

Inu-Yasha raised one eyebrow and looked at what little he could see of the so-called exorcist and scratched his head.

"Uh-" he began, but his sentence was cut short as the man at the door splashed a blast of cold, salty water from the small spray bottle in his face.

"Hey!" Kagome exclaimed as the hanyou spluttered and rubbed at his eyes.

"Ah, damn it, it stings!" he cursed, "What d'you do that for?"

The man smirked and pointed to his bottle.

"This, fiend, is a flask of holy water," he said triumphantly, "It burns you because you are a demon."

Inu-Yasha twitched and rubbed at his eyes again and Kagome snatched the bottle away from the man.

She pointedly unscrewed the top and dunked her finger in the water, tasted it, and cringed.

"Ew!" she exclaimed, shoving the bottle back into his hands, "Dude, this is just salt water! No wonder it burned him: pour it in _your _eyes and see what happens!"

"Nothing would happen," he stated confidently, "I _am_ an exorcist after all; my soul is too pure for holy water to burn me."

Kagome rolled her eyes and grabbed the bottle again.

Before the man could take it back, she splashed in into his face, frowning as he yelped in shock and clutched at his eyes.

"See?" she demanded, "Salt water!"

The man, half-blinded, grumbled and nodded before shakily taking his bottle back from the smirking teenager.

"I apologize," he mumbled swiftly.

Before either of the teens could utter another word, the man was gone, closing the door tightly behind him as he left.

o

Kagome stared blankly at the door for a moment before worriedly turning to Inu-Yasha.

"You okay?" she asked.

The boy nodded and rubbed at his eyes again before blinking hard in an attempt to get the salt out of them.

Kagome bit her lip and scurried out of the room swiftly.

She darted into the kitchen and fished around in a drawer until she found a dishcloth.

She doused it in water from the sink before she returned to Inu-Yasha's side.

Gently holding him still by his shoulder, she tenderly dabbed at his slightly pink eyes.

"Jeez…" she grumbled, "What a friggin weird day…"

The hanyou nodded his agreement before taking the rag from Kagome and poking at the corners of his eyes.

"Are my eyes red?" he inquired.

"A little pink, yeah," Kagome replied.

He sighed, shook his head, and continued to attempt to cleanse his eyeballs.

"Why me?" he grumbled, "Why does every thing bad that could possibly happen, happen to _me?"_

"At least you're not dead," Kagome suggested helpfully.

"Hah, so true," the hanyou agreed, "But I'm dead tired though…"

His words were emphasized with a yawn and Kagome snickered before turning around to peer at the digital clock that was located on the stove in the kitchen.

"Well, we have a few hours; we could nap for a while," she proposed with a shrug.

"Mmm…" Inu-Yasha managed to mumble before he was forced to stifle another yawn behind his hand, "M'kay…"

Kagome nodded and walked around Inu-Yasha, turning the lock to make sure the door would stay shut before she took a light hold on her friend's hand.

"So, d'you wanna do this together or apart?" she inquired.

"Mmm… together," Inu-Yasha said after pondering for a moment, "S'way warmer."

Kagome snickered and nodded her agreement, though she looked up at him with curious eyes.

"So I'm guessing… that it doesn't feel weird to you at all?" she said slowly.

"Not really, no," he said with an absent shrug.

"Cool," she said, smiling, "I'm, uh… I'm glad."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Kagome guided him up the stairs and into her room.

o

Upon entering her room, Kagome stared at her bed longingly, wishing to be able to flop down onto it and fall asleep instantaneously.

She sighed and gently gave Inu-Yasha a shove towards the bed, though the boy tripped on the edge of a blanket that was hanging from the mattress and, yelping, toppled face first onto Kagome's bed.

She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment as he grumbled into her blankets, and then laughed shyly.

"Gomen, you okay?" she inquired.

He rolled over onto his back and nodded.

"Yep, I'm okay… I'm just fwaaaaannnn…" He said, yawning widely.

"Fwan?" Kagome repeated puzzledly.

"Fine," he corrected with a quiet laugh.

The girl smiled slightly before she turned her back on him, picking up the digital clock that lay by her bedside.

She pressed a few buttons to set the alarm for 6:30 pm, and the clock beeped loudly until she set it back down.

Stifling a yawn behind her closed fist, she gently nudged the hanyou on her bed until he shifted enough to make room for her.

He grunted and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes.

Kagome crawled onto the mattress beside him and twisted around, turning off the light, before she flopped to the mattress lay on her back, her eyelids drooping.

"So… sleepy…" she mumbled, and she heard Inu-Yasha give an amused snort and a grunt of agreement.

He turned over and reached out an arm to playfully ruffle her hair before he kicked at the blankets slightly until he could get his foot under.

Gently pushing Kagome out of the way, he managed to lift up the blankets and then drop them over them both.

"Thanks," Kagome said drowsily.

"No prob," the boy replied.

o

Within the minute, the two teens were both snoozing contentedly.

Dreams of a dancing, purple elephant pranced around Kagome's mind while Inu-Yasha dreamt of eating Ramen and sitting in a tall tree until, for some reason, both dreams merged and they sat in the tree together with their Ramen, watching the purple elephant gallivant below them.

Under the bed, however, there was the sound of small claws on wood and, slowly, Buyo pulled himself out and onto the open floor.

He blinked sleepily and shook his fur before looking up to see Inu-Yasha and Kagome on the bed.

A small, kitty smirk passed over Buyo's lips and he leapt onto the bed.

He scrabbled over Kagome and sat between her and the hanyou, cocking his ears as he peered at one, then the other.

"_Well, this isn't right," _he mumbled to himself.

He flexed his claws slightly before he crouched and then propelled himself into the air, leaping over Inu-Yasha.

Gently, he prodded the boy so that he would roll closer to Kagome, and then, carefully, seized his sleeve in his jaws.

With another careful hop, he dragged Inu-Yasha's arm over to Kagome and laid it across her waist.

The cat tensed slightly as he saw the hanyou cringe in his sleep, and then he prowled around Kagome's blanket covered form.

He nudged her head with his until Inu-Yasha's chin was resting in her hair and then, with a devilish smile, took Kagome's arm and laid her palm against the boy's abs.

He could see them both, by instinct, shift towards the other's warmth and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing aloud.

With surprising grace for a feline with his girth, Buyo sprung from the bed and strutted towards the door, singing.

"_I'm a model, if you know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the catwalk! Yeah!"_

He twirled on his back paw before letting out a triumphant mew as he entered the hallway.

"_Talk about a fire-starter!" _he laughed, complimenting himself.

_Just wait until they wake up,_ he thought, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

oOoOoOoO

At 6:30, the numbers on Kagome's digital clock began to flash their bright red and a series of loud beeps resounded around the room.

Automatically, Inu-Yasha's mind snapped back into consciousness and he groaned in annoyance; he still wanted to sleep.

Kagome shifted slightly as well and gripped lightly to the cloth in her hand that, at first, she assumed was her blanket.

"Damn…" she breathed.

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched to her words and he slowly managed to open his eyes though, for some reason, he wasn't quite sure where one of his arms was; it was incredibly asleep.

He blinked against the dark grey cloud that was his vision and his eyes traced downwards, only to find that Kagome was snuggled up against his chest.

A streak of warmth flashed across his cheeks and he felt Kagome shift and then, suddenly, look up, opening her eyes and blinking with puzzlement.

She jolted in surprise when she found the hanyou's face mere inches from hers and she stared at him, a little shocked.

Then, she realized that it was his shirt that she was holding on to.

"Holy crud, how'd…?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," he admitted, and he looked away shyly before blowing out a disgruntled sigh, "Damn it, why do I always do this…? Why?"

Kagome shrugged, though she couldn't help but smile and she hugged her friend playfully around the waist.

"Feeling any better though?" she inquired.

"Eh?" the boy replied; he was blushing even more heavily now that she was clinging to him, "Oh, urr… Yeah, I'm less tired I guess."

"Cool," Kagome said, nodding, "Me too, now… Should we get going?"

She sat up and brushed her hair back over her shoulders before giving her friend an inquisitive glance.

"Mmm…. If we gotta…" he grumbled, "To be honest, I'd rather stay right here than going to Cho's stupid place."

"I completely agree," Kagome sighed, "But, we gotta go, c'mon."

She gently nudged the boy upright, and he finally located his arm… which was wrapped snugly around Kagome.

"What the hell?" he demanded.

He grabbed his limp arm and began to rub it in an attempt to get his blood circulating properly once more and Kagome stared at him, tilting her head.

"Sup?" she inquired.

"Damn arm's friggin asleep," he grumbled, "Feh! Stupid thing…"

He hit it against the bed a few times before the tingling feeling began to fade and he sighed, relieved, before an odd revelation shot through his mind.

"Wait…" he murmured, "How… did my arm get around you if it was so asleep?"

Kagome cocked an eyebrow and cupped her hand to her chin.

"Wow, that _is_ weird," she commented, "Really weird..."

She could hear paws padding in the hallway and she turned her head to see Buyo stride smugly into the room.

"What's up with that smirk?" Kagome inquired a bit warily.

"_Just caught a mouse,"_ the cat explained, licking his lips, _"And you two have finally fallen for each other, which is also good." _

"What the crap are you talking about?" Inu-Yasha inquired with a scowl.

"_Well, you two were snuggling the crud out of each other in your sleep,"_ the cat said innocently, _"It was really cute and all."_

"Wha…?" they both mumbled, gawking at the cat, and then at each other.

"You're kidding," Kagome gasped.

"_I'm afraid not," _Buyo cooed.

They both continued to stare at the cat, who couldn't stop himself from snickering and instantly blowing his cover.

"YOU…!" Inu-Yasha snarled loudly, pointing an accusing claw at the cat.

Kagome's head jerked to look at the boy while Buyo jumped in shock, his eyes becoming wide and innocent.

"_Me?" _he inquired, _"What could you possibly mean by that?"_

"You pushed u_s _close while we were asleep, didn't you, fuzzy-ass?" the hanyou yelled.

Kagome's eyes became round as she realized what her seemingly-innocent feline had done, and she looked daggers at the fur-ball.

"Ugh, Buyo, you jerk!" Kagome chided, "You are _so_ dead!"

Buyo squealed in dismay and darted out of the room and ran as if his tail were on fire.

With one, fluid movement, Inu-Yasha stood and leapt straight over Kagome, racing out of the room to chase the cat.

The girl looked back over her shoulder to where the hanyou had been sitting, and then looked back to the door before scrambling to her feet, following them.

Her socks skidding on the floor, she ran to the hallway in time to see Buyo leap, caterwauling, over the banister to the floor below.

She leaned over, grasping to the wood as she watched Buyo scrabbling to hide beneath her.

She was about to rush down the stairs to grab him when she heard muffled cursing coming from Inu-Yasha's bedroom.

A loud thud echoed from the room and Inu-Yasha, growling, bounded through the doorway.

"God damned son of a-" he snarled, and then, before Kagome could utter a sound, grasped onto the banister and propelled himself over the edge.

Kagome let out a gasp as the boy gracefully hit the ground and sped after the cat.

"Holy crap!" she said in awe, and she swiftly clambered down the stairs.

o

Downstairs, Inu-Yasha nimbly rounded a corner to dart into the kitchen, following the scent of Buyo's fear and the panicked beating of his heart. He smirked and slowed to a walk.

He pressed his body against the wall and slid along it.

His ear tweaked to focus on Buyo, who seemed to be directly around the corner, in the living room.

"_Gotta hide, gotta hide!" _the cat mumbled to himself, and Inu-Yasha's smirk grew.

Slowly, he stepped out from his hiding spot and crouched in the threshold between the rooms.

Obviously, Buyo's back was to him, and he still hadn't noticed his presence.

_Locked on, preparing to launch… Mwahaha…_

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, CAT!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

Buyo turned, his eyes wide with horror, and he let out a shriek as Inu-Yasha jumped at him. Before he could even unsheathe his claws, Inu-Yasha had scooped him into his arms tightly and began to noogy him.

"How d'you like that, you jerk?" The hanyou demanded as he ran his knuckles back and forth over Buyo's cranium.

"_Mreeeow! It burns!" _he whined, failing his paws in a vain attempt to escape.

Inu-Yasha let out a maniacal cackle just as Kagome walked into the room.

She raised her eyebrow and dropped to her knees beside him.

A devilish smile crossed her lips and she poked Buyo's nose.

"So Cupid, how're you feeling now?" she inquired.

"_Like my brain's about to blow up_," he replied.

Kagome could help but snicker and Inu-Yasha relented on the cat's torture.

He placed him on his knee and began to absently rub at his ears.

"See, I'll be nice if you be nice, okay?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"_Mmm…" _Buyo grumbled, though his small body became limp, _"Fine… Fine… Um… To the left…?"_

Inu-Yasha snorted out a laugh, moving his fingers to the left slightly.

Kagome smiled fondly at her slightly perverted cat and then looked to Inu-Yasha inquisitively.

"That was impressive," she commented, "Jumping over the railing like that."

Inu-Yasha looked at her and smiled a little shyly.

"I used to do that all the time at home is all," he said, "It was quicker…"

Kagome smirked and patted his shoulder before the situation jogged her memory of an unasked question.

The image of the heavily armoured agents flashed across her brain and, a little tentatively, she poked Inu-Yasha.

"Hey," she asked, "You never answered my question last night… About those men…"

"Oh," he said, "Hah, sorry. I completely forgot."

He paused, contemplating what she had asked him, though the question completely slipped his mind.

"Uh, what was the question again?"

Kagome sighed and laughed slightly.

"Why were those men so heavily armed to come after you?" she inquired, "Did you kill some of them or something?"

Inu-Yasha squinted slightly and peered into the girl's face.

"Do you really wanna know?" he asked.

She nodded, and he put a hand to his forehead.

"Man, talk about awkward," he whispered, and Buyo raised his eyebrow in puzzlement as he continued, "Promise… we'll still be friends?"

"Of course," Kagome replied instantly.

"Hmm… Well… Yeah, I did… kill some of 'em," he admitted softly, "I mean, I think I did… I can't really remember. But…"

He raised one hand, staring blindly at his claws before he closed his fist tightly, unhappily remembering the feeling of blood coating his fingers.

"I just… remember a lot of screaming, blood, and gun fire… That's it."

He gave an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, I guess I should've told you I was a murderer, huh?" he asked with a weak, forced laugh.

Kagome looked at the boy, though the shock she expected wasn't there.

She only felt pity and a need to comfort the boy.

She edged herself over to his side and hugged his closest arm tightly, leaning in close.

Inu-Yasha jolted slightly, though he rested his head against hers as Buyo bit his lip, trying desperately not to coo at them.

"So, I'm assuming you're not scared," the hanyou commented.

Kagome shook her head back and forth swiftly, cringing.

"No, I'd never be afraid of you," she mumbled, "That must've been awful."

"Like I said, I can't really remember what I did… I only know that I did it," he replied, "I'm okay, don't worry."

In his lap, Buyo pursed his lips and slowly stood and padded from the room in an attempt to give the two teens some privacy.

"_What a great time to get laid," _he commented, though he hoped no one would hear.

Unluckily for him, both Kagome and Inu-Yasha caught his words.

"Oh my God," Kagome groaned, appalled, "Buyo, you're gross!"

Inu-Yasha swore under his breath and put a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples.

"I'm gonna kill him, I swear…" he growled.

Kagome snickered, patted his arm, and then took his hand tightly to pull him to his feet.

"C'mon you, we gotta go," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" he grumbled, grunting as he stood, "Stupid, God damned Cho and her stupid, God damned party…"

Squinting, he gazed around for the largest solid object and headed to wards what he presumed was a wall.

He laid his palm against it and then guided himself to the front door, and then began to rummage around for his sandals.

"Hey Kags, where're my shoes? I can't find 'em," he called.

Kagome strode around the corner and the squatted to the floor, peering through the closet.

She pulled out one sandal, and then the other, handing them to the boy, who swiftly slipped them on before grabbing both of their jackets.

Kagome stood and brushed off her knees, and the hanyou handed her coat, which she gratefully put on.

"'Ey, gross cat, we're outta here," Inu-Yasha called, "Don't blow up the house."

"_Okay Romeo," _Buyo called back.

Inu-Yasha sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, pleading once more for the cat to get fleas.

Kagome snickered and took him by the hand, leading him from the house.

oOoOoOoO

After ten minutes of walking and discussing a suitable punishment for Buyo, Inu-Yasha titled his face into the wind and then looked back at Kagome.

"Hey, you _do_ know where this place is, right?" he inquired.

"Yeah," she said, "I remember going there when I was still in Grade 8… I was supposed to water their plants. Cho's mom likes me for some reason…"

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, "Well, cool, I guess."

"I guess," Kagome agreed.

They turned on a wide street lined with maple trees and black, iron fences.

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched slightly. He could hear the loud bass of music ebbing from a house up the street.

Both of them squinted in the headlights of a passing car, and then Inu-Yasha pointed a finger ahead of them.

"Does she live up there?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied.

They walked up the street to a large, white house surrounded with ivy.

Kagome could see odd, purple coloured lights glowing through Cho's windows and they could both hear loud pop music blaring as the people inside the house danced and whooped.

"Think anyone's spiked their drinks yet?" Inu-Yasha wondered curiously.

"I dunno, probably," she said with a shrug, and then turn a playful smirk on him, "Why?"

"Oh, damn, I wanted to," he laughed.

Kagome snickered and opened the door to Cho's house. The music, now even louder, blasted them in the face along with the smell of cigarette smoke and sweat.

"Gross," Kagome hissed.

Inu-Yasha readily nodded his agreement as he ducked through the doorway alongside Kagome.

She closed the door behind them and squinted irritably through the dim, purple lighting.

o

Cho's house began with a narrow entry hallway that then branched out into three directions; ahead of them was what appeared to be a dining room with all the furniture removed and many scantily dressed girls and large boys were dancing; to their right was a short hallway and a staircase; and to the left was a room that contained food and plenty of places to sit.

The sliding glass back door was also in that room, and Inu-Yasha, smelling the fresh air, automatically wanted to head towards it, though before he could suggest his plan to Kagome, two girls from their right, a curly-haired blond and a brunette, approached him.

"You must be Inu-Yasha," the brunette said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Cho told us all about you," added the other girl.

Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide and he blinked with horror as Kagome sighed, rolled her eyes, and wondered why so many people acted like clones of one another.

"Cho doesn't know a damn thing about me," he growled, "If you see her, tell her to stop acting like she knows me."

"Aw, don't you like her Inu-kun?" the brown-haired girl inquired, fluttering her eyelashes again, "She likes you, you know."

"Or, if you don't like her… There are plenty of other girls for a handsome bachelor like yourself," the blond girl crooned.

Inu-Yasha raised and eyebrow and scooted closer to Kagome, holding her hand even more tightly.

"Bachelor?" he demanded, "What the hell? I'm not single you dolts, I'm with Kagome."

"Eh?" Kagome inquired, staring at him in surprise, "What d'you mean by that?"

"Well, didn't you agree to date me?" he inquired.

"Well yeah, I did," she said, scratching her head and smiling at him, "I… just didn't think you'd go blurting it…"

"Why not?" he asked, "I like being with you Kagome."

The girl blushed and smiled gratefully while the brunette pulled a comb out a purse hanging from her shoulder and began to absently brush her hair and the blond girl eyed Kagome's extremely casual attire with distaste.

"Higurashi," she said curtly, "Those boots are interesting… Where did you get them? I'd like to buy a pair… and donate them to the inbred yokels up in the old country, I'm sure they'd love them."

Kagome's eyelid twitched angrily and Inu-Yasha jolted as if the insult had been directed at him.

Without a word Kagome took a step back from Inu-Yasha, braced her feet on the ground, and then kicked out at the girl.

She shrieked in terror, though Kagome stopped her foot an inch from the girl's nose.

"Watch your mouth, slut," she growled, "These used to belong to someone very important to my family… And if you're not careful, these boots are gonna be the last thing you ever see."

The girl blinking hurriedly with shock and began to stammer as her friend, still brushing her hair, held in a giggle.

Inu-Yasha was a little puzzled as to what had occurred, though Kagome calmly lowered her foot and took him by the hand, giving him a smile.

"C'mon, let's find somewhere to sit," she suggested.

He nodded readily.

"Outside?" he inquired.

"Sure," Kagome replied.

She led him through the next room and then out to a deck and patio, where they comfortably positioned themselves at the bottom of the stairs.

Though there was a boom box and at least two coolers outside as well, there were few people enjoying the outdoors as they were.

o

Sighing, Kagome leaned up against Inu-Yasha's shoulder. He stared briefly at her and then put his arm around her shoulders to keep her close.

"So… Can I ask what that was about?" he inquired.

"Hmm?" Kagome replied, "Oh… Yeah… Sure. I just don't like it when people diss things I got as gifts is all."

"Who gave them to you?" the hanyou asked curiously.

"Well, technically, my mom, but they were from someone else," she said, "Let me explain… Uh…"

She paused for a moment, stared up at the night sky, and then looked down at her hands.

"See, before I was born, my mom had this boyfriend who she was really in love with, got me?" she said," She told me all about him. She wanted to marry him, but technically couldn't because her mom had her betrothed to… you know… fat drool-man."

Inu-Yasha nodded, a little sad on her mother's behalf.

"What happened?" he inquired.

"Well," Kagome continued, "These boots were his. He gave them to Mom to give to her first born because they were important to him for some reason."

She smirked slightly.

"Though, they _are_ really comfy."

Inu-Yasha smiled amusedly, but then looked slightly befuddled.

"Where did this dude go?" he wondered.

"He was killed in… some sort of fight, according to Mom," she said, "She was devastated though… When she told me about him, I felt a little relived because…"

She smirked.

"My Mom's a horrible liar and when she talked… all her dates were messed up so I think… I think that other guy might be my biological father."

"That'd be cool," Inu-Yasha said with a smile, "Because, honestly, I…"

He paused, and then shut his mouth as Kagome looked at him inquisitively.

_Your auras… They're nothing alike…_

"Honestly you what?" the girl inquired.

"I don't think there's any resemblance," he said with a shrug.

Kagome smiled and leaned in closer to the hanyou's side.

"Thanks," she said.

He smirked and couldn't help but hold her a little tighter.

"This is kinda nice…" he said quietly.

With a chuckle, Kagome nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, it is…"

She stared up at the stars in the sky. They gleamed brightly down at them, though their light was dulled slightly by the glow coming from downtown.

She sighed; sometimes, she wished that she lived in the country, where she could see the stars properly.

Her eyes traced to Inu-Yasha and sadness welled up in her chest.

_He probably can't see them at all,_ she though.

Before she could stop herself, she sighed sadly.

Underneath his bandana, Inu-Yasha's ear tweaked towards her and he eyed the girl over worriedly.

"Eh?" he inquired, "What's up?"

"Hmm?" she replied softy, "Oh, it's… just that I feel bad for you, is all…"

"Feel bad for me?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow, "What the hell for?"

Kagome tilted her head to look at his puzzled expression and then reached out a hand to gently cup his cheek.

He jolted slightly before he relaxed at his friend's touch as she stroked a finger beneath his eye.

He sighed contentedly and Kagome smiled, though, swiftly, she reddened and drew back her hand, attempting to hide her embarrassment behind a cough.

"Your eyes," she mumbled swiftly, "That's all."

The hanyou stared at her, still calmed by her touch, and then gave a slow nod of comprehension.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, "I'm getting better."

"I'm really glad," Kagome said softly, "Damn it… I really wish… that I knew some herbal tea or something that might help you."

"I'm okay," he repeated, "Baka, don't worry about me: I can handle myself."

"I know, I know," Kagome sighed, "But maybe I like worrying about you, got me?"

The boy smirked and rubbed her shoulder.

"You're really nice, you know that?" he laughed, "Man… You used to pretend to be so hard-ass…"

"Hah," she snickered, "I _am_ hard-ass… Sometimes…"

"Not around me," he said, and then smiled, "I'm glad… that you decided to trust me enough to show me the real Higurashi Kagome."

"All of it's real," she chuckled, "Just, hard-ass me is only for when I'm annoyed or don't like someone."

"Heh, then what do I call the you that you are when we're together?" he asked.

"Just Kagome," she grinned.

o

As they usually did, they sat together quietly, though Inu-Yasha silently contemplated Kagome's _words._

"_My Mom's a horrible liar and when she talked… all her dates were messed up so I think… I think that other guy might be my biological father."_

Was it possible that there was another…? Could Kagome really have some other man as her father?

The hanyou sort of wished that it were true, but really, what were the chances…?

He sighed, his ear twitching as another person walked outside and positioned himself of the steps above them.

"So…" he said slowly, "What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno," Kagome said with an absent shrug, "This is a prep party, what is there _to_ do?"

"Drugs," Inu-Yasha sighed, dejected.

"Well, that sucks," Kagome grumbled, "What else?"

"Not much," Inu-Yasha said.

They both gave simultaneous, saddened sighs before Kagome tilted her head over her shoulder to look back into the house.

She could see, a little to her own amusement and disgust, that there were drunken boys from the football team lurching around, laughing dumbly and cracking jokes that made no sense, one of which was,

"Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"YOUR MOM!"

They all burst into idiotic chortling and Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes to the sky. She cringed as she smelled the boy who had sat above them on the steps light a cigarette, though, beside her, Inu-Yasha literally jumped and began to cough.

"You okay?" Kagome inquired, her eyes becoming wide.

Inu-Yasha couldn't force himself to answer; his throat had suddenly become blocked as the smoke wafted towards them.

_Shit… Marijuana… he thought in dismay, I'm screwed… I… I can't breathe!_

He coughed even more violently, clutching at his throat with one hand.

"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome demanded, "Oh my God…"

Not knowing what to do, she hesitantly reached out a hand to him, though he managed to shake his head weakly.

He closed his eyes tightly and attempted to pant for air.

His mind rushed suddenly, his head spun, and suddenly, his throat opened again.

He gulped in air hurriedly, relieved, but then realized to his utter dismay that he could feel his fangs growing.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, and then jumped to his feet.

Kagome stared at him, completely baffled, and watched as he paced over to Cho's fence and began to hack again.

Hurriedly, she jumped to her feet and followed him.

As she drew near, he bowed his head and trembled slightly, muttering the word "crap" over and over again under his breath.

"Hey… You all right?" Kagome inquired softly.

She laid a gentle hand against his back and he jolted, shuddered, and slowly nodded.

"Yeah," he managed to growl out, "Yeah… Sorry, the smoke, it… I can't breathe when it's there."

Kagome nodded consolingly, though when she tried to look into the boy's face, he closed his eyes and, a little absently, began to scratch as his cheek.

"Kagome…?" he inquired, "Can I lie against you for a sec? I don't feel so great."

"Oh, yeah, of course," she replied hurriedly, "Let's sit here, okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded slowly and Kagome guided him down to the grass, where he laid his back against the fence and drooped his head, trying desperately to keep his face from view.

Kagome, both worried and puzzled, moved closer to him and sat by his side.

He jolted once more as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and he took her arm, shuddering, and buried his face against her.

"Eh?" she inquired, "What's wrong?"

"Dizzy," he growled into her, "…Head feels funny…"

"Is it still the smoke?" she inquired.

He nodded slowly and let out deep, rasping sigh.

"Gomen…" he managed to say.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she assured him.

She gently patted the back of his head and he sighed again before he sucked in a breath of air that only smelled of Kagome in order to drown out the marijuana.

Her scent automatically eased the tension from his muscles and caused his mind to swim with absent, vague, but content thoughts.

He had never noticed, he supposed because of all the time he spent with her, but… he really liked her scent.

Only after a moment, when he felt his fangs shrinking down to their normal size, did he, quite embarrassedly, realize that pleasured growls were ebbing from deep in his throat.

He looked up slowly at Kagome, his face turning red.

"Gomen," he said again.

"Eh?" Kagome inquired.

She gave his head another pat and snickered.

"Oh, I thought you fell asleep."

Inu-Yasha shook his head and then sat up straight, stretching out his back and shoulders.

"Thanks," he said quietly, "I feel better now."

"Great," the girl said with a smile.

To her relief, she saw the boy who had on the stairs who had begun to smoke become whisked away with the drunkards.

"Hey," she said, "Wanna go find something fun to do?"

"Yeah, sure," Inu-Yasha said, "How about going home?"

"Heh, I'd love to," she replied, "But…"

"But what?" Inu-Yasha pressed, "Cho said something to you to get you to come here, didn't she?"

"Yeah…" Kagome said sadly, "She… She said she'd pretty much sick the football team on you if we didn't come."

Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, though mostly puzzled.

"So, you said yes so I wouldn't get attacked?" he inquired.

"Pretty much," she said with a sigh.

"That little bitch!" he growled loudly, "But doesn't she hate us?"

"She hates _me_," Kagome said, "I think she's trying to set herself up with you… Hence the girls at the door."

Inu-Yasha's face contorted with disgust and he shuddered and pressed himself closer to Kagome.

"But… She's gross, and smells bad, and her voice makes my ears burn," he grumbled, "And she's just… she's just _not_ nice! I'd never… _Never!_"

He shook his head back and forth swiftly before he took Kagome into a light embrace.

"I'd never give you up for an easy slut like that," he whispered.

Kagome's eyes widened and, blushing, she looked to the grass.

"Wow… Th-Thanks…" she stammered.

He grinned and couldn't help but give her cheek a quick nuzzle.

Her friendship meant more to him than anything in the world; he had to make her realize that.

Before he could let himself become all sappy and sentimental, he took Kagome's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"C'mon, let's go mess with their heads in there," he said, jerking his head towards the back door.

oOoOoOoO

Inside the house once more, the two friends loafed around at the edges of the dancing crowd, making fun of the stumbling, drunk teens.

Kagome watched as, giggling, people dipped shiny plastic cups into a large bowl of punch that was clearly full of alcohol and then drank down large gulps of the stuff, hiccupping and lurching around.

"Shit," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Eh?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

He curiously leaned closer to her and folded his arms to his chest.

"Man, these people are just getting _so _wasted," she said, and couldn't help a chuckle, "They're so dumb."

"So I take it that you don't want any punch," Inu-Yasha said with a smile.

"Right," Kagome agreed, "Alcohol reminds me of my dad, which is not good."

"Ah," the hanyou said with an understanding nod.

He stared blankly at her for a moment before he realized that he was thirsty, and he sighed in dismay.

"Damn, now I need a drink," he complained, "Hold on, I'm gonna take my chances with the punch."

"You're a brave man," she laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

He gave her a grin before he carefully strode away through the crowd to a long table that had the bowl of punch, along with some bowls of chips and whatnot strewn across its surface.

Cautiously, Inu-Yasha took a cup from a small pile, inspected it thoroughly, and then filled it with the rose-coloured liquid.

"Kagome!" he called through the roar of the music, "Gimme a wave!"

Kagome obliged and stuck her arm high into the air and waved it to draw his attention.

His extremely limited vision caught her movement and he walked back to her side.

"Thanks," he said.

He raised the cup and sniffed it tentatively before cocking an eyebrow slightly.

"What the hell, this hardly has any vodka or… or _anything _in it!" he said, "How the crap are they all getting so drunk off of this?"

Kagome shrugged, as did he, and he took a sip of his drink to wet his throat.

"Huh… Tastes like crap," he commented before taking another short gulp and holding his cup out to Kagome, "You want some?"

"Uh… Yeah, sure," she said with a puzzled blink.

He passed her his cup and she took a delicate sip from it.

"It just tastes like fake fruit," she said.

"Yeah, like crap," Inu-Yasha concluded, "Don't worry, if you drink it slow you won't end up hammered like them."

He gestured to a boy and a girl who were lurching around in an odd form of ballroom dancing that consisted mainly of tripping over each other.

"Maybe they're high too?" she suggested.

"Could be," the hanyou agreed with a thoughtful nod, "Jeez, can people get _any _stupider?"

"Maybe," Kagome laughed.

She took another, slow gulp of the punch before she handed the cup back to Inu-Yasha.

He sighed.

"Damn it, I wanna go home and sleep," he whined, "This fails."

"Yeah, this fails big time," Kagome agreed.

o

As the music droned on, Kagome absently began to wonder what had become of Cho.

This _was_ that damn wench's party, after all. The least she could do was show up.

She sighed and slouched against the wall, though when she looked to her side for Inu-Yasha, she was alarmed to find that he was gone.

Panic jolted deep in her gut for a moment before she spied Inu-Yasha at the other end of the room, skulking around some girls who were drunk and giggling like hyenas.

He tapped the closest one to him on the shoulder and mumbled something in her ear. The girl's eyes widened and she grinned, nodded, and jumped up and down on one foot.

"Hey!" she called, "This dude had a good idea!"

She attracted the attention of ten people at the maximum, though she spoke as if she were addressing an audience of thousands.

"We can break-dance! Let's break-dance!"

She struck a pose and then squatted onto the floor, attempting vainly to scoot around in a circle on her bum on the carpeted floor.

Inu-Yasha snickered and moved to the next girl, who willing began to flap her arms and caw like a bird.

One by one, he moved through the circle of women, planting suggestions in their dazed heads to make them act like idiots.

Kagome watched him, snickering like an insane person, though she swallowed a stray gulp of air and a hiccup formed in the back of her throat.

She accidentally let it out, and she couldn't help but begin to cackle even more loudly.

Inu-Yasha strode back to her side, extremely proud of himself, and he snickered at the sound of her soft hiccups underneath her laughter.

"Here," he said, handing her his drink.

She laughed and managed to cough out a tiny "arigato" before taking a swig of the punch in order to quell her hiccups.

"Well, that was amusing," Inu-Yasha stated proudly.

Kagome nodded vigorously before she handed his cup back to him, and then began to laugh again as two people leapt onto the table, spilling punch and foodstuffs everywhere, and began to dance.

"Oh shit," Inu-Yasha sighed, shaking his head, "Those weirdoes."

"We should throw rocks at them," Kagome suggested jokingly.

"Good idea," the hanyou said, and he darted away swiftly through the crowd.

"What…?" Kagome inquired.

She watched him disappear and raised her eyebrow.

"Okay…"

o

Outside, Inu-Yasha walked down the small flight of stairs and knelt to the ground, feeling through the dirt for small stones.

He picked up one, and then another, and another, pleased with himself.

All of a sudden, the strong scent of perfume punched him in the face and he jolted uneasily.

"Inu-kun!" came a high squeal.

Inu-Yasha felt his ears pop and he groaned before reluctantly looking towards the sound of the voice he automatically recognized as Cho's.

"Eh?" he asked.

He straightened up with his armful of rocks and raised his eyebrow inquisitively.

Cho was standing atop the stairs, garbed in tight jeans and a tube top, though all Inu-Yasha was able to see of her was the outline of her thin form and, for once, he was truly glad that he was blind.

"Oh, Inu-kun!" Cho said again.

She gracefully stalked down the stairs to his side and stared at him, pressing her body irritatingly close to his.

"Uh… Hi, wassup?" he said slowly before cautiously taking a tiny step backwards.

"Are you enjoying the party?" she asked innocently.

He shrugged.

"I dunno. To tell you the truth, I'd rather be at home," he said.

"Really?" Cho inquired, sounding surprised, "You're not having any fun yet? …But I see you've ditched Higurashi…"

"No I haven't," he snapped, "I just came out here to get some rocks."

"Rocks?" Cho repeated, raising one of her thin eyebrows in puzzlement, "Why is that, Inu-kun?"

"I dunno, I felt like it," he growled, "And _stop _calling me Inu-kun!"

Cho pursed her lips in amusement and took a step closer to Inu-Yasha, wiggling her hips slightly to the music in a seductive manner.

Inu-Yasha bared his fangs slightly and edged away from her unwanted advance.

"Come on Inu-Yasha, live a little," the girl giggled.

She took his arm, causing him to spill the stones he had collected onto his sandal-clad feet.

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly.

He knelt down swiftly and attempted to scoop up the stones, though Cho ducked down with him and watched amusedly as he groped blindly for his dropped items.

"Inu-kun," she said slowly, tracing circles in the dirt with her fingertip, "May I ask you something?"

"Eh?" Inu-Yasha snorted, "Whatever."

"Well… I was wondering," the girl murmured, feigning nervousness, "Would you… like to take me to the dance next Wednesday?"

Inu-Yasha looked up from the ground, raised his eyebrow, and then looked back to the ground as he managed to scoop up a rock.

"No," he said bluntly.

Cho looked dumfounded for a moment before she frowned, determined.

"But… But you _have _to!" she exclaimed, "Since I'm the Dance Queen, the cutest guy in the school _has_ to be with _me_, and that's _you!"_

Inu-Yasha sighed, looked up at the girl with a bored expression plastered across his face.

"Nope, not interested," he said, "Dances suck. And besides, if I was gonna go, I sure as hell wouldn't take _you_."

Cho snorted in disdain.

"What is it with you?" she hissed, "You're the only man arrogant enough to turn down the most popular girl in school…"

She paused, her brown eyes glimmering, and Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes to the sky.

"And let me guess; that turns you on?" he drawled.

The girl across from him huffed in annoyance.

"It's still Higurashi, isn't it?" she inquired haughtily.

"It's _always_ been Higurashi," he growled.

"Why?" she demanded, "How the hell could you like someone like that?"

"You don't know her," the hanyou snarled softly, "Don't make the mistake of thinking you know Kagome."

Cho blinked, puzzled, and then absently tossed a lock of hair out of her face.

She watched attentively as Inu-Yasha continued to search for his rocks and, suddenly, a scheme entered her mind.

If this didn't capture him… She didn't know what else would.

"Here, Inu-kun, I found something," she said softly.

She took his hand in between both of hers and planted his palm firmly against her bosom.

Inu-Yasha stared blankly at her, blinking, completely befuddled.

He couldn't tell what the hell he was touching, and he frowned.

"What the fuck is this?" he inquired, "This ain't a rock."

"Far from it," Cho cooed.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head, wishing that Kagome were there to be his eyes. What the hell had this crazy girl just shoved his hand into?

"Then what _is_ this, a sack of gelatine?" he inquired.

"It's my virginity," the girl said with a soft, seductive smile.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he tried to pull back, but she refused to release him and, finally, he realized, to his utter horror, where his hand lay.

"Oh my God!" he yelped.

He jerked his hand away forcibly and clutched it close, feeling utterly violated.

"Oh, GROSS! You… You WHORE!" he yelled, scooting away from her.

Panicked, the boy leapt to his feet and bounded up the stairs and into the house, though he stumbled over his sandal and tripped, stumbling against someone.

He heard a grunt and found himself roughly yanked upwards by the collar of his shirt.

"Hey, watch where you're going you little punk," came a low voice.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow and was just about to give his captor a good, hard punch in the stomach when he smelled Cho entering the room behind him.

"Iko-kun, it's all right," she said, "The poor boy's drunk; he doesn't know what he's doing."

The boy grunted and reluctantly released Inu-Yasha. The hanyou looked daggers at him before turning his furious gaze on Cho.

"I am _not_ drunk!" he exclaimed.

"Of course you're not," she purred, reaching up a hand to delicately pat his cheek.

He growled and stepped away from her, though she followed him.

"Come on Inu-Yasha, I'm all yours," she cooed.

He quivered and stumbled backwards once more.

"I don't want _you_!" he replied, his voice becoming slightly shrill from exasperation, "And as if you're still a virgin!"

"I will be for you," she whispered.

"Holy shit!" the hanyou exclaimed in disgust.

He raised his hands in an attempt to shield himself from her and backed away even further.

_Oh God, Kagome, HELP ME!_

o

Meanwhile, Kagome paced, wondering where Inu-Yasha had gone.

She would've followed him, but the dancers around her had become packed so tightly together that they formed a semi-circular wall of flesh.

She sighed, wondering how her friend was going to get back to her until a voice calling her name caught her attention.

"Oi, Higurashi!"

It wasn't Inu-Yasha's voice, but she did know the speaker.

Flailing, a boy by the name of Max fought his way through the crowd and strode to her side, panting. She hadn't seen him since the first day of school; he had gotten a haircut since then, and looked slightly tired.

"Yo," he said.

"Hey Max, sup?" she inquired, "I didn't know you were here."

"I didn't know _you _were here," he replied with a grin, "I thought you hated, like, _everyone _here."

"Yeah, I do," she said, and then smirked, "I was threatened into coming… Anyway, how've you been?"

"Okay," the boy said with a shrug, "You here with that white-haired dude?"

"Hmm?" Kagome inquired.

She casually folded her arms to her chest and nodded.

"Thought so," Max stated proudly, "I saw you two hanging out together a lot, so…"

Kagome cut her eyes at him before she chuckled quietly.

"It's not really what you think," she assured him, "But I didn't see you, Max."

"Yeah, I know, I was in a garbage can," he sighed.

Kagome blinked at him in surprise and raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Max sighed, "My gym class was all like "Aaah! An American!"… And then they dumped me in the trash."

"Well, that sucks," Kagome said, cringing, "You'd think they'd be a bit more tolerant… I mean: you _were_ there last year."

"Yeah, go figure," he said with a shrug.

Kagome sighed and then, wondering what had become of Inu-Yasha, stood on the tips of her toes in an attempt to see over the crowd.

"Eh?" Max inquired, "Who're you looking for?"

"Inu-Yasha," she replied, "The white-haired dude."

"You think he'd be easier to spot," Max joked.

"Hai," Kagome agreed.

She bounced on her feet, though she was still unable to see anything.

Sighing, she walked over to the large table, which was now covered in sticky juice because half of the punch had been spilled over it.

She pushed herself up onto its surface, cringing as her boots stuck to the remnants of punch.

As she straightened up, she was relieved to see Inu-Yasha over the heads of the crowd, though her heart jolted briefly as she saw Cho by his side.

She clenched her fist angrily as she saw the girl flirting with her companion, though she was slightly relieved to find a look of disgust on his face as he tried to move away from her.

He seemed, also, to be guarding his hands in an attempt to keep himself as far away from Cho as he could manage.

"Hey!" she called over the din, "Yasha! Over here!"

Though no one else seemed to hear her through the music, Inu-Yasha's head automatically jerked in her direction, his eyes wide with, at first, surprise, and then gratitude.

Swiftly, he ducked into the crowd, leaving Cho standing behind him, looking puzzled.

Kagome could see the boy elbow his way through the people and then, once he broke through, punch the air in triumph.

"Good job!" Kagome laughed, clapping her hands together.

She jumped from the table and smiled at him. He grinned in return, a look of utter relief on his face.

"Oh, shit, thanks," he sighed, "You saved me from the bitchy wrath of that _whore._"

"Oh great, what'd she do now?" Kagome grumbled.

"You _really_ don't wanna know," he sighed, rubbing his fingers through his bangs.

Kagome frowned slightly before she turned to Max, who was absently scratching at his head.

"Yo, dude," she said to him, "Meet Inu-Yasha. Yasha, this is my old pen-pal Max."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, a little surprised, "Hi."

"Hi," Max replied, still scratching his head, "Ugh, I'm gonna go… I think I need a shower or something."

"Okay, see ya," Kagome said.

Max gave a slight wave and a grin before turning to leave, still scratching his head.

"Lucky the bastard gets to leave, ne?" Inu-Yasha whispered enviously.

"Heh, yeah," Kagome agreed, "But I think he has lice…"

"Oh my," Inu-Yasha said, shaking his head.

Kagome smirked, then sighed and watched as some of the more drunk dancers began to form a conga-line and parade around the room.

"You know," she said, "This probably _would_ be fun if this weren't Cho's party."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded before he took both of Kagome's hands and clasped them around his.

Ever since Cho's little stunt, he felt completely filthy, and the odd notion that only Kagome could cleanse him entered his head.

The girl eyed his face, and then their conjoined hands, a little puzzled.

"Um, wassup?" she inquired.

"Well, let's just say Cho did something _really_ gross to my hand and… and touching you makes me feel like my hand isn't all God damn filthy any more," he said.

"Uh… What kind of really gross thing?" Kagome asked, "Are you wiping snot on me?"

Inu-Yasha chuckled and shook his head.

"Not that kind of gross… More like mentally scaring, actually."

Kagome cringed on his behalf.

"Ouch, like what?" she asked.

"Oh, I dunno, something along the lines of putting my hand against her chest and offering her virginity to me," the hanyou said with a shrug.

"_EW!_" Kagome exclaimed loudly, her eyes becoming round, "And if she's a virgin, I may as well change my name to Fluffy and parade around the streets dressed like a God damned chicken."

"Yeah, I said something sorta like that too," Inu-Yasha laughed, "You know… I think she forgets that I'm blind or something… Because I'm pretty sure that she was trying to dance at me at some point."

He absently scratched his forehead and sighed, pushing slightly closer to Kagome as the conga line came their way, and then passed them by.

"Well," she said, "Thought of anything fun to do? Obviously, the "let's throw rocks" plan sorta failed cuz it got you sexually harassed… So now what?"

"I dunno," the hanyou replied, "But… Hey, Kags, you've got a conniving mind; think of something to screw Cho over."

"Revenge, is it?" she chuckled, and her friend nodded vigorously.

"All right then," she replied with a smile, "Well… did she seem drunk?"

"Not at all," he said, sighing a little dejectedly.

"Well…" Kagome said slowly, "I think I've got something, but we need her drunk for it to work… And you're gonna need to act, and _maybe_ make slight physical contact."

"I'll risk it," he assured her, "So, what's the plan?"

oOoOoOoO

Across the room, Cho sat on a couch, her chin in her hand, pondering.

Inu-Yasha was so strange…

She could barely believe that he had rejected her… _Her,_ of all people!

She had offered herself to him, and he hadn't even shown the _slightest_ interest.

Why?

And, to tell the truth, he had been right: the fact that he wanted nothing to do with her only made her want him more.

"He'll come around," she mumbled to herself, "I'll make sure he does."

o

Unknown to her, the object of her affections was lurking directly behind her, and her combatant for him a little ways behind him.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Inu-Yasha asked at a whisper, turning his head over his shoulder to blink puzzledly at Kagome.

"Yeah," she said with a nod, "Cho can't stand liquor. When we were younger, someone at a school Christmas party brought in rum balls and Cho ate one… Man, was that girl ever hammered… And once she is, you can convince her of just about anything."

"Heh, okay, I believe you," he snickered.

"Good," Kagome said with a smile.

She passed him a cup full of punch that was definitely spiked; they had managed to borrow a bottle of vodka from someone and dump it in the cup to assure that Cho's drink would be at least half liquor.

"Go do your thing," Kagome said, giving him a gentle shove.

He nodded and then took a confident step out of the crowd and slid up behind Cho.

He coughed behind his fist to draw her attention, and the girl swiftly looked up at him, her eyes sparking with pleased surprise.

"Hey Cho," he said.

"Inu-kun," she said in surprise, "You came back."

"Uh, I sure did," Inu-Yasha said, forcing a smile onto his face.

He took a seat casually on the arm of the couch, grinning at her.

"You know, I think I was wrong about you," he admitted, "You really _are_ very attractive."

Cho smiled widely and took his free hand.

"Oh, Yasha-kun, you're so sweet!" she giggled, "Tell me more."

"Uh…" he said blankly, and then grinned, "Well, you're… uh…"

His eyes traced to the side, looking desperately to Kagome for help.

"Talk about her eyes!" he heard her hiss, "Be poetic! And they're brown, by the way."

His eyes traced back to Cho, who was still staring up at him intently.

"Well, your eyes… They're just so pretty and… They're like such… _rich_ mahogany and… They sparkle like all the stars in the sky."

Kagome bit her lip to keep from laughing, though she slapped her forehead.

"Not poetic enough, you dolt," she breathed.

He cut his eyes at her and gave her a "well so-_rry" _as Cho giggled, flattered.

"Please, tell me more," she said.

"More?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "Uh… What is there to say that someone like you hasn't all ready heard?"

"I'm sure you'll find something," she said with a smile.

She laid her hand on his knee and stroked it, and he had to stop himself from shuddering.

"Well, you're just so beautiful," he continued, "And you always smell so great and…"

"What turned you from Higurashi?" she inquired swiftly.

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Uh… I… suddenly realized how strikingly unattractive she is."

He heard Kagome snort out a laugh from her concealed spot and Cho grinned, and to Inu-Yasha's alarm, crawled up onto his lap.

His leg twitched and he itched to give her a good, hard kick.

"Inu-kun, what's wrong?" the girl inquired, leaning her head against the crook of his neck.

He jolted and shuddered slightly before he forced a smile onto his face.

"Uh, I'm just upset because you look thirsty," he said, "Would you like my drink?"

"Oh," Cho said, smiling, "Thank you Inu-kun."

She delicately took the cup from his hand and took a dainty gulp from it.

She hiccupped softly and smiled embarrassedly.

"Oh my," she giggled, and she downed the rest of the cup, snickering.

"Okay, off my lap now," he said, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.

"'Kay," she giggled.

She anxiously hopped from his lap, stumbled slightly and then laughed, rubbing her fingers through her bangs.

"Heheh, I feel… funky," she said.

"Yeah, vodka does that," Inu-Yasha said.

"Yum," Cho said.

She hopped over to him and locked onto his arm.

"Make me yours?" she asked sweetly, "I feel horny."

"No," Inu-Yasha said, shaking her off, "But I'm sure there's about a dozen other guys here who'll want to be with you."

"Really? Where?" Cho inquired, looking around swiftly, "Show me, Yasha-kun!"

"Um…" he said slowly, trying to ignore the fact that she had just said she was horny, "Just… walk over there."

He gave her a push into the crowd, where Kagome swiftly sidestepped out of her way and stood beside Inu-Yasha.

"And we're gonna leave now, okay?" Inu-Yasha said.

"Oh, yeah sure," Cho said absently.

She turned around and her eyes narrowed venomously as she saw Kagome.

"Ew, Higurashi… I _hate_ you," she spat, and then turned into the crowd and began a lively dance to the music.

Kagome shoved her fist into her mouth in an attempt to not laugh and Inu-Yasha eyed the flailing, drunk girl triumphantly.

"I'm gonna have to burn my clothes now," he whispered to Kagome.

"Mmm-hmm," she said around her fist.

"Oh, knock it off," Inu-Yasha laughed.

He took her hand and pulled it from her mouth, and she began to snicker again, though her eyes widened in shock as she saw Cho whip her top off and fling it somewhere.

"Shit," she gasped, and she covered Inu-Yasha's eyes.

"Eh?" he asked, "What? I can't see _anyway_ Kagome."

"Cho breasts; we're leaving _now,"_ she said swiftly.

"Oh… Oh hell yeah," Inu-Yasha agreed, "Let's run!"

"Talley ho," Kagome laughed weakly, and Inu-Yasha snickered, took her hand, and whisked her from the room and out of the house just as Cho was tackled to the ground by what appeared to be her absolutely mortified younger brother


	32. Reconnections

* * *

Chapter 31: Reconnections

* * *

A loud whistle echoed across the near-empty field as the midmorning sun glared down on the girl's gym class.

It was the start of fitness testing, which, to Kagome, meant only one thing: lots and lots of pointless running.

She drew in a deep, calm breath as she completed her fourth lap of the field. She had to go slow and pace herself; she was a better sprinter than she was at stamina running.

_I'll have to work on it_, she thought.

As she passed by the bleachers on the north side of the field, she couldn't help but feel a little envious of Inu-Yasha.

He didn't have to run because, technically, this wasn't his gym class.

Inu-Yasha sat in the middle row of the bleachers, looking a little bored and anxious, as if he almost wanted to join Kagome running laps.

-

And indeed, Inu-Yasha _did_ want to run with Kagome.

For the first time in over a year, since he had been returned from captivity, he felt truly lively again.

Sleep wasn't even on the hanyou's mind today, as it had been for a very long time.

He had what seemed to be a year's worth of pent-up energy inside him, yearning to be used.

This did cause him to wonder, however, if he had received a mild form of mono while he was a prisoner to the government.

Despite the fact that he and Kagome had returned home fairly late at night, they had, for once, had a good night's sleep.

Inu-Yasha couldn't even remember the walk home, but when he had woken up on the couch, Kagome curled up in him arms like a tiny puppy, he realized that he had never felt more content and well rested.

Day by day, he realized, he was growing fonder of the girl.

He wondered: was it the same for her?

Well, it had to be, didn't it? She was the one who would cuddle with _him_, wasn't she?

Shrugging it off, he stood on top of the bleacher and then looked curiously to the gym teacher.

She was staring down at a brightly coloured stopwatch, and she sighed.

"Um… Miss?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "Can… Can I run too?"

The gym teacher looked up and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You actually _want_ to run?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded eagerly, and the teacher eyed him over, seeming slightly concerned.

"Will you be all right?" she inquired.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, "I think I'll be okay."

"You don't have any gym clothes," the woman pointed out.

"Urm… Is that okay?" Inu-Yasha asked curiously.

"Only for today," the teacher stated.

"Awesome," the hanyou said.

He climbed down the bleachers carefully and then made his way onto the grass.

He slipped off his sandals and pushed them aside with his foot, and then took off at a sprint towards where he could smell Kagome.

-

Kagome, panting now, stole a glance back at the bleachers, though she was surprised to see that he had vanished.

She skidded to a halt in the grass, though, suddenly, a large force slammed into her from behind and knocked her to the ground.

She felt a body fall on top of her with a grunt and she turned her head to see Inu-Yasha forcing himself back onto his knees.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

He grabbed her and heaved her to her feet swiftly and she stared, blinking at him.

"How'd you get over here?" she asked.

"I ran," he said, and then he took her hand and slowly began to pull her along again, "C'mon Kagome, we still have six laps to go."

"We?" she inquired, "You're running too?"

"I got bored," he replied, "Come on!"

Kagome sighed and began to jog and the hanyou at her side grinned and slowed his pace to match hers.

"I thought you hated gym," she said.

"I do," he replied, "But I've got loads of energy I gotta burn."

"Well, that's new," Kagome laughed, "Usually all you wanna do is sleep and eat."

"I think I had mono," Inu-Yasha said, "Really mild mono."

"Where'd it go then?" Kagome inquired curiously.

"No idea," the boy said with a shrug, "But I feel better. So, let's go faster."

He began to move a little faster and Kagome pushed herself to keep up, sucking in a gulp of air.

She began to suck on her tongue: her mouth was becoming extremely dry.

"Don't tell me you're tired all ready," Inu-Yasha scoffed, "I know you can do better than that."

"I ain't good at… long distance," she complained, "I can sprint."

"Well, that's good at least," the hanyou joked, "But, okay, imagine those guys from the government come after us and you gotta run without me there. What're you gonna do? You can't sprint forever."

"Good point," Kagome said.

"You gotta be faster," Inu-Yasha insisted, "And you need more stamina. I can help you."

"Keh!" she scoffed, and then took a deep breath, "Okay, teach me. But later."

She slowed her pace slightly to conserve her energy and Inu-Yasha slowed as well, trotting patiently by her side.

-

After two more laps, Kagome began to tire again, so Inu-Yasha jogged backwards in front of her, egging her on.

"I feel sick," the girl complained.

"Oh, c'mon Kagome," Inu-Yasha sighed, "You're gonna be fine. You're like, two laps ahead of everyone else, but if you slow down, they're gonna beat you. You don't want that, do you?"

"I don't care anymore," Kagome said.

"Only four more," he insisted, "You can do it! …Jeez, I could do about forty of these in the time this has taken you, you know that?"

"You could not," the girl retorted.

"Could so," Inu-Yasha said.

He grinned, took her hands, and began to gently pull her along.

"I could run like this for days," he stated proudly.

"Geh…" Kagome grumbled, "Like hell you could."

"I can," the hanyou insisted, "I have kickass stamina. Later, we'll practice, and we'll run together, okay? I bet I can get you as good as me."

"Well, someone's a little full of himself," the girl chuckled.

Inu-Yasha laughed and Kagome sighed, and then pushed herself to move a tiny bit faster.

"If I promise to do that with you, you have to promise to carry me home today… I'm, like, dead," she said.

"Deal," Inu-Yasha said.

oOoOoOoO

By the end of the school day, it was true: Kagome was, "like, dead", as she had put it.

Today had not been her day at all. For some reason, she felt that all of her talent had been completely sucked out of her.

She had a math test returned with a fifty-six percent, and in Language class, she could barely remember how to spell.

She sighed, slumping across Inu-Yasha's back as he carried her piggy-back style.

"My legs hurt," she whined.

Inu-Yasha chuckled quietly before he turned his head over his shoulder to give her an inquisitive look.

"Still?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "Oh, go right, there's a tree."

Inu-Yasha sidestepped to the right to avoid a tree that the city had purposely planted to grow out of the sidewalk, and then he turned his gaze forward again.

"Weird place for a tree," he commented, "I never noticed it before."

"That's cuz I always pulled you around it before," she commented, and then yawned and asked, "So, what do you want to do when we get home?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged one shoulder.

"Dunno," he admitted, "…Hmm… Maybe I could try to phone one of my old friends… See if I can get them to call my brother for me."

Inu-Yasha smirked a little sadly.

"Watch them barely even know I was missing," he muttered.

"Don't be like that," Kagome scolded.

She hugged him around his shoulders and smiled.

"Dude… I'm sure they're worried," she assured him, "I mean… You said you were friends, right?"

"I dunno… I may have liked them more than they liked me…" he said with a sigh, "But…"

"Call them," Kagome insisted, "Stop for a second?"

The hanyou stalled in his tracked and turned his head to blink curiously at Kagome.

She carefully flicked his bangs with one of her long, pointed nails, and then kissed his cheek.

His eyes grew round, though his gaze softened almost instantly and he gave her an appreciative smile.

"Thanks Kag," he said.

She smiled at him and he looked forward again, and began to walk once more.

"You really think they'd care?" he asked after a while.

"Yep," Kagome replied instantly, "Um… But we'll need a phonebook, ne? You said you don't know the numbers."

"True," the hanyou agreed, "You have any?"

"Probably," she said.

-

When they turned the corner to the house, Kagome slid herself out of Inu-Yasha's grasp, deciding that she could probably walk the rest of the way.

"I'm so outta shape," she grumbled.

"Then how the crap are you so thin?" Inu-Yasha wondered.

"High metabolism?" Kagome suggested, "Well, why the crap are you so thin?"

"Oh, that's easy," he said, "But you might freak out, wanna hear?"

"Uh…" Kagome said slowly, but Inu-Yasha began to talk anyway.

"When I was captured, I was pretty much unconscious and I got sick and stuff, right? Plus, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink for the whole time cuz they had me… I don't even know, but I couldn't open my mouth," he said absently, "So I lost a bigass amount of weight there and I still can't get it back. I've got… maybe five pounds back, and that's _it_."

"How much did you lose?" Kagome asked, concerned.

"I dunno, I think I used to be about fifty pounds heavier… In muscle mostly," he added swiftly, "But still, I lost it, and it won't come back."

He sighed.

"Damn my freakishly high metabolism," he grumbled, "I actually sat in bed with minimal movement for about a week, just eating like crazy, and I didn't gain anything. It sucked."

Kagome sighed and took Inu-Yasha's hand in hers.

"They had no right to do any of that to you," she mumbled, running her fingers over his.

"I know," he replied.

"And now, they're coming after you again, probably to try to do the same thing to you?" she growled, "They're sick."

"I _know_," Inu-Yasha repeated.

"I'm not gonna let that happen, you know," Kagome said, her eyes hardening with determination, "I'm not going to let them take you again."

The hanyou couldn't help but smile.

"I know," he said for a third time.

He gently took her hand inside his and pulled her to his side.

"I can't wait until I can see you," he said.

He gave her a cheerful grin and she couldn't help but return it, but secretly, the girl felt a pang at her heart.

Inu-Yasha seemed to have adjusted to being blind quite comfortably, and she was glad, but the fact that anyone would have even _dared_ to do this to him made her blood boil.

Whatever he had done… if anything… how could it have been so horrible that the government would want him tortured and blinded?

Kagome frowned, considering the little she knew about Inu-Yasha's capture.

What could they want with him?

Certainly not information; he had told her that they had rendered him utterly mute while he was in captivity. What had he said? They had paralysed his throat and then pinned his jaw shut? What would be the point of that if they had wanted information?

He also told her that he could barely remember anything but the pain of what happened, and the things that had come to him in some dreams… Meaning that he had probably been drugged for almost the entire time.

She tightened her hold on his hand and let out a sigh.

_Why would they want to torture him?_ She wondered, _I mean… Honestly, what could he have done?_

She looked up and into his eyes.

He was the first person she had trusted almost upon the moment they had exchanged names.

Kagome barely even trusted most of the members of her family, other than her mother.

There had to be a reason that she placed more faith in Inu-Yasha than she would in her own grandfather.

She supposed that it might be because he had never truly lied to her… except for once, that is.

When she had asked him why the government was after him, and he had said he didn't know…

Kagome knew he had lied.

She knew that he probably knew exactly why they wanted him dead, but she also knew it was probably an uncomfortable subject for him.

He was probably scared that he would lose her friendship if he were to tell her.

Kagome sighed quietly.

That dork: didn't he know that, no matter what, he would always be her best friend?

-

As they walked up the steps to the front door, Kagome felt a wave of sympathy wash over her.

She didn't want him to be afraid to tell her _anything_.

"Hey Yasha?" she inquired.

"Yeah?" he replied.

He turned and leaned back against the front door, looking at Kagome curiously and folding his arms to his chest.

Kagome stared at him, unsure of what she was going to tell him, so she reached up to him and took his face in her hands.

He was about to utter a quiet protest, but Kagome pulled him down to her level and gently kissed his forehead.

A shiver ran through the hanyou's body and he blinked as he felt his face heating up.

"You know why they're after you, don't you?" Kagome whispered.

Inu-Yasha cringed and was about to nod, but Kagome pulled him forward and hugged him close.

"You don't need to tell me now," she assured him, "But whatever it is… Whatever happens, we're still best friends, okay? Don't be afraid to talk to me when you're ready."

Inu-Yasha's body sagged.

What was he supposed to say?

"I… I'm not… afraid," he muttered, "I just…"

"Forget it," Kagome said with a smile, "I just don't want you to feel that… whatever it is would make me not like you anymore."

The hanyou sighed deeply and then, slowly, raised his arms to hold Kagome's body close.

"God damn…" he whispered.

His body quaked for a moment and he cringed.

"Kagome, damn it… You… You make me so friggin' weak…" he growled, "I'm… I'm shaking like a fucking puppy…"

Kagome raised her eyes to meet his puzzledly and he gave her a tiny grin.

"Thanks Kags… I'll… I'll tell you soon, I promise," he assured her.

"Awesome," she said.

The girl chuckled and then turned him around so that she could access the door.

She swiftly unlocked it and then pushed Inu-Yasha inside.

He slipped off his sandals and, beside him, Kagome kneeled and heaved off her heavy black boots.

"So, not to change the subject, but where's your phonebook?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"I dunno, the kitchen, probably," Kagome said, "Gimme a sec, I'll check."

Falling onto her rear, she pulled at the buckles on her boots and then was finally able to kick one off.

The second one took her sock with it.

Rolling her eyes, she reached into the boot to grab it before she stood and then wandered into the kitchen.

Inu-Yasha followed and watched curiously as Kagome ducked into a cupboard near the sink and pulled out an old, extremely large phone book.

"Here," she said with a grunt.

She plopped the massive volume onto the kitchen table and sighed.

"Damn thing's heavy," she grumbled, "Okay, who do we call?"

"My friend Miroku," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "He's home more than Sango is. She plays… uh… soccer, I think."

"Family name?" Kagome inquired.

She opened the book and Inu-Yasha scratched his chin as he thought for a moment.

"Yogensha," he stated.

Kagome nodded and flipped to the back of the huge book and began to skim the Y's. She ran her finger down the page until it landed on the only two Yogenshas in the book.

"Yogensha, B, or Yogensha, G?" she asked.

"G," Inu-Yasha replied.

"Okay," Kagome said, "Pass me the phone."

Inu-Yasha stuck out his arm and groped for the phone. Once he had it, he passed it to Kagome.

She swiftly dialled the phone number, and then held the phone to her ear.

"It's ringing," she said, and then she passed it to the slightly anxious-looking hanyou.

He nodded his thanks and then held the phone to the side of his head, tapping the table with his claws.

The phone rang once… Twice…

"Pick up, damn it…" he whispered.

oOoOoOoO

A cool breeze swept along the streets of Tokyo, blowing dry leaves into the face of a rather flustered-looking Sango.

The girl brushed her hair back behind her ears and then pulled the hood of her jacket up and over her head.

With her, even the slightest breeze made her ear tips feel like they were frozen.

Slightly annoyed, she shouldered her backpack a little more securely.

She was on her way to the house of the boy who, at the moment, she was firmly convinced that she was in love with.

Okay, he was far from perfect: he was a bit of a pervert, he could be a coward sometimes, and she would probably never get to touch the bare skin of his right hand, but still…

She still loved the weirdo… But… at the moment, however, she was a little wary of him.

Miroku had wanted to have a sleepover with her, though she had only agreed after she was positive that no sex would be involved.

She toted her pajamas, a few movies, and some snacks in her bag.

Sighing, she gazed up the street towards where she knew Miroku's house was, despite the fact that it was shielded from her vision by a large maple tree.

She and Miroku had been planning this movie night for a while, going back to before summer vacation had even ended.

Originally, they were going to invite Inu-Yasha as well, and maybe try to convince him to take off his hat, but now… Inu-Yasha was gone.

Sango cringed at the thought.

She worried about her half-demon friend every time she thought about him.

Though she and Miroku knew that they liked and trusted him a great deal more than he did them, they had been hoping to change that.

Sango had thought that, maybe if they were able to convince him that they didn't care that he was hanyou, and that he could hang out with them any time he wanted, that they could draw him into a tiny circle of friends and try to comfort him.

They knew that he had been nearly tortured to death once, and, unsurprisingly, it had changed him drastically.

-

Now, however, all the thoughts of attempted therapy were gone.

Sango merely wanted to know if Inu-Yasha was alive or not.

Sighing again, she cracked the knuckles on her right hand until, suddenly, she heard a tiny yip.

Stalling in her tracks, Sango looked down only to spot a small, white dog with golden eyes, staring up at her with what she could have sworn was an arrogant smirk.

Sango nearly gasped and she knelt down to the dog.

"Hey puppy," she cooed.

The little dog edged closer and sniffed her fingers before he turned away, his tail wagging slightly.

Inu-Yasha's name nearly passed her lips.

Had the boy died? Could he have been reincarnated into a dog?

Sango shook her head swiftly and slapped herself on her forehead.

"Baka," she chided, "I'm sure he's fine."

She stood and brushed a little bit of dirt from her jeans, and then continued up the hill to Miroku's house.

-

Miroku lived in a large, two-story house with a small garden in front and another maple tree resting directly beside the door.

She walked up to the door and gave three hard knocks.

She heard a muffled curse from the other side and then the skidding of bare feet on the floor.

She cringed as she heard a loud thud and a groan of pain, but then, the door was swiftly opened.

Sango's eyes widened with shock.

Miroku stood in the doorway in nothing but boxers and the sealed glove on his right hand. His hair was dripping wet and he smelled faintly of shampoo.

"Shit, Sango, it's you," Miroku said, feigning shock, "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you so soon. I was in the shower."

Sango merely shook her head and then eyed the water on the floor; Miroku had obviously slipped on it.

"'Roku, I'm _late_," Sango sighed.

"Oh," Miroku said, trying to sound surprised.

The girl clapped a hand to her brow and sighed again.

"Baka," she muttered as she shouldered past him into the house.

Miroku puffed out his bare chest as she passed, but she blatantly ignored him and he frowned.

"Damn it Sango," he grumbled, "You know, most girls would be more than happy to see my buff bod opening a door for them."

"Oh give me a break," Sango said, rolling her eyes.

She poked him in the stomach and he seemed to deflate, and she smirked and pulled her bag from her shoulder.

"And most girls would also be running away from you once they figured out you have a wind tunnel of _death _in your hand," she pointed out.

"Ah… Touché," Miroku sighed.

Sango smirked and then began to pull off her jacket.

Miroku quickly ran around her and took her coat from her, placing it in the closet.

"Oh, thanks," she said, though as she turned around to see him, he grabbed her and held her close.

Before she could utter a word of protest, he kissed her gently.

After a moment, he pulled back and Sango blinked at him, looking a little dazed.

"Wow, you brushed your teeth this time," she commented.

"Indeed I did," he stated proudly.

The girl smiled and then gave him a quick hug before she turned and slipped out of his arms.

"You're all wet: go get a friggin towel," she laughed, "And a shirt."

"Right," Miroku agreed.

-

As he darted away, Sango walked into his living room.

Most of the furniture was shoved aside, save for a large armchair, a couch, and a small coffee table that was covered in bowls of chips and popcorn.

There were blankets and DVDs scattered around the floor, and, to be honest, Sango was a bit surprised that Miroku hadn't pulled out the sofa bed, brought out some liquor, and lit some scented candles.

She sat down on the couch and began to unload the movies and candy she had brought.

After another minute, Miroku strode into the room, wearing a blue t-shirt and, to Sango's relief, pants.

He sat on the arm of the sofa beside her and leaned over her curiously.

"So… What'd you bring?" he asked.

"Bunch of movies," Sango said, and she held up a DVD case with a smirk, "_X-Men_, your favourite."

Miroku gasped and snatched the movie away from the girl, hugging it to his chest.

"Oh Mystique, I warship thee," he sighed, and then turned a large grin on Sango, "You're pretty hot too Sango."

"Great, I'm second to a blue girl who runs around naked," Sango said, rolling her eyes.

"No, no, not second," Miroku said swiftly, "No, I like you more cuz you're real and you actually have the time of day for me…"

He slipped off the arm and onto the cushions beside Sango, smiling.

"I think you're prettier and I've never even seen you naked," Miroku said.

"And your not gonna tonight either," she said.

Miroku snapped his fingers, dejected, and then put his arm around her shoulders.

"You sure…?" he asked, "Tonight's one of the only nights I could get Gramps to go out and-"

"No," Sango stated again.

"Damn," Miroku sighed.

He leaned his head back against the sofa and then eyed Sango over curiously.

"Okay… But if you say no to cuddling, I swear, I'm gonna cry," he said half-jokingly.

"No, no, cuddling is fine," she assured him with a snicker.

He let out a sigh of relief and pecked her on the cheek.

She blushed and laughed softly, and then she slipped herself from his grasp to walk to the television.

She turned it on and then opened the DVD player.

"Chuck the movie, would you?" she asked.

Miroku tossed her the plastic case and she caught it without even looking over her shoulder.

The boy smirked, impressed.

That was the kind of thing you could expect from Sango. Before she had been transported to this era in time, she, and all of her family, had been trained in a ninja-like fighting style to be youkai slayers.

She was extremely fast, and sometimes even seemed to have heightened senses about her.

He always thought that it was a little cool that they had found each other and become friends because, originally, they had both been from the same time period.

-

As Sango returned to the couch and the DVD began to play through the opening previews, the phone in Miroku's kitchen began to ring.

Paying no heed to it, Miroku put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the couch.

Sango turned to the boy curiously.

"Aren't you gonna check who that is?"

Miroku shrugged absently and the phone continued to ring.

After a moment, they heard a loud click from the answering machine, and then a brief buzz of static echoed from the kitchen.

"Hello? Miroku? Yo? Pick up! It's Inu-Yasha, pick up the phone!"

Miroku's head immediately jerked towards the kitchen, his eyes growing round.

Sango shot a glance at him as she felt a twinge throughout her body.

"Inu-Yasha?" she repeated at a whisper.

"Miroku, I know you're there; you have no social life, pick up the God damned phone!" came the voice from the kitchen.

Shocked, Miroku stumbled to his feet and rushed into the kitchen. He lunged for the phone as Inu-Yasha began to count down from ten and then shoved it next to his ear.

"Inu-Yasha?" he demanded.

"Hah, I _knew_ you were there," the boy scoffed, "Hi."

"Holy shit," Miroku said, "Dude, are you okay? I heard that you disappeared."

"You… How'd…?" Inu-Yasha inquired puzzledly, "Gah, whatever, I'm okay. But… how'd you know I…?"

"Dude, you were gone for like, two weeks," the boy replied, frowning, "What, you thought we wouldn't notice? I called your house but I kept getting this squeaky-voiced guy. I only found out that you were actually missing a few days ago."

"And you…" the hanyou muttered, "You… You were actually _worried_…?"

"No shit," Miroku laughed weakly, "Wouldn't you worry if Sango or I disappeared?"

Inu-Yasha was silent for a moment, and then Miroku heard him sigh.

"You know I would," he grumbled, "It's just… I didn't think you guys cared so much… You know, after I was so weird all last year and no one called me all summer…"

"No one called…?" Miroku repeated, "Inu-Yasha, Sango and I called you to come with us to tons of places, and we got that squeaky-voiced dude. He said he'd give you messages from us."

There was a stunned pause from Inu-Yasha's end.

"Fuck!" the hanyou cursed loudly, causing the other boy to jump, "Ugh, that little son of a-"

He was cut of by what sounded like a soft, female voice, and he let out a sigh that betrayed both annoyance and slight comfort, as if someone had reassuringly consoled him.

"That was Jaken, the guy who works for my brother… Okay, what the hell? As soon as I get home, I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Yeah, yeah, you do that," Miroku said, sounding a tiny bit distracted, "So… You got a girl over there?"

"Eh?" Inu-Yasha inquired, "Oh…"

He let out a slightly nervous chuckle and Miroku could hear his footsteps as he paced on tile and then moved over to a carpeted floor.

"Sorta… She's… She's my best friend. She took me in after she found me… And… well… we're kinda dating… I guess."

"You dog!" Miroku laughed, "So, do you think she's the one this time?"

"…I… I dunno," the hanyou stammered embarrassedly, "I mean… I… Shit, I just haven't felt like this about _anyone_ before."

"Okay," Miroku said sternly, "I'm going to be frank with you right now. Sango and I both know that you're hanyou, but you knew that all ready."

"Yeah, yeah," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "What's your point?"

"Well, we want you to know that we don't care, okay? Okay. Plus, I know a little something about youkai mating habits."

Inu-Yasha scoffed quietly, and then sighed.

"Probably more than I do," he complained, "Well, what?"

"It's just that youkai never make a mistake when choosing a mate, and hanyous might, but only once," Miroku said, "You made your mistake all ready, so this girl your with now… I think you love her."

There was an uneasy silence from Inu-Yasha's end, and then he sighed.

"Yeah… I… I know…" he whispered.

"You know you love her?" Miroku inquired.

"No!" Inu-Yasha snapped, and then paused, "Or… yes… Or… God damn it, I don't know!"

"I can tell," the boy chuckled, "You sound just like how I felt when I began to think I was in love with Sango…"

He smirked.

"You're just afraid of committing the rest of your life to her, huh?" He asked.

"No, it's not that," Inu-Yasha admitted, "I… I'd give my life to protect her… and I…"

"Can't live without her anymore?" Miroku concluded, "Yep. Sounds to me like you're in love, dude."

Inu-Yasha sounded as if he were about to protest, but instead, he sighed.

"I… I don't know what to think anymore," he confessed.

"Hah, love does that to you… But… what did you mean by she found you?" he asked, "And by the way, what the hell happened to you? Your brother sounded worried as hell when I called him."

Miroku could hear the girl's voice talking softly to Inu-Yasha again and, as he tried to puzzle out her words, he was suddenly knocked aside as Sango snatched the phone from him and pressed it to her ear with shaking fingers.

"Inu-Yasha, is it really you?" she demanded.

"Huh? Sango?" he asked, "Holy crap, you're there too?"

"Yeah," she said swiftly, "Where are you? Are you okay? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," he assured her with a chuckle, "Don't worry about it."

"Well… Well, what happened? Did… did _they_…?" Sango muttered.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied swiftly, "I'm not sure where they were trying to bring me, but I… I managed to get away on the other side of the city."

"Oh thank God," Sango breathed, "Where are you now?"

"Well… I couldn't really say," he admitted, "Sango, uh… I gotta tell you something, but don't freak out… I'm blind."

Sango felt a pang inside her and she nearly dropped the phone in shock. Miroku stood behind her and held her hand steady.

"What? What did he say?" the boy asked.

"You… You _what?_" Sango replied, ignoring Miroku's question, "Oh my God!"

"Gah… I knew you'd flip. Look, don't worry, I'm getting better," Inu-Yasha assured her, "I'm living with a friend. She's been watching out for me."

"But you're… you're…" the girl whispered, her eyes beginning to water slightly, "That… That must _suck_."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

"I'm okay," the hanyou assured her, "Hey, don't worry."

"Well… I'm… I'm glad that you called Miroku…" she said, "We've been worried as hell."

She could hear Inu-Yasha laughed quietly, and he sounded slightly relieved.

"Man, did I judge you two wrong…" he whispered, but before Sango could ask what he meant, he continued, "Hey, can you do me a favour?"

"Anything," Sango replied instantly.

"Could you call my brother and tell him that I'm okay?" he asked, "I… kinda can't because the lines around here are probably tapped to set off if someone calls my house, since some people spotted me around here."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Sango said, and then hesitantly added, "Hey… You haven't happened to see Kirara, have you? She went missing as well."

"Kirara?" Inu-Yasha repeated, "Um…"

"Kirara?" asked a girl's voice, "Hey! I know that name."

Sango jolted and, clearly, Inu-Yasha did too because she could hear him fumble with the phone for a moment.

"Kags? You… know Kirara?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Sango assumed that he was talking to the girl.

"Well, I… I think so, I found a little cat with a neck thing that said Kirara on it," the girl said slowly.

"A cat?" Sango repeated, hopefully loudly enough so the girl could hear her.

She could hear Inu-Yasha pass the phone into someone else's hand.

"Yo, I'm Kagome," said the voice, " And yeah, a little, sort of… tawny and black cat with… uh… with two tails."

"Yeah! Yeah, that's her!" Sango said excitedly, "You saw her? When?"

"First day back at school," Kagome said.

"And she was okay?" Sango asked.

"Well, she was being chased by some guy with a gun until I beat him up with a pipe, but after that, she was," the girl replied.

Sango heard Inu-Yasha laugh quietly and then take the phone once more.

"And if Kags beat him up, he won't be going after Kirara any time soon," he assured her.

Sango smiled in relief.

Kirara was a neko youkai who had lived with her family for decades, and, ever since her disappearance, Sango had had trouble sleeping, and concentrating in class.

Now that she knew that Kirara was, as of the first day of school, safe, she felt slightly reassured.

"Cool," she said, "So, we'll call your brother, and then what? Are you coming back soon?"

"I dunno," Inu-Yasha said, "I'll come visit soon though… As soon as…"

He paused and then lowered his voice to a whisper.

"As soon as Kagome knows what I am…"

"She doesn't know yet?" Sango blurted, "But aren't you living with her?"

"I know! I'm stupid, I should have just told her," he growled at himself, "Yeah… I'm really, really stupid, and-"

He was cut off as a huge crash and the sound of spilling liquids blasted through the house, and Sango could vaguely hear him swear and nearly drop the phone.

"Agh, I gotta go; I think Kagome's cat just… Oh, holy _fuck_ Buyo! _Idiot!_ Yeah, say bye to Miroku for me."

Sango heard him swear again and then the line went dead.

-

She stared at the phone for a second and the tilted her head over her shoulder to see a slightly puzzled-looking Miroku.

"He says bye," she said as she hung up the phone slowly.

"What happened?" Miroku asked a little worriedly.

"I dunno, I think he said something about his friend's cat…"

She shook her head and sighed sadly.

"Poor guy…" she whispered.

"Why, what?" the boy inquired.

"He's… He's blind," she said, shaking her head.

Miroku's eyes became wide with shock and he stared at Sango, horrified, but his expression swiftly turned hard, his dark eyes seething with anger.

"Did _they… _do that to him?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," the girl said quietly, "God damn…"

She put a hand to her forehead, completely overwhelmed, and Miroku, after hesitating for a moment, took her into a comforting embrace.

"I'm sure he's okay… He's half youkai, after all. It must not be all as bad as we think," he said reassuringly.

Sango nodded and leaned into his arms, letting out a deep, sad sigh.

"He wants us to phone his brother for him," she mumbled.

"Then we will," Miroku stated.

He released Sango and then picked up the phone.

"Then," he said with a grin, "We can get back to our movies."

He gazed across the many post-its that were stuck near the phone until he found the one that listed Inu-Yasha's home number.

Quickly, he punched it in and waited patiently for someone to pick it up on the other end.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha stood at the threshold to the kitchen, the phone gasped loosely in his fingers, staring in utter disbelief.

Kagome stood beside him, her eyes wide as she observed the mess that lay before her.

It looked as if the refrigerator had exploded.

More than half of its contents were cascading onto the floor in heap.

Bottles of pop and cartons of juice leaked their contents onto the floor in a slow, oddly coloured flood.

Eggs were splattered across the ground, and, right in front of the open refrigerator door, lay a mountain of vegetables, meat, and cheese.

On top off all of that… the king of the mountain… sat an extremely flustered, wide-eyed, and twitching Buyo.

Kagome gawked at the sight before her and Buyo turned his head slowly to look at her.

"_Uh… I can explain,_" he said weakly.

Kagome merely shook her head; she had no idea what to say.

Inu-Yasha, squinting, attempted to follow Kagome's gaze.

"How bad is it?" he inquired.

"Oh my God… Buyo killed the fridge…" the girl whispered.

"_I… I didn't mean to, I swear!" _Buyo exclaimed.

Awkwardly, he attempted to clamber down the pile of food, though he stumbled and slipped, landing sprawled in the remnants of a carton of orange juice.

Kagome winced and Inu-Yasha, a little puzzled, followed Buyo with his ears.

"So _what_ happened?" he asked.

Kagome merely shook her head.

"He blew up the kitchen is what happened," she said.

"_Did not!_" the cat exclaimed indignantly, _"I just… slipped…"_

He daintily licked the juice from his paw and his ears drooped as Kagome frowned at him.

"_This_," she said, gesturing at the room, "Is _not_ caused by slipping."

"_Um…"_ Buyo muttered, _"Yes… it… is…?"_

Kagome sighed and clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Well, whatever," she sighed, "I ain't cleaning it."

"_Wha… Who's going to then?"_ Buyo inquired nervously.

"You are," Kagome said.

The cat's jaw dropped and he began to stammer in protest, and Kagome sighed and, edging around the spilled juice, picked a piece of lettuce out from behind the cat's ear.

"_But I don't even have thumbs,"_ the cat whined.

"So? You still made the mess… And besides…"

Kagome eyes the remnants of their food and let out a sigh.

"Yasha and I have to go grocery shopping now," she said.

"We do?" Inu-Yasha asked with an oblivious blink.

"Look," Kagome said.

She took Inu-Yasha around the shoulders and guided him so that what little was left of his line of sight would be directed at the pile of food on the floor.

"See that?" she asked, "That mini-mountain in our kitchen? Um… That's what Buyo did."

"Wow," he said, his eyes growing slightly wide, "Hey Chubsy, how'd you manage that?"

"_I don't even know anymore,"_ Buyo said before he frowned, _"And don't call me Chubsy."_

"What, should I call you The Morbidly Obese Cat instead?" the hanyou inquired innocently, "Cuz I will."

"_Gah,"_ Buyo grumbled, _"Okay, I'll clean willingly if you don't call me either of those."_

"Deal," Inu-Yasha said, giving the cat a nod, "Okay, should we go now, Kagome?"

"Yep," Kagome said, "We'll see you soon Buyo."

Buyo sighed and looked down at the mess beneath his paws, and then tentatively lapped up some of the spilled orange juice, and then sighed.

"Yeah… See ya…" 

-

Kagome shook her head and walked to the front door.

She forced her sock back on and then pulled on her boots once more.

"Damn, I was hoping we wouldn't have to go out again until tomorrow, at least," she grumbled.

Inu-Yasha strode up behind her, his palm planted firmly against the wall.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed.

He reached over Kagome's head and felt around in the closet until he found his jacket.

He put it on, slipped on his sandals, and looked down at Kagome.

"Nearly done?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied.

She hopped to her feet and grinned at him.

"So… Feeling better, now that you called?" she asked.

"Oh, hell yeah. Way better," the hanyou said with a nod.

"Hah, and you thought they didn't even know you were missing," she laughed, poking him in the ribs, "Baka."

He smirked and ruffled her hair as she opened the front door and gently nudged him outside.

She snatched her wallet from a small table near the door and then darted behind her friend.

-

As they strode down the street, Inu-Yasha shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and Kagome scratched at her chin, thinking.

"Yasha, do you need any new clothes?" she asked, "You know, cuz… a bunch of yours are either ripped or bloodstained."

"Yeah, I tend to do that," he chuckled, "And… no, I think I'll be fine for now."

"Okay," Kagome said.

She scratched at her head a little absently and then, blushing slightly, she took a hold on Inu-Yasha's hand.

He cut his eyes at her in amusement and then locked fingers with her.

"Affectionate today, are we?" he inquired.

Kagome snickered a little shyly and smiled at him.

"Yeah… I guess I am," she said, "Gomen, did you mind?"

Inu-Yasha pondered for a moment before he grinned and shook his head.

"Actually, I… I kinda like it," he admitted, "After… you know, that other girl… I never thought there'd be someone else who would… um…"

He stroked her hand with his thumb and she began to blush again, and he coughed embarrassedly and tilted his head upwards.

"Yeah, umm… I'm just really glad," he muttered, shrugging slightly.

Kagome laughed quietly and, as they walked, began to gently press up against his side.

His chest swelled with pride and he could feel his ears slowly beginning to perk.

He squished them down with his hand, and his eyes traced shyly to the ground.

_This feeling…_ he thought, _Kagome, could it be that I… I… God damn it, could Miroku be right…?_

He sighed and squeezed her hand.

He could feel heat in his chest, and his heart suddenly began to race.

He had never felt this way before…

Either he was having some serious medical issue, or…

"Hey Inu-Yasha, are you okay?" Kagome inquired suddenly.

"Um… I think so," he replied.

He bit his lip.

_I think there's something wrong with me…_

-

The nearest grocery store that wasn't merely a small convenience store was at a tiny plaza beside a huge, wooded park.

Kagome eagerly pointed this spot out to Inu-Yasha; telling him that she had occasionally gone there with her younger brother when they had been younger.

Inu-Yasha remembered that forest as well. Often, when he was feeling ill, he'd go into that forest to calm himself.

For some reason, the trees there seemed to have some healing qualities for him.

-

When they walked up to the large, automatic doors of the grocery store, a man in a green apron suddenly rushed to them.

"Wait!" he said, "Sorry, you can't go in there right now."

"Why not?" Kagome asked, puzzled.

"There's a problem with the cash registers. It'll be fixed in about twenty minutes though," he replied.

"Oh, so… we gotta find something to do for twenty minutes," Inu-Yasha said, "Um… Okay."

"There's a bench over near the woods," Kagome said, "We could go hang out there."

He nodded his agreement and they turned away as the man leaned back against the wall of the grocery store to await the next person who would attempt to get in.

-

Kagome and Inu-Yasha waited patiently at the curb of the road that separated the plaza from the forest.

They waited for a break in the cars that zoomed past, and, finally, made it across the street.

Kagome guided Inu-Yasha to the old bench that was positioned right in front of a huge oak tree, and she gave him a careful push so that he stumbled backwards and was awkwardly forced to sit.

"Ow," he complained.

Kagome snickered and sat by his side but, suddenly, she felt a twinge spring through her body and she grasped a little nervously to Inu-Yasha's fingers.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"I… I dunno, but I feel funny," she said.

"Wanna go home?" he asked, "We could order out for tonight and come back here tomorrow morning."

Kagome shook her head.

"Nah, we're here all ready," she replied, "It's just… eh, forget it."

Inu-Yasha cocked his head inquisitively and was about to agree, but Kagome's body began to shake.

Frowning worriedly, he pulled Kagome close and, for a moment, buried his nose in her hair to take in a deep whiff of her scent.

Nothing seemed to be out of place, except…

He jolted as Kagome let out a sigh and shuddered as if she were cold.

"Thanks," she muttered, "I'm okay… I think."

"You think?" he repeated.

Kagome shrugged.

"I feel… sorta like I'm gonna puke, but not really," she attempted to explain.

"O…kay…" Inu-Yasha said, raising his eyebrow, "Has this ever happened before?"

Kagome nodded.

"Once," she said, "It was… ummm…"

"Indigestion?" the hanyou suggested, trying to be helpful.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head.

"Um… no, it was…. Right before I saw some guy chasing that cat Kirara with a gun," she said.

Inu-Yasha felt himself become rigid with fear and Kagome looked up at him, suddenly concerned.

"What?" she asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head and then pulled back slightly.

"Look around," he said softly, "Do you see that black truck I told you about…? Or anyone suspicious looking?"

Kagome gazed around the parking lot across the street. She watched the people that were walking from their cars and to the grocery store, only to be turned back.

There was no one who was obviously out of place, and no black truck in sight either.

She shook her head.

"Nothing," she said.

Inu-Yasha frowned.

"Weird," he commented.

He leaned back against the back of the bench and, carefully, listened around the parking lot.

Once he was positive that he could find nothing wrong, he let out a sigh of relief.

"I think we're safe," he said.

"Okay," Kagome said, though she was barely convinced.

_What's wrong with me?_ She wondered.

oOoOoOoO

After some time, Inu-Yasha judged that twenty minutes was up, so he and Kagome walked back to the grocery store and, this time, to their relief, they were let in.

Kagome picked up a small basket to carry their groceries in and slung it over her arm.

"So… What first?" she asked, "We're out of like… everything."

"Milk and eggs and stuff," Inu-Yasha suggested, "At the back."

"Right," Kagome agreed.

She turned down the aisle that sported a variety of snack foods and walked along it.

Inu-Yasha followed her until, suddenly, the scent of a chocolate covered food item caught his attention and he couldn't help but head towards it.

Sniffing, he approached the shelf to his right and eyed it over.

What was that scent? It was amazing!

_Okay, this is bad, I'm starting to get high on the smell of chocolate, _he thought, slightly amused.

He turned his head towards Kagome and grinned.

"Hey, Kagome?" he called.

She turned and he gave her a hopeful smile.

"Can we get this?" he asked, poking the box that contained the chocolate-covered food, "It smells good."

His whole body seemed to perk and Kagome smirked fondly.

She wasn't sure why, but… his expression reminded her so much of an excited puppy's that she began to laugh quietly.

"Sure," she said.

She walked back to him and he handed her the box he wanted.

"Ah, it's Pockey," she said, "Good choice."

"What's Pockey?" he asked curiously.

"This… It's like… a cookie stick covered in chocolate," she explained.

"Awesome," Inu-Yasha said, his eyes lighting up.

Kagome placed the box into her shopping basket and then took a few more from the shelf as well.

"Heh, now actually follow me this time," she scolded jokingly.

He nodded and latched onto her hand, giving her a fangy grin.

He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt weird and… playful…

"Hey, later, wanna play tag? Like when we first met?" he asked.

"Ugh, but my legs hurt," Kagome whined, and the she laughed slightly as she saw his face fall, "Okay, okay, we'll play."

Inu-Yasha smiled again and he drew closer and kissed her cheek.

"Now who's being affectionate?" Kagome chuckled.

"Umm… Me, I guess," Inu-Yasha replied.

"That was a rhetorical question," she said with a sigh, "Jeez..."

"Ohhh, because I said that before, I get it," the hanyou said with a nod.

Kagome merely rubbed her forehead and let out a sigh of feigned-irritation before she began to laugh quietly.

"You nutjob," she muttered.

She walked towards the refrigerated area and looked through the cartons of milk before picking one out and placing it in the basket.

Inu-Yasha watched curiously and then, he caught a slightly familiar scent.

Unable to place it, he paid no attention to it until he managed to see the outline of someone approaching Kagome and him.

"Higurashi, is that you?"

Kagome turned puzzledly and then smirked slightly as she recognized the man who had been driving the school bus the day she had high-jacked it.

"Yo," she replied with a smile, "What's up?"

The man shrugged.

"Shopping," he replied simply, "So… Have you been up to any craziness lately? Or have you finally settled down?"

Kagome shrugged and Inu-Yasha's ear twitched.

Something was weird… Something near the meat section was drawing his attention so, quietly, he slipped away from Kagome and followed his senses.

Kagome barely noticed.

"Well, I've nearly been killed quite a few times since that last craziness when I passed out, so I'm a bit tired right now," she said, "I don't think I'll be back for a while… plus…"

She looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't want to hurt anyone, and I… I almost…"

She shuddered, and the man eyed her sympathetically.

He patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Well, passing out wasn't exactly your fault, was it?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged, and he gave her a bit of a smile before he looked around her a bit puzzledly.

"Hey, where'd that white-haired kid go?"

Kagome turned swiftly, alarmed, and found Inu-Yasha nowhere to be seen.

"Crap!" she exclaimed, "I gotta go find him, see ya."

The man scratched his head and awkwardly waved goodbye as the girl darted off.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha prowled through the grocery store uneasily.

His ears and nose felt like they were burning: something wasn't right.

As he crept closer to the meat section, his stomach began to turn over.

This puzzled him because, usually, he rather enjoyed the scent of raw meat.

Frowning, he tensed as his uneasiness grew.

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grip down painfully on his shoulder.

Before he even had time to panic, he was whisked around and he received a hard, sharp blow to his sternum.

He gasped, his breath leaving him. His head reeled for a moment, and then, to his horror, he realized that he couldn't move.

"I knew it was you, you little son of a bitch," growled the voice of a man.

Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide and he tried to suck in a breath of air, though he found that he could barely breathe.

_Oh God…_

He knew the voice well…

It was engraved into his nightmares… A powerful, well-trained agent… The man who, he remembered, had been in charge of most of his torture.

He felt the man grasp his arm tightly and he was yanked forward. He felt as if his arm was shattering under the man's fingers.

He wanted to shout out… To fight back… But the man seemed to have hit a pressure point and now, the hanyou was utterly helpless.

"You little fucker… you've been leading us on for too damn long," he said at a hiss, "I knew this would be a good stake-out point…"

Inu-Yasha quivered and he strained to lift his arm to, at least, dig his claws into this agent somewhere.

It was no use though: he was all but paralysed.

His legs would barely move, though when they did, it was against his will.

"Hey, is that kid okay?" Inu-Yasha heard the voice of a woman ask.

"He's just a little sick," the man said gruffly.

_Like fuck! _Inu-Yasha thought in dismay.

oOoOoOoO

Kagome swiftly scooted around the corner of the next aisle, trying to find Inu-Yasha.

"Where did that nut go?" she wondered aloud.

She walked down the whole aisle, looking around for anything that might've attracted Inu-Yasha's attention.

She turned down the next aisle, and she spotted Inu-Yasha, but she instantly realized that something was drastically wrong.

He was being half carried, half dragged towards the exit of store by a tall, strong looking man.

Kagome stared, wide-eyed.

She could almost feel his anxiety ebbing from his body… And as she watched him, she realized that he was barely breathing.

_Oh my God…_

She wasn't sure what she should do.

She knew that the man was dangerous; he had to be, since he had managed to hurt Inu-Yasha.

Frowning, Kagome began to seethe inside.

_That fucker… He… He hurt my Inu-Yasha…_

Rage began to swell in her chest and she balled her fists.

She clenched her hands around her shopping basket and then, taking a deep breath, she charged.

Before the man could turn to see who was running towards him, Kagome slammed her basket down over his head.

He cursed loudly, releasing Inu-Yasha, who slumped clumsily down onto the floor.

Kagome kicked the man as hard as she could in the back of his knees.

He collapsed forward onto the floor and Kagome picked up her milk carton and hurled it spitefully at the man's head.

His face squished against the tiled floor and he swore again.

"Son of a bitch," she growled spitefully.

She kicked the man's ribcage, and when he tried to rise, she stomped down on the back of his knee.

He cried out and a woman who was about to turn down the aisle gasped, put a hand to her mouth, and then darted away.

Quickly, Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha and heaved him to his feet and tossed her shopping basket aside.

It landed on the downed agent and he swore, but the pain throbbing through the backs of his legs still prevented him from getting up.

Kagome looked to Inu-Yasha: to her alarm, he was still struggling to breathe and he seemed as if he couldn't move.

She draped one of his arms around her shoulders and held him securely around the waist before she began to drag him towards the exit as fast as he could.

"Hang in there," she whispered to him.

He twitched slightly and he took in a tiny breath that made his chest ache.

_Thank you Kagome…_ he thought weakly.

His thoughts began to waver from his lack of air and, after his body shivered violently, his entire chest froze.

His head reeled and he began to panic.

_I… can't breathe… Fuck.._.

Kagome could sense his anxiety again, and she clutched him closer and picked up the pace as best she could.

People around them began to look shocked and a little frightened as they passed.

"What's wrong with that kid?"

"Oh my God, is he okay?"

"Someone call 911!"

When the automatic doors of the exit were finally in sight, Kagome felt relief spring up inside her.

"We're nearly out," she whispered.

She dragged him a little faster but just as she was about to leave, two men who looked like cashiers jumped in front of her, blocking her way.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" the taller of the two demanded.

"What's wrong with that guy?" the other demanded, pushing his glasses up the brow of his nose.

"Move, or I'm gonna make you," Kagome growled harshly, "Someone probably hit a pressure point and he can barely breathe, now _let me through_."

She shouldered roughly passed the two men before they could utter any protest.

Inu-Yasha could feel her anger.

Deep in his chest, where he could usually feel Kagome's bursts of affection or sadness, he could now feel an intense, burning hatred and rage.

Even the sliding doors seemed to get out of her way faster than normal.

-

As fresh air hit them, Kagome took in a breath of relief.

Inu-Yasha wished he could do the same.

He, with much effort, forced his eyes to close.

"Hang on Yasha, I'm… Uh… I'm gonna try to get us to the forest and out of sight," Kagome whispered to him.

_Whatever you do, just hurry… Please…_

He could feel Kagome start to drag him again, and then curse softly.

Suddenly, he was heaved upwards and he could feel Kagome's small frame beneath him.

_She's… carrying me…?_ He though, a little surprised, _Wow… Strong girl.._.

His head spun again and he begged himself not to wretch while Kagome had him on her back.

He listened to the sound of her heavy boots against the cement of the parking lot.

Was she sprinting it?

_Good lord…_

He heard cars screech and horns blare, presumably as the girl ran across the street.

He could hear her footsteps on grass now, and then, suddenly, crunching in leaves and sticks.

He was plopped to the ground on his back and his entire body twitched slightly.

His head reeled again, and, finally, the lack of air caught up with him.

Dizziness took him and, without the oxygen he needed, he sank back into the deep blackness that unfolded before him.

-

Kagome took a deep breath and looked down at Inu-Yasha, panic jolting inside her painfully.

"Inu-Yasha?" she demanded.

She took him by the shoulders and pulled him upright.

"Wake up!" she ordered frantically, though when she didn't even receive a whimper, she pushed him back down to the ground again.

Leaning down over him, she pressed her ear to his chest.

To her horror, he didn't move underneath her.

He wasn't even breathing.

Gulping in fear, Kagome drew back and stared at her friend.

What could she do?

"Oh shit… His lips are turning blue," She muttered to herself.

She gnawed on her knuckles anxiously and cringed.

_What do I do, what do I do?_

The only thing that seemed even vaguely plausible was to perform CPR but…

Kagome had only seen it done in health class once.

What if she couldn't do it right? What if she merely made him worst?

She sighed shakily and steadied herself.

He couldn't _get_ much worse, she decided, and so, swiftly, she leaned over him.

"Forgive me," she whispered.

She tilted his head up gently and squeezed his nose. Taking in a deep breath, she bent over him and then pressed her mouth against his.

She released her air and then tried again, pleading silently that he would wake up.

When she drew back and nothing happened, she felt tears begin to well up in the corners of her eyes.

_No…_

She swiftly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and then attempted to remember what to do next.

Push on his chest?

Biting her lip, she cringed and then pushed down on his chest several times.

"Please wake up… Please…" she begged, "Yasha… C'mon, you're stronger than this… Get up!"

She bent forward and breathed into him once more and then, to her utter relief, his chest rose, and then fell shakily again.

Kagome's heart leapt with excitement.

She cupped Inu-Yasha's cheek gently and stared down at him.

"Inu-Yasha? Can you hear me?" she demanded.

-

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched under his bandana and Kagome's voice echoed around the back of his mind.

What had happened…? Oh God, he wasn't dead, was he?

He struggled to sit up and found himself wrapped in a warm embrace. He felt a palm rubbing circles against his back and he let out a sigh.

"K… Kagome…" he whispered, "Is… that you?"

He felt a kiss against his forehead and he was pressed even closer to a familiar body.

"Of course it is, you dork," the girl chuckled quietly, "Are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched again.

"I'm a bit stiff," he admitted, "Where are we?"

"I got you to the woods," she said, "Hey, can you breathe okay? You were… You…nearly suffocated…"

Inu-Yasha forced his eyes open slowly and blinked at her.

"Did I…?" he inquired, "What did you do…?"

His voice trailed off and he raised his eyebrow as he scented the girl's embarrassment.

"What?" he inquired.

"Guess," Kagome said, rolling her eyes.

Inu-Yasha looked puzzled for a moment before he shrugged and then turned around to glance over what little he could see of the parking lot.

"So, where's the bastard?" he asked.

Kagome stared at him, a little surprised that he had decided not to press her for answers.

"Still back in the store, as far as I know," she said, "I… kinda kicked his knees out and pelted him in the head with milk."

"Nice," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "Could you get the Pockey?"

"No, sorry," Kagome said with a sigh.

"Crap," Inu-Yasha muttered.

"Well, I kinda had to drag you and your paralysed ass out of there," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "But damn…"

"Get over it," Kagome sighed.

She edged over to his side and watched carefully as people walked to and from their cars.

"Thanks, by the way," Inu-Yasha said after a moment, "You saved my ass."

"Oh, no problem," Kagome assured him, "What kind of friend _wouldn't_ knock a powerful government agent on his face for you?"

Inu-Yasha chuckled quietly and took Kagome's hand.

"Keep an eye out," he warned.

Kagome nodded and kept her eyes locked on the store's automatic doors, watching intently as they slid open and closed for various shoppers.

"Shouldn't we go home or something?" she wondered aloud.

"No: bad idea," Inu-Yasha snapped, "If we go home, it's easier for them to trail us."

"Oh…" Kagome said a little dejectedly, "What do we do then?"

"Hang out here until it's safe," he said.

-

After what seemed like an eternity of watching and waiting, finally, Kagome saw the agent walk, limping slightly, from the grocery store.

She gave Inu-Yasha a nudge and he nodded, his lip curling in a snarl.

He paced back and forth in front of the door, looking around casually.

Kagome took him in with her eyes carefully, memorizing his face just in case they were ever to run into him again.

At the moment, however, he was wearing tinted sunglasses that covered his eyes.

His dark brown hair was greased back and he wore a dark sports jacket over a white shirt.

"I hate him…" she whispered.

"The feeling's mutual," Inu-Yasha replied, squeezing her hand.

They watched as the man pulled a phone out of his pocket and then, stopping, began to speak hurriedly into it.

Kagome squinted, trying to read his lips.

"I think he's calling reinforcements," she muttered.

"Shit…" Inu-Yasha growled, "How can you tell?"

"Lip reading," she said quietly, and then she looked to Inu-Yasha puzzledly, "Do you… have a code name, Yasha?"

"What?" he inquired, "I… _might_…"

"I think he's calling you… "An-Yu" or "Han-Yo 153", but I can't really tell," she said.

"Huh…" he replied quietly.

_Hanyou 153... Yeah, I can hear him, the bastard…_

He growled softly and then, slowly, he got to his feet, pulling Kagome upwards a little awkwardly.

"We have to go," he mumbled, "Quickly."

Kagome looked at him with surprise.

"Where? If we can't go home-"

"Through the woods," Inu-Yasha replied swiftly.

"What do you mean…?" the girl inquired.

Inu-Yasha didn't respond and turned away from the parking lot, swiftly prowling through the underbrush.

He pulled Kagome along, keeping her close.

"We need to hurry," he murmured, "They'll be here soon."

"How d'you know?" Kagome inquired.

"Just a feeling," he replied, "But…"

He shook his head.

"So, I'm assuming that we can't fight them," Kagome said.

"No, it's too dangerous for you…" he muttered, "Look…"

He dragged Kagome a little farther into the woods until they came to a tiny clearing. He turned to her and eyed her with remorse.

"You know that guy you beat up in the store? The only reason you even landed a hit on him is because he was preoccupied with me," he said, and then paused, "And I am _extremely _grateful, but you have to realize that… and listen carefully… they _won't_ hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

Kagome cringed and nodded slowly.

"I just wanted to help," she whispered.

"I know," Inu-Yasha said with a smile, "And I appreciate it. But you have to be careful."

She nodded again and Inu-Yasha patted her shoulder consolingly before he began to walk again.

Kagome followed closely behind him.

"Are you scared?" she asked.

"…Yeah…" he replied softly, "But… mostly for you…"

"Why?" she inquired curiously.

"Because I…" he muttered, "I… don't want them to hurt you."

Kagome frowned and latched onto his hand, forcing him to slow so that she could look into his face.

"Why do you worry about me so much?" she inquired.

"Because, you're…" he muttered.

_You're only human…_

He shook his head.

"I… don't know what I'd do if I lost you, that's all," he said quietly.

Kagome eyed him over, feeling a little troubled.

_But… Why are you like that Yasha? Why… do you care when no one else does?_

She shook her head and watched Inu-Yasha as, slowly, she could see him becoming increasingly anxious, almost with every step he took.

She wondered if he was okay.

Why was it that, after passing out, he always seemed almost completely fine?

-

Under his bandana, Inu-Yasha concentrated his ears on any sound that seemed out of place, and after less than a minute, he could hear the distant crackling of the radio-like walkie-talkies the agents chasing him carried.

"He's in the woods?"

"Yeah, and he's got a damn violent girl with him."

"Possessed her?"

"No clue. Maybe."

"I thought the little son of a bitch was dead…"

"No such luck, man."

Inu-Yasha cringed.

_Why the hell do they hate me so much?_

He began to speed up his pace, keeping Kagome close.

"What's wrong?" Kagome inquired.

"I hear them coming," he muttered.

Kagome jolted in shock and strained her ears, vainly attempting to pick up the sound of their pursuers.

"I don't hear anything," she murmured.

Inu-Yasha merely grunted in response.

He could hear people begin to enter the forest, their boots crunching through the drying leaves, their guns and equipment clinking at their sides.

_I can't let them catch us,_ he thought, his face hard with determination.

He paused under the shade of a tree that lay, half collapsed, against another and traced the area with his limited vision.

He whirled as he heard the sounds of footsteps to their left.

This time, Kagome heard them too, and she glanced frantically around for a spot to hide.

To the right, Kagome could see a small slope that was partially concealed by a large tree stump.

She gave Inu-Yasha's arm a tug and led him down the hill.

She crouched around the other side, behind the stump, and he did the same, pressing his back into the dirt.

They could hear the footsteps coming closer and Kagome's stomach performed an uncomfortable flip.

She raised her hand to her mouth and chewed uneasily on her knuckle.

Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at her, and then frowned worriedly.

"What is it?" he whispered.

Kagome shook her head.

"I feel sick…" she mumbled, "And… I'm kinda scared…"

She cringed and took his hand in hers, nervously running her fingers over his, trying to use his strength to calm her shaking nerves.

He looked at her, concerned, and slid his arms around her.

"Shh…" he whispered, "They're coming closer."

The girl nodded and folded her arms to her chest, digging her fingernails into her arms until she began to bleed slightly.

Inu-Yasha frowned at her and grabbed her hands.

He squeezed them together in between his own, leaning forward to poke the end of her nose with his.

"Okay, _don't_ hurt yourself, idiot," he told her.

"I… I didn't mean to," she replied, embarrassed.

The hanyou smirked and then looked down at their hands.

"You're cold," he commented.

Quietly, he took his jacket off and then draped it around her shoulders, and then guided her arms through the sleeves.

"_Baka_," he scolded.

She gave him an embarrassed smile and he held her again, his body quivering as the footsteps came even closer, betraying two people, a man and a woman.

After a moment, their conversation was audible, even to Kagome.

"-So they've finally found him, huh?" asked the woman.

"Yeah," the man replied, "About damn time too. I can't believe he gave them so much shit: he's just a kid."

"Yes, but he's one of _them_," the woman sighed, "He stronger than they thought because he's half…"

"I've always said _not_ to underestimate him," the man grumbled, and then paused.

Kagome tilted her head around the tree trunk cautiously to eye their pursuers.

Both people were garbed in what looked almost like a police uniform, and the man seemed to be only a few years older than Inu-Yasha was. The woman didn't look very old either.

The man was squatting on the ground, eyeing something in the dirt with puzzlement.

"Did they say if he had someone with him or not?" he inquired.

"Yeah, a girl," the woman replied, "They think she's helping him but… I honestly don't know why _anyone_ would help someone like _him._"

Kagome bit her lip angrily at these words and Inu-Yasha let out a dejected sigh, giving Kagome a look that said, "See what I have to put up with?"

She held onto him reassuringly, and her scent told him that she was confused by their anger towards him, but her faith in him wasn't swayed at all.

His ears perked slightly and he looked at Kagome, giving her a small squeeze to draw her attention.

He thought he could recognize the man's voice, but he wanted to be sure.

When Kagome looked at him, he released her from his embrace and jerked his head at the man and held up his hand.

He covered his index and middle finger with his other hand and then raised his eyebrow inquisitively.

Kagome was confused for a second, but then she got the hint and looked over her shoulder again.

Inu-Yasha was asking her if the man was missing two fingers on one of his hands.

She eyed him over and then nodded as she noted that, yes, he _was_ missing two fingers.

Inu-Yasha couldn't help but smirk.

_Yeah, I remember him…_

-

The man cupped his chin puzzledly and traced his finger through the dirt.

"Ronin, what is it?" the woman asked.

"Well…" the man, Ronin, replied, "The tracks lead this way…"

He pointed towards the tree stump and the woman followed his finger, raising her eyebrow.

"Huh…" she muttered.

She began to walk towards it slowly.

"Michi, be careful," Ronin muttered, "It could be a trap."

"A trap?" she repeated, "I don't think so. I'd assume that he'd be running scared by now."

"Don't underestimate him…" the man said with a sigh.

-

Kagome looked to Inu-Yasha apprehensively.

"What do we do?" she asked at a hiss.

He shrugged.

_Well, we can either run or fight… and… well…_

He held up a clenched fist and smirked, cutting his eyes towards their adversaries.

"You really wanna fight them?" she whispered, "Are you sure you're up to it…? And… they have guns…"

"I know," Inu-Yasha replied, "But I'm pretty sure I can take 'em."

Kagome nodded and glanced over her shoulder again.

"Wait, Michi," Ronin said, "Let me go first."

He stood from his squat and shouldered the woman aside.

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

Kagome looked at Inu-Yasha again.

His eyes were alight with excitement as if he itched for the fight to begin.

_Wow, he must really hate that guy_, Kagome thought.

Above them, the man slowly approached and Inu-Yasha concentrated all of his senses on him.

He was just… above… them…

The man laid his mangled hand on top of the tree stump and then peered downwards.

Inu-Yasha jumped to his feet swiftly, whirled to face his opponent, and punched him hard in the chest.

Before he knew what had hit him, Ronin was flying backwards and had collided painfully with a tree.

Michi shrieked in horror and Inu-Yasha gracefully leapt back onto the top of the hill, flexing his claws.

"Remember me?" he sneered.

Michi fumbled awkwardly with the gun holster at her waist and Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at her with a smirk.

"Don't bother," he said, "I'm not here to fight _you_."

The girl trembled and then ran to Ronin's side. The man groaned and slowly leaned forward, rubbing his skull.

Behind Inu-Yasha, Kagome slowly crept up the hill and stood behind him, her muscles tensed for a fight.

The woman looked at them, loathing burning in her eyes and she put her arm around Ronin's shoulders and attempted to help him up.

Kagome was surprised to see something of herself mirrored in the woman's eyes: she knew that she had probably borne the same expression more than once when Inu-Yasha had been injured.

"Fuckin' monster…" Ronin growled.

He stood up slowly on shaking legs, nursing a spot on the back of his head tenderly. He pulled out his gun slowly and Inu-Yasha scoffed.

"You really wanna do that?" he inquired.

"Hell yeah," the man snarled, "I owe you for this."

He held up his hand, displaying the stubs where two of his fingers used to be.

Inu-Yasha balled his fists and bared his fangs in a wide grin.

"Bring it," he laughed.

He rushed the human swiftly, kicking out at his legs.

Ronin landed face first in the dirt with a grunt as his feet were swept from under him, while Inu-Yasha hopped, flipped backwards, and landed back on his feet, folding his arms to his chest and snorting disdainfully.

"Pathetic," he said quietly.

-

Kagome watched in shock.

Since when was Inu-Yasha so… sadistic…?

_Okay, well, he has his moments,_ she recalled, _Like when he had that dream about his ex and probably wanted to kill her…_

She wasn't quite sure if she should get involved or not, but then, the woman, Michi, turned her angered gaze on her.

"You… So there _is _someone helping him," she muttered, hatred clear on her face, "Do you have _any_ idea what you're doing?"

Kagome frowned, her temper suddenly rising. How dare they talk about Inu-Yasha as if he were the scum of the earth?

"Yeah," she growled, "I'm helping keep him from bastards like you."

"You don't even know what he is, do you?" the woman sneered.

"I don't give a shit," Kagome spat.

She held up her fists at the ready and smirked.

"After you," she said.

"I warn you, I'm specially trained in martial-arts," Michi said, smiling slightly.

"And I warn you… I'm specially trained in ass-kicking," Kagome retorted, "It's on, bitch."

Before Kagome could even begin to fight, however, Inu-Yasha darted behind her opponent and grabbed her wrist.

"Okay, enough of this," he growled, "Kag, don't be a fucking idiot."

Kagome frowned and pulled a face at him, and he growled and shoved Michi towards the downed Ronin.

"And _you_, stay the _fuck_ away from her, or I'll kill you," he whispered, venom lacing his words.

The woman stumbled and slowly, Ronin sat up, slowly pulling out his gun.

"If she's so important to you, take better care of her!" he said.

He released the safety on his gun and was about to pull the trigger, but before he could the gun was knock from his hand by a hard blow from Inu-Yasha's foot.

"Don't you _dare_," he snarled.

He grabbed the man by the back of his jacket and tossed him against another tree as if he were a rag.

Moaning, Ronin sank down in the leaves and grasped at the back of his head, and then smirked slightly.

"You're holding back," he muttered.

Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Maybe I don't wanna kill you yet," he growled.

"She doesn't even know…" the man chuckled, "Does she…?"

"Shut up," Inu-Yasha snarled loudly, "It doesn't matter."

-

Kagome, meanwhile, was slightly perplexed.

Why did they keep going on about something she didn't know?

What did it matter?

She rubbed at her forehead with the heel of her hand, but looked up in alarm to hear to click of the safety on a gun being removed.

Her eyes traced to the woman who, now looking a little disgruntled, pointed a gun at her head.

"Oh _shit_," Kagome muttered.

She edged towards Inu-Yasha slightly, and Michi followed her, a deadly glint in her eye.

"Um… Inu… Yasha?" Kagome muttered quietly, "A little… help… please…?"

Inu-Yasha's head jerked around and he turned swiftly.

His eyes darted to what he knew was the shape of a gun in Michi's hand, and, without thinking, he leapt in front of Kagome, holding his arm out to shield her.

"Go on, shoot," Inu-Yasha challenged.

"_What?"_ Kagome demanded, "Don't encourage her, stupid!"

"She won't shoot," the hanyou scoffed.

"Are you willing to take that chance?" Ronin inquired, standing slowly, "Are you willing to take a bullet for that girl?"

"I am," Inu-Yasha replied sternly, "But…"

Frowning, he plunged his claws into his shoulder.

Kagome yelped in shock.

"What the fuck are you-?" she began, but the hanyou gave her a confident smile and then pulled his bloodied fingers from his arm.

He pointed them at Michi and, to Kagome's utter shock, the blood began to glow.

"Holy… shit…" she whispered, "Inu-Yasha, what the hell is _that?"_

He didn't answer, but his smirk grew and, suddenly, Kagome could feel _something_ swirling around him, almost like an angry wind.

_What…?_

Slowly, before the girl's eyes, the wind became tinted with red. It darkened, and became a deep, swirling aura that flowed around her friend like a furious current of water.

Nervously, she dipped into the aura to hold onto Inu-Yasha's arm and she could see the aura calm slightly, but then it began to flicker like a massive flame.

"Are you willing to let _that_ girl take what I can shoot at her?" Inu-Yasha inquired, tilting his head to peer inquisitively at Ronin.

The man frowned and sighed, looking to Michi.

"Drop it," he instructed.

"What?" she demanded, "But-!"

"Just do it," he sighed, "If he hits you with… _that…_"

He looked at Inu-Yasha's glowing fingers.

"You won't live."

Inu-Yasha nodded his agreement and Kagome stared at him, utterly perplexed.

Michi looked between Ronin and Inu-Yasha, and then her eyes flashed furiously.

"Fuck that," she hissed.

She pulled the trigger of the gun and Kagome shrieked and grasped tightly to Inu-Yasha's waist. Tension ran through his entire body and he grunted in pain as the bullet dug into his shoulder.

He nearly stumbled backwards a step, but he refused to show any pain on his face.

Kagome jolted, her eyes widening.

She peered cautiously at Inu-Yasha and she stared with horror as she saw blood beginning to leak down his arm in the same spot he had stabbed himself with his nails.

"Inu… Inu-Yasha…?" she squeaked.

He growled and closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the ache.

"I'm okay…" he whispered.

Kagome looked at him, terrified, and then looked to the woman who had shot him, fury building up inside her.

"How dare you?" she yelled.

She stepped out from behind her companion, balling her fists furiously.

"You want some too?" Michi demanded.

She pointed her gun at Kagome and was about to shoot, but suddenly, something large and black darted in front of her face.

She yelped in surprise and looked up for the offender, only to see a large, dark bird veer around Ronin's head and caw loudly before it lunged at her.

She cried out and stumbled backwards as another bird dove down from the treetops, raking its talons over her knuckles.

Her hand jerked and the gun fell from her fingers as she vainly attempted to swat the creature away from her.

Ronin stared in shock and darted towards the woman.

He swayed on his feet slightly, rubbed his head, and then rushed to Michi's side, trying to shoo the angry birds away from her.

Instead of helping, however, the birds merely became infuriated.

They shrieked loudly and, in a cloud of black, dozens of crows dove down from the treetops to join the battle.

-

Kagome gawked in utter bafflement.

_What the hell is going on?_

In an instant, however, Inu-Yasha had her hand and pulled her close.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "But… Fuck, what about _you!_"

She pulled away from him and cupped his face.

"Aren't… Aren't you hurt?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her, "Go on…"

He pointed into the woods with a bloody claw, away from any sound of their pursuers.

"Run. I'll catch up," he assured her.

"You sure…?" she inquired worriedly.

He nodded and drew her forward, kissing her forehead before he gave her a gentle shove to send her on her way.

She walked forward a few steps, glanced nervously over her shoulder, and then jogged away.

-

Inu-Yasha sighed and then turned back to his enemies, who were struggling with the furious crows.

Ronin awkwardly pulled out his radio-phone and punched in a number, trying to swat the birds away with his other hand.

"Hanyou 153 located at approximately 20 North," he managed to croak into it, and then paused, "Yes, there's a girl with him, possibly youkai… She summoned… crows…"

He paused and listened for a moment.

"No, I doubt they would. The girl seems attached to him and he's wounded, so they wouldn't-"

At that moment, one of the birds in question knocked the object from his hand and sat on it, cawing mockingly.

He frowned and kicked out at the thing, only to have another rudely buffet his head with its wings.

"Ow," Michi whined.

The birds around them slowly began to settle, flapping back into the low branches of the trees and eyeing them over with contempt.

The woman leaned back against a tree and wiped blood from her face.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow and then coughed behind his fist.

"I'm still here, y'know," he said.

"And I just called reinforcements," Ronin sneered.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, strode up, and shoved the man back against a tree roughly, pinning him there by his arm.

He grunted and Michi shrieked and tried to pry Inu-Yasha's hand away from the man. He growled deeply and his aura pulsed, heating up the air around him swiftly.

The woman yelped and darted back.

"Leave him alone!" she yelled a little weakly.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and then bent forward, locking eyes with his adversary.

"Idiot…" he hissed, "But I don't have too much time to waste with you, shithead."

"Okay, now I _know_ you're holding back," he muttered.

Inu-Yasha smirked.

"Just be glad I don't want to take more than just those fingers… And you've been slacking; you're weaker than last time…" he said, "Oh yeah…"

He let the man go and he slumped down to the base of the tree.

"Don't come after us, or I'll kill you this time," he said, "And if you even _touch_ my friend…"

He bared his fangs and turned, leaping off into the woods after the girl who had run away.

oOoOoOoO

Ronin watched him go apprehensively before he attempted to get to his feet again.

Michi ran to him and held his arm, pulling him up.

"You okay?" she inquired.

He nodded and rubbed his skull again.

"Damn it…" he muttered, "He was just toying with us… Did you see? That bullet hardly fazed him…"

"You've fought him before, huh?" Michi inquired.

"Yeah…" he muttered, holding up his mutilated hand, "Son of a bitch…"

He frowned and shooed another crow away from his radio.

"I want him to suffer…" he growled, "Did you see… how he looks at that girl…?"

He put the radio in a special holster and clenched his fists, hot anger burning inside him.

"I swear… I'll kill her," he vowed, "I'll make that damn hanyou suffer."

Michi nodded her agreement a little grimly and looked up at the crows above them.

Suddenly, she heard an odd splatting noise, and she looked towards Ronin, her eyebrow raised slightly.

There was a large dollop of a white goop in his hair. His eyelid twitched involuntarily, but he didn't dare reach up to touch it.

"The crow… just shit on me, didn't it…?"

"Umm… yeah…" Michi replied slowly.

Ronin sighed.

"I hate them," he muttered, and then began to say something else, only to be drowned out by a loud series of scornful, amused caws that echoed from the trees.

* * *


	33. Stuck In The Woods I

* * *

Chapter 32: Stuck In The Woods I

* * *

Huffing out quiet curse words, Kagome sprinted through the ever-thickening undergrowth of the woods.

Her mind spun with bafflement: just what the hell was going on?

She cringed and the image of Inu-Yasha's flickering, fire-like aura flashed on the inside of her eyelids.

The girl's legs were beginning to ache: all that pointless running she had done earlier in the day was catching up with her again.

She stumbled a little awkwardly over a small, jutting tree root before she continued, though she couldn't help but notice she was running slower and slower with each step.

Frustrated with herself, she pushed herself to go a little quicker, though her body refused to allow it.

Her steps faltered briefly before her right leg completely gave out and she collapsed into the mushy leaves that coated the ground.

"God damn…" she swore quietly.

She pushed herself to her feet again, grumbling to herself, and then stole a glance over her shoulder, searching the trees for Inu-Yasha.

She silently pleaded for him to be all right as she clenched her fists tightly.

_Why did I let him convince me to leave??_ She demanded angrily, _I should have stayed! I should have helped him! What if… What if he's…?_

She shook her head frantically.

_No, they… they didn't get him… They couldn't have…_

Her legs wobbled again and she closed her eyes, letting out a shaking sigh.

_I won't… I can't keep going if… if…_

She shuddered, and her entire body jolted as she heard a loud, sudden thud behind her.

She whirled swiftly in an attempt to face whatever was there, though she despised to admit to herself that she was too tired to defend herself.

She took a hesitant step backwards as another crash echoed before her but, to her surprise, Inu-Yasha fell down from the branches above.

He landed, squatting, and clutched a hand to his bleeding shoulder.

He winced and cursed quietly, blood leaking in thick, red tendrils between his fingers, and Kagome gasped and without hesitation, was by his side, one arm wrapped around his middle.

The boy grunted, a little surprised, and stumbled backwards into a sitting position.

"You all right?" he asked, though he couldn't help the growls that laced his voice.

She nodded swiftly and drew back, clenching her fingers on his sleeve.

"What about you?" she demanded a little shrilly, "Oh God…"

Before her friend could protest, she tore away the part of his sleeve that was soaked in his blood and then balled it up, dabbing frantically at his wound.

"Kagome… Hey, calm down: I'm okay," he assured her.

The girl merely shook her head and then stuffed the cloth into his fist and then stared into the wound, cringing.

"Why did you do that?" she inquired at a whisper.

"Why did I do what?" he asked, puzzled.

Frustration welled up inside Kagome and she peered into Inu-Yasha's eyes, frowning deeply.

"Why did you wanna fight?" she demanded, "You could have been killed!"

"I'm _fine_," he protested.

"No you're not!" Kagome retorted, "You got _shot_! Shot is _not_ fine, baka!"

The hanyou grimaced and the girl gently ran a finger around his wound.

"I'm gonna take the bullet out," she said.

"Don't bother," he sighed, "I can feel it: it's in too deep."

Kagome's frown deepened and she pulled Inu-Yasha's jacket from her shoulders and draped it back around his.

"Baka… Here, gimme those freaky nails of yours," she said, holding her hand out.

Inu-Yasha sighed and rested his hand on hers, his eyes darting to the side in shame.

_Freaky, huh…?_

She grasped it tightly and used his nails to make a tear in her sleeve, and then pulled a long strip of uneven cloth away.

"Now… hold still," she muttered quietly.

Slowly, she began to tightly wrap the black cloth around her friend's arm, grumbling as she pictured the face of the girl who had shot him.

The hanyou's eyes traced over her vague form and he sighed, feeling a little dejected.

"Are you scared?" he inquired quietly.

"Scared?" Kagome repeated, and she scoffed quietly, "Well, let's see…"

She tapped her chin briefly before she returned to her task of bandaging him.

"You were nearly killed _twice,_ I was nearly killed, there are probably dozens of weirdoes in these woods trying to hunt us down, and I think I just subconsciously called a bunch of frigging crows. Oh, and you were kinda glowing red. Yes, Yasha, I'm scared."

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped.

"I meant… are you scared of… _me_…?" he inquired hesitantly.

Kagome raised her eyes from the makeshift bandage as she tied it in a tight knot and her brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"Of _you_? _What_?" she demanded.

"Well, the… glow… I thought…" he muttered shyly, pushing his index fingers together, "I thought you were scared of it…"

"Alarmed and a little shocked, yes; scared, no," she replied with a smile.

She peered into his eyes, though she suddenly became worried to see a fear of rejection reflected there.

With a sympathetic coo, she held him around his shoulders and patted the back of his head.

"Don't look like that," she said quietly, "It's okay! Really… I'm not scared!"

She kissed his cheek gently and the boy blushed, his ears folding back against his head.

He coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment and he held the girl under her arms and hefted her to her feet.

"We shouldn't stay still," he explained.

"Oh… Oh, right," Kagome said, nodding her agreement, "Um… Should we… go?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and took her hand tightly and began to lead her through the trees again.

His ears twitched, focusing on the humans surrounding them.

Though they were still a ways off, he couldn't quell his nervousness, but knowing that Kagome was safe at his side calmed him slightly.

-

As they continued through the woods as silently as they could, Kagome couldn't keep her curiosity from gnawing at her.

_How did he do that glowing thing?_ She wondered, and her eyes traced to his bullet wound again and she winced, _And… how is he possibly all right after that? Is he in shock or something?_

Pangs of worry sprung in her chest and she almost wanted to force him to stop, just to hold him and ease away some of his own worries and fears.

She couldn't place it, but there was an unexplainable itch in her chest: something she had felt growing inside her ever since the boy had knocked her out of the path of what was probably a drunk driver, only to be struck down himself.

It was this itch that made her crave to hold his hand, embrace him, and even decide to share a bed with him at night.

What was it?

-

She sighed and tried to push the feelings back and press him with a question about his glow, though to her annoyance, they still lingered slightly.

"Yasha?" she inquired quietly, "How did you… uh…?"

She paused for a moment as Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at her a little curiously.

"How did I what?"

"That glow," she said, "What…? How…? Umm…"

"It was my aura," Inu-Yasha replied simply, "Everyone has one, just not everyone can see it."

"Why could I see it?" she pressed.

"Spiritual powers?" the hanyou suggested, "You know… since you're technically a miko…"

"I haven't had the training for three years though…" the girl mumbled, "And how would that help?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and stalled in his tracks for an instant, letting his ears rotate to catch all the sounds around him.

"They're coming closer…" he whispered.

He sped his walk and Kagome continued to peer at him curiously.

"So, your aura…" she pondered, "Was… glowing…?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"And the thing on my fingers was pretty much my aura as well," he explained quickly, "I can kinda… umm…"

He thought for a moment, trying to think up a simple, yet plausible explanation for what he had done.

"I can manipulate it into something for self-defence," he said.

"Oh," Kagome said.

She was still a little puzzled, but weirder things had happened, so she merely brushed this off.

_Maybe that's why these guys don't like him…_ she mused.

"So, what, you're saying is… that you're magic?" she joked.

Inu-Yasha smirked.

"That's pretty much the easiest way to describe it," he admitted.

"And that's why these freaks are after you?" she inquired.

"One of the reasons," the hanyou confessed with a sigh, and then he tilted his head upwards, sniffed the air, and frowned.

"Kags, I need you as my eyes," he muttered, "We need a place to hide."

"Oh, okay," Kagome replied with a swift nod.

She pulled away from him and scoured the woods around them, trying to spot something, _anything_, that could hide both of them.

To her dismay, she couldn't even see a ditch to conceal them.

"There's nothing," she said a little anxiously, and she put a hand to her mouth as she felt a pang of utter panic rush through her body, "Oh my God… We're… going to die, aren't we…?"

"What?" the boy behind her snapped, "Are you crazy?! We're not going to die! Where the fuck did _that_ come from."

"Well," Kagome said a little shrilly, whirling on him, "We can't leave these woods, we're surrounded… There's nowhere to go!"

"Don't be stupid," Inu-Yasha chided.

He strode up to her side and grasped her shoulder firmly.

"Baka! You know I'll protect you, don't you?" he demanded, locking determined, frowning amber eyes on hers, "Haven't I always? Don't you know I'd give my life for you?"

These words took Kagome by surprise.

She stared at the boy, stunned, and his hard, frustrated gaze that pierced through her softened and suddenly made her feel warmed to the core.

His eyes shied away and he let out a cough in a vain attempt to conceal the fact that he had thought he had almost said too much.

_Don't you know that I…?_

His thoughts stalled. Did he really…? Could that truly be the reason for all of this? For all these feelings?

Heat streaked across his cheeks.

He knew it was so, he had merely been afraid to think it, and he cursed himself for it.

_Don't you know that I love you? _He demanded silently.

He clenched his fist and took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Yasha…" the girl said quietly, and he grasped her hand tightly in his.

"Listen," he said, swiftly attempting to shake off his revelation, "You've been here before, ne?"

She nodded, and he grunted a quiet approval.

"Right, then you know about the tree. The really big one, right at the center of the forest," he continued, and Kagome nodded again.

"Hai, I used to play under it with Sota," she muttered.

"Good," Inu-Yasha replied, "If we get separated, we meet there, okay?"

Kagome nodded: it made sense, after all. The tree would be easy for her to find, but…

"Wait, what about you?" she asked, "How are you gonna get there?"

"I'll figure it out," he said confidently.

"That's not really reassuring," Kagome grumbled, and Inu-Yasha couldn't help but chuckle.

"Trust me," he said, grinning, "I'm not as helpless as you think."

"You? Helpless?" she replied, raising an eyebrow, "After what I've seen? Jeez, I just wonder how strong you were _before_ you lost your vision."

Inu-Yasha's chest swelled with pride, and affection sparked throughout his entire being.

He was about to laugh, but a chill suddenly ran through his body as if someone had doused him in ice water.

His instincts began to roar like a caged beast and he couldn't help a growl from bubbling up the back of his throat.

"What?" Kagome demanded swiftly, "What's wrong?"

The boy's ears perked and his fur stood on end before he hurriedly smashed them down with his hand.

Despite this, he could hear the sudden sound of a branch crack loudly less than half a mile away.

Though it seemed like a long distance, it was much too close for the hanyou's liking.

What bothered him, however, was that he could barely hear the footsteps of the people who had broken the branch.

-

"Sh-Shit," Inu-Yasha snarled, his eyes wide, "They… have some sort of armour…"

A tremble ran through his body and anxiety dabbled in his thoughts.

He shook his head back and forth in horror.

"I… I can't hear them!" he exclaimed, "I can't hear them: oh _shit_!"

"What?" Kagome inquired.

"They must have some sort of cushioned armour," he muttered in disbelief, "Oh, _damn it_!"

Kagome stared at the boy in confusion.

"Should I even ask…?" she mused softly.

"No, no you shouldn't," Inu-Yasha replied, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand.

He paced back and forth in the dirt for a second, and suddenly, to his alarm, he heard a branch above them crack that could only have been cause by a large, heavy body.

He froze in his tracks and motioned for Kagome to do the same.

She raised her eyebrow, puzzled.

"They're right above us…" Inu-Yasha whispered.

Kagome's eyes grew wide and she shifted closer to him nervously.

"What do we do…?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha's eyebrows bent in a frown and he pushed his nose into Kagome's hair to conceal any words from an unknown enemy who might be watching.

"Okay, here's the plan," he muttered, "You're gonna hate it, so promise not to argue."

Kagome's body sagged: she didn't like where this was going, but she nodded anyway.

She forced back the stubborn portion of her personality and promised herself that she'd listen to her friend and trust that he knew what he was talking about.

"Good girl," the hanyou continued quietly, "Okay, this is what happens. I'm gonna fight, and you're gonna run your ass off."

Sudden surprise made the girl's stomach turn over and her attempt at being cooperative completely disintegrated.

"What?" she demanded loudly.

"Shhh!" he hissed, "You just promised!"

"Yeah, but that's just crazy!" she retorted.

Inu-Yasha growled and his ear tweaked to another crack above him.

He heard a gun cock, and a twinge ran up his spine.

Without thinking, he whirled, shielding Kagome behind his body.

He plunged his claws into his palm, coating his nails with blood, and then forcefully flicked his wrist upwards, shooting a bright red blast of energy upwards into the trees.

Kagome yelped and clung to her friend as a man, bleeding from the head, fell crumpled to the dirt.

"Jeez!!" Kagome shrieked.

-

The hanyou gulped and tried to ignore the impending death-stink that would soon ebb from the body, and pushed away the thought that he had just killed a man.

He could suddenly hear more cracking in the trees above them and his head jerked upwards.

With a crash, a man clad in dark blue armour dropped from the branches, as did another, and another. They wore dark visors over their eyes and thick helmets to keep their skulls safe.

Inu-Yasha spun again, keeping his body between Kagome and the men, but before he could properly react, a fourth man rushed from the bushes to his right and, with a yell, lashed out a powerful kick at Inu-Yasha's chest.

The hanyou jumped backwards, knocking Kagome to the ground and out of harms way. He stuck out a hand, blasting his opponent in the face with the red energy from his fingertips.

Blood spurted and the man crumpled down to the ground. His allies seemed surprised, before they rushed, attempting to surround them.

Kagome cried out in horror, shielding her head with her arms, but Inu-Yasha bravely took a stand in front of her, ready to defend her with his life.

_We ain't going to die here. I'm gonna protect you, Kagome!_

He could feel heat rushing through his blood and he almost completely surrendered himself to his inner instincts.

The taller of the men, standing to Inu-Yasha's right, struck out with a vicious punch.

The hanyou's eyes flashed dangerously, red glinting behind his foggy amber irises, and he stuck out his claws. He forced hot energy deep into his nails and reached out, grabbing the offender's arm.

Kagome gawked and watched in dazed awe as the hanyou flipped the man into the air and plunged his now-glowing nails into his chest.

Bright red blood flowed down his arm as the man choked, and Inu-Yasha heaved him at the other two.

Then, whisking Kagome into his arms, he braced his feet on the ground and then leapt upwards into the treetops.

Kagome yelped and clutched to him as he sped through the branches, hopping carefully from one tree to the next.

The girl closed her eyes, her heart fluttering madly as she tried not to look down.

_This is impossible! _She thought frantically, _How can he…? He is jumping through the trees… He just killed three people…He's BLIND! How can he…? I… I'm so confused._

_-_

Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha's mind raced.

He could feel his blood beginning to settle slightly as he clutched the trembling Kagome close to his heart, but to his alarm, he could feel his fangs growing in his mouth.

Terror gripped him and he skidded to a halt, standing precariously on a thick branch only a few meters from the ground.

Hurriedly, he placed Kagome down on the branch and then, without any warning, his knees gave out and he toppled to the forest floor.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome gasped.

The hanyou flopped face down in the leaves, though he didn't even bother to rise. He dug his lengthening claws into the dirt and sighed.

_Why now? _He demanded, _Why did I have to go and change NOW??_

Above him, Kagome took one look at the ground, gulped, and then jumped down to join him.

She barely stumbled on her landing, but she quickly knelt down in front of him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened? Are you all right?" she demanded.

Inu-Yasha groaned quietly and let out a growl. The girl looked at him, concern beating in her heart and she put a hand to his cheek.

"Kagome, _no_, don't look at me," Inu-Yasha muttered, forcing his face to the ground.

Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she inclined her head in puzzlement.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I… I change sometimes…" he whispered, "G… Gomen…"

"Change?" Kagome repeated, "What do you mean? Is this your magic stuff again?"

"Sorta…" Inu-Yasha said.

It wasn't a lie: not really.

"When I… When something happens that… threatens my life, or yours, I… change… I… Agh!"

The boy snarled as pain coursed through his veins and he slumped even further downwards.

"Oh _shit_," the girl muttered.

Trying to respect his wishes, she clamped her eyes shut and then, sliding her arms under his, pulled him upright and hugged him to her chest.

His eyes grew as round as saucers and he let out an involuntary growl.

"K-Kagome, _please_-" he began, but she quietly shushed him and kissed his head.

"I closed my eyes, don't worry," she assured him.

He blew out a sigh of utter relief and sat still against her, breathing her in and waiting out the unexplained pain that ran through him until he could feel his fangs slowly shrinking back into his jaw. He hoped that they hadn't been there for too long: soon, people would be catching up with them.

-

"Okay, I think you can open your eyes now," he said after a moment, pulling backwards to stare Kagome in the face.

Kagome nodded and her lids lifted only to show her a glimmer of red disappearing behind Inu-Yasha's eyes.

"You okay now?" she inquired.

He nodded and jumped to his feet. She stood along with him, eyeing him worriedly.

"Was it the fainting from before?" she asked, "Did it catch up with you, finally?"

"Maybe," he admitted, "I think it was also that… I just…"

He rubbed his hands together, uncomfortably feeling over the ooze that coated his palms. He shivered and his ears drooped.

_I just killed four guys… Oh God…_

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I wish you hadn't… uh…"

His eyes traced to the side and he sighed sadly.

_I have to tell her, _he thought, _I have to tell her what I am._

"Listen, Kagome, I… gotta tell you…" he said quietly, "I'm… I'm…"

Kagome stared at the boy as he stumbled over his words, puzzled.

He looked so depressed. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

_I need to take control_, she thought, _Look at him, the poor guy! He's almost as shaky as me…_

Forcing herself not to tremble, she placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, relax," she said, cutting him off, "Tell me once we get outta here, okay?"

Inu-Yasha blinked at her with surprise.

"You sure?" he blurted, "It's important."

"Yeah," she said, "We should concentrate on staying away from those weird agent guys."

The hanyou gave a slow nod and inclined his head in confusion.

"Weren't you just freaking out a few minutes ago?" he asked a little cynically.

"Yeah, but… one of us has to be strong!" she protested, "And you know, it doesn't always have to be you."

Inu-Yasha eyed her puzzledly as she rubbed his shoulder consolingly, and his heart swelled.

He let out a weak chuckle, though he shook his head.

"You're insane," he said, "Now, stay _very_ quiet. I need to listen…"

"Listen for…?" Kagome inquired, though she lowered her voice to a whisper.

"The bad guys," Inu-Yasha stated simply.

-

Kagome watched as the boy tilted his head upwards against the light from the setting sun.

His body quivered with tension and she could see his eyes spark as if he had picked up something in the air.

Kagome nervously edged closer to him, straining her ears in an attempt to hear what he did, though all she could pick up was the rustling of bird wings and the faint caw of a crow.

She bit her lip a stepped backwards slowly, her fingers clenching on Inu-Yasha's jacket.

He barely showed any recognition, though his arm folded around her to clutch her close.

-

Twitching his ears back and forth, Inu-Yasha could hear many things.

He could hear the groans of the two men he knocked down and the buzzing of their radios as they called for reinforcements. He could hear three more armored soldiers jump down from the trees in an attempt to aid them.

Then, as he concentrated even harder, he could hear the sounds on sticks cracking as if a large number of people were brushing by them.

_It's them… with their damn-ass cushioned armor…_ he thought in annoyance.

His heart jerked with alarm as he realized that these silent enemies were less than two hundred meters to their left.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he cursed.

Kagome jumped, his sudden outburst startling her.

"What?" she demanded, her voice slightly shrill with panic, "What's wrong??

"Kagome, RUN!" the hanyou snarled.

He shoved the girl away and braced his feet in the dirt, whirling to face his on coming opponents.

Kagome stumbled over her own feet before looking back to Inu-Yasha, her eyes wide.

The urgency in his voice stunned her into obedience, though she suddenly felt so helpless.

"Inu-Yasha…" she whimpered, "But…"

"Don't argue with me, just run," he growled, "Meet you at the tree?"

"Y… Yeah," she replied swiftly, giving a nod.

She stalled, watching as Inu-Yasha began to growl and she could see the red glow beginning to billow around him again.

Before she realized it, her hand stretched out, trembling, towards the boy, her eyes slowly tearing up.

"Yasha, I…" she whispered slowly, but was cut off by his swift yell of,

"Just GO!"

Kagome's entire body shook under her weight.

The prospect of losing Inu-Yasha was unbearable.

_I… I love him…_

Shock jolted through her chest for a brief second, the thought popping into her might before she could even attempt to reason with it. Then, an overwhelming sense of comprehension seeped through her body.

_Of course I love him… How could I not…?_ She wondered.

Her mind fogged for an instant, and it soon dawned on her that her arms were wrapped around Inu-Yasha's shoulders.

He stared at her unblinkingly, his eyes wide as if she had caught him by surprise.

"Kagome, what're you…? You gotta go!" he said.

"G… Gomen…" She whispered, "But I…"

She felt a tear slip down her cheek and a shudder ran up and down her spine, and again, almost acting some unconscious instinct, she stood tall and, clamping her eyes shut, she pressed her lips to his.

Inu-Yasha's whole body jolted in utter shock and he stared at what little he could see of Kagome's face in bafflement.

_She… She loves me…_ he thought.

He could feel a pang of… _something_ jump through his stomach and he shakily clutched her close, his eyes closing blissfully as he tentatively returned her affection.

Heat coursed through Kagome's face as he did though: she hadn't been expecting him to… to…

Shocked with herself, she jolted and pulled backwards swiftly.

She couldn't help staring at him, her face burning with shame, but when his eyelids lifted, she was both surprised, and secretly a little relieved, to see that he seemed disappointed.

"K… Kagome," he stammered quietly.

She could see the red streaking across his face and her eyes darted away shyly.

She was about to apologize, but before she had a chance, she felt Inu-Yasha's clawed fingers trace the underside of her chin.

He guided her face upwards again, and she was surprised to see that he was smiling.

Quickly, he gave her a small peck on the lips and his grin widened.

Kagome's eyes grew round and a tiny gasp escaped her.

"Arigato," the boy said quietly, "Now, get the heck out of here."

The girl locked her stunned gaze on his and, slowly, she smiled and gave a nod.

"Okay," she replied, "Good luck, and… stay safe."

The hanyou gave her no reply, but turned his gaze determinedly on the dim silhouettes of the enemies that were slowly creeping over the hill before him.

He ruffled her hair gently and then gave her a push to send her on her way.

Kagome took a deep breath and then, turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

-

Inu-Yasha let his ears follow her movements and his grin broadened triumphantly: he had managed to keep her safe so far.

_Good._

He pushed down the ache that sprang up in his heart that didn't want her to leave his side and held his head high.

He would fight to defend her.

He would _kill_ to defend her.

He was a hanyou in love, after all. He wouldn't let a single man pass him. He wouldn't let any of them by to hurt his Kagome.

The hanyou clenched his fists tightly, running his thumbs through the blood that coated his hands as he realized he was about to soak himself in quite a bit more.

Blowing out a sigh, he slowly pulled his bandana off and slipped it into his pocket.

His ears slowly perked up, his fur bristling.

They pressed forwards and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

He cracked his knuckles quietly and then, pulling in another large gulp of air, he sprinted forward, claws at the ready.

His eyes traced amongst the vague lines that were the trees around him until, slowly, he began to make out the outlines of his enemies.

They all marched, bunched together, armed to the teeth, though he could still barely hear them.

Rage boiling up in the boy's chest, he sped up until all around him was a dizzying blur.

He clamped his eyes shut, and struck out with his claws.

He heard sudden shouts and curses, and his claws tore through flesh.

Losing himself completely, he lashed out, growling. He heard a gurgle as a human plopped down to the ground, and suddenly, guns began to go off.

Inu-Yasha leapt upwards, out of the way, and he distinctly heard a few of the humans struck down by their allies' bullets.

Inu-Yasha snarled and flipped in the air. He forced energy into his claws and dove, slashing one woman into three before he whirled on his heel and shot deep red energy off the tips of them to gore four different people in the chest.

The humans began to draw back slightly as they realized, to their dismay, their armour was completely ineffective against this type of assault.

One man motioned to the other soldiers to surround the hanyou, though Inu-Yasha swiftly rushed to the side and locked his claws into the trunk of a fairly large sapling.

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath before he yanked the plant upwards and out of the ground.

Cries of shock echoed around him and he brandished the tree before him as if it were a sword, before swinging it forward and knocking a dozen people to the ground.

More gunshots went off and Inu-Yasha suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg.

He grunted, dropping his makeshift weapon directly on top of a felled man, and fell to one knee.

Before he could even clap his hand to it, another loud bang sounded before him.

He jerked backwards slightly as he felt a searing sensation shoot through his chest and out his back.

The hanyou groaned, his eyes narrowing with pain as he drew in a shaking breath of air.

It suddenly hurt so much to breathe…

To his horror, Inu-Yasha realized that he has been shot; the bullet had punctured his lung.

Summoning up all the strength he could, he forced himself to his feet, and with much effort, leapt to the trees.

More gunshots rang out at his heels, but he soon left them behind as he ran as far as he could from the scene of utter carnage.

-

Soon, Inu-Yasha was too weak to continue and he slumped, exhausted, onto a thick tree branch.

Trying to quell the whimper sunk deep in his throat, he wrapped his arms around the branch for support, digging his bloodstained claws into the bark.

Quietly, the boy struggled desperately to breathe.

He closed his eyes and concentrated solely on this normally simple task.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out…

Inu-Yasha's head reeled. The pain was maddening, but he refused to give in.

As the ache slowly began to lessen slightly, the hanyou let out a deep sigh of dismay.

_I was too cocky, damn it! _He yelled at himself, _I… I should've been more careful! What the fuck is wrong with me??_

He cringed as he began to feel the wood under his body becoming slick with blood.

Afraid he would slip, he tightened his arms around the branch and thumped his head against it, furious at his stupidity.

Not only had he just murdered a dozen people (which would, no doubt, haunt his dreams for quite a while), he hadn't been able to defeat all of them before being forced to retreat.

Kagome was still out in the woods with them! She could be killed…

The hanyou pounded his head against the wood again and growled miserably before taking in another deep breath.

_I'm so STUPID!_ He thought angrily, _I… I could die like this…_

Fear tugged at his heart for an instant before he shook his head swiftly.

_No way, I've been through worse than this: there's no way in hell I'm dying here._

Growling softly to himself again, he tried to sit up, but he found himself to be too weak.

He clawed the branch beneath him anxiously, and suddenly, his head jerked upwards as he heard a large branch crack above him.

He drew in a short breath of shock and, to his alarm, there was a loud thud before him and the branch sagged and creaked under a large amount of weight.

The boy's eyes widened in horror, though he couldn't judge the creature's identity because of the stench of blood surrounding him.

He vainly attempted to squirm away, but he was pinned down to the branch via pressure on his back.

To his surprise, however, he could distinctly feel that it was a massive paw.

"What…?" he breathed, baffled.

As the creature drew closer, he managed to make out the outline of a massive, furry body with two long, fox-like tails waving back and forth.

"_Inu-Yasha?"

* * *

_

A/N: .:pants:. OKAY! Chapter 32! Done! Finally! GOD, I'm sorry it took so long. This has honestly been driving me crazy. And I also apologize the momentary hiatus on TDWW and UTRM… Hey, can someone go read UTRM: it's good, I swear! .:ahem:. ANYWAY, I also apologize for the sort of crummy kissing scene and if the page went down at all because I had to repost the dang thing because this site didn't keep in all my italics and I only noticed the day after I posted… Aaaaaaah!!

* * *


	34. Stuck In the Woods II

* * *

Chapter 33: Stuck in the Woods II

* * *

Inu-Yasha's ears perked with surprise at the sound of his name, so he tried to tilt his head upwards to look at the face of the creature speaking to him.

"_Inu-Yasha, that IS you, isn't it?"_ the voice inquired, and this time Inu-Yasha managed to clear his mind enough to be able to discern that it was female.

He suddenly felt a large, sandpapery tongue run across his bloodstained forehead.

The hanyou frowned, but then suddenly realized the only plausible suspect this creature could be.

"Ki… Kirara?" he inquired.

He weakly reached out a hand, only to have it meet the top of a broad, feline snout.

The giant cat lowered her face to be level with his, and he stretched out his other hand to her, feeling over her features carefully.

This puzzled him though. The Kirara he remembered was a small, friendly cat, not this monstrous tiger!

"_Inu-Yasha, what happened? You're bleeding!" _ the cat said worriedly.

Ignoring her question, Inu-Yasha ran his fingers through her fur in confusion.

"How did you get so big…?" he asked quietly.

"_Don't mind that,"_ she said gently.

Carefully, she lifted him by the collar of his jacket.

He was suddenly whisked down from his safe perch, but his mind reeled and went blank for what seemed like only an instant.

Suddenly, he was placed comfortably on a bed of fur that he recognized to be one of the cat's massive tails, though the scents around him were somehow different.

"Kirara… I'm… gonna bleed all over you," he panted quietly.

The youkai chuckled softly and licked the blood clean from his face.

He felt her curl her massive, furry body around him and lift his hand in one of her paws. He blinked puzzledly as she carefully cleansed his palms of blood.

"_Poor boy," _she muttered pityingly.

The hanyou stared at her quietly before he drew in a long, shaking breath that made uncomfortable heat rush through his chest.

"Kirara…" he mumbled, though his speech was slurred due to his weakness, "It's not… safe on the ground…"

"_It is here, puppy, don't worry,"_ she assured him gently, _"I'm over six thousand years your senior. I think I know what I'm doing."_

Inu-Yasha stared, puzzled, at the youkai.

"You're over six thousand…?" the hanyou mused quietly.

He leaned back into her fur and couldn't help a small whine of pain from passing his lips.

He felt the youkai nuzzle against his face gently, and he could vaguely make out her large, red eyes narrowing with worry.

"_Just relax… You can get some rest now, okay?"_ she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded weakly, and lifted his numbing, bullet-punctured arm onto his chest.

"It's… hard to breathe…" he mumbled, "I got… shot… right through me…"

"_I know_," Kirara replied softly, _"Don't speak. Just concentrate on getting some of your strength back."_

Inu-Yasha nodded weakly and sighed, blinking sleepily.

His eyelids were becoming heavy: it was hard to even attempt to keep them open.

"I think… Imma… sleep now…" he said softly.

He heard Kirara sigh, and then she licked his head again.

"_Puppy, I can't understand you," _she told him, _"You might not realize it, but you're very garbled."_

The hanyou blinked tiredly at the giant cat and sighed, resting his head deeper in her fur.

Since, she had pointed out, that he could barely speak, he weakly lifted his arm and patted her back gratefully.

He let his eyes close and quietened, listening to Kirara's breathing to calm himself. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep as his youkai blood boiled and rushed at super-speed through his veins, trying to mend his wounds as quickly as it could.

oOoOoOoO

Kirara stared down at the hanyou boy in her care sadly.

His blood was beginning to pool around him and dye her fur a muddy colour of crimson.

Silently, she prayed for him: pleading softly that he would be able to overcome his injuries.

She blew out a deep sigh, and then leaned back into the soft moss around her, eyeing the rocky ceiling above absent-mindedly.

Unknown to the now unconscious hanyou, Kirara had carried him through the forest for over ten minutes to reach this safe spot: a cave deep in the side of a hill that the cat had been using as a den for weeks.

She knew he had fainted as soon as she had picked him up, though she had feared that he had fallen into a coma; she was unbelievably relieved when he had woken up again to innocently comment that he was going to bleed on her.

Kirara closed her eyes and covered Inu-Yasha's limp form with her second tail as he began to shudder with pain.

His fingers twitched and ground deep into her fur and she could feel his chest heaving as he struggled to keep breathing.

The cat frowned and then sat up again, turning her body so that she was facing the boy.

She moved her tail from over top of him and then, after considering her options for a moment, she gently nudged his arms to the side and, using her teeth, pulled his jacket away from him. She then repeated the process with his t-shirt.

Her eyes hardened at the sight of his blood and she let out an angered growl before dipping her head to lick his wounds clean.

She lifted a paw and gently felt his body over, looking for more wounds. To her alarm, Inu-Yasha's body jerked uncomfortably as her paw met his leg.

Realizing he had been shot there as well, Kirara didn't hesitate to clamp her fangs into one of his pant legs and yank his jeans away from him.

After cleaning his leg as well, she recalled, to her embarrassment, that most human-form creatures didn't particularly appreciate being almost naked.

Her face burned under her fur as she realized she would have to leave the boy in his boxer shorts: without hands, she was unable to dress him again.

Her ears dropped downwards and she muttered her apologies to the sleeping hanyou before she covered him with her other tail again.

The two were silent for a few minutes until Inu-Yasha whined in his sleep, his fingers knitting into her fur. He stiffened, and Kirara could only watch pityingly, trying to fathom how much pain he must be in.

She, despite her age, had never been wounded as brutally as Inu-Yasha had, and, for some reason, it made her ache with guilt.

_For someone so young… He's been through far too much_, the youkai thought.

She knew that these were not his first encounters with bullets as well. Kirara knew, just as her friend Sango had, that Inu-Yasha had been tortured.

_Why him? _She wondered, _Why this puppy, of all of them in the world? He hasn't done anything wrong… And yet…_

The very notion of what those humans in blue had done to her friend made her ill inside, though she knew that it could have happened to her as well.

If it hadn't been for the human girl with the metal pipe, she might have tasted lead weeks ago.

-

Kirara watched as Inu-Yasha slowly calmed down.

His breathing, to her relief, was becoming much more regular.

She lay down again, curling up around him in a warm, tight ball, letting her head rest on his chest in case she needed to clean his blood again.

To her surprise, however, she noticed a scent that she hadn't acknowledged before. It was all over him: on his chest, arms, and even on his face and head.

Though it was almost completely swamped by blood, Kirara could make out the smell of a girl, and a familiar one at that.

Curious, Kirara sniffed Inu-Yasha's hair, trying to remember the scent, until she recalled it as the smell of the girl who had rescued her a few weeks ago from the undercover agent.

Amusement sparked in Kirara's deep red eyes and she couldn't help a chuckle from rumbling up her throat.

_So, little Yasha has a girlfriend now, does he?_ She mused, _That's odd. The same girl who helped me must've helped him as well…_

"_You kissed her, you sly dog_," she chided jokingly at the unconscious boy.

Though he obviously gave no answer, she felt him cuddle into her fur and begin to shiver.

The cat looked down on him, her eyes softening with affection. She wrapped her front limbs around him in an embrace and held him close in an attempt to comfort him.

_Don't worry, pup: I'm going to protect you,_ she thought confidently.

oOoOoOoO

As Kagome ran, the low branches of saplings grazing her skin, she tried not to think of the people who might be pursuing her.

Though she was all ready exhausted, she forced herself to keep going, even though she had no idea _where_ she was going.

Her thoughts kept tracing back to Inu-Yasha, however.

_He's probably fighting for his life right now_, she thought sadly.

Cringing, tears beginning to blur her vision, she had to keep the image of his determined face out of her mind, but it was merely replaced with how he smiled right after he kissed her.

Kagome had to stop herself from choking as her mouth ran dry and heat coursed through her face. She stumbled, her tired legs beginning to fail her.

Forced to slow, she rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. She continued to walk, unsure of where to go, or what to do. She assumed that it was still unsafe to trace back to see if Inu-Yasha was all right. She was worried beyond anything she had ever felt before: she wished she knew if he _was_ all right or not.

She mumbled as close to a prayer as she could think of, but, after an instant, she began to hear voices through the bracken before her.

She jerked in horror, but thankfully, both seemed stationary. They also seemed very familiar.

_Those two agents!_ She thought automatically, _Jeez, I don't wanna run into them again!_

She stood, desperately trying to think of what to do, but her interest was perked once she heard them begin to speak of Inu-Yasha.

Curious now, Kagome decided it would be worth the risk to eavesdrop: after all, she had become a master of the art of the years. Unless there was an idiotic act on her part, she was positive she would not be discovered.

Ducking, Kagome darted forward until she could see the woman, Michi, dabbing at claw wounds on her face with a cloth, and the man, Ronin, sitting on a stump, scrubbing delicately at his hair where Kagome could clearly tell a bird had made a mess.

Suppressing a chuckle, the girl crouched quietly behind a bush and peered through its branches, watching intently as Michi, began to pace uneasily around Ronin. It seemed to Kagome as if she had entered the conversation during an awkward pause.

"Why," she said, rubbing at her brow, "Do you hate that kid so much?"

Ronin merely grunted and punched the rugged stump under him.

"Don't you hate him?" he asked quietly.

"I don't hate _him_, specifically. This is just my job," she explained, "But you… Don't you think you're going a little far? That girl has almost nothing to do with this."

Ronin snorted and looked up at the leafy canopy.

"Weren't you just trying to shoot her a little while ago?" he inquired cynically.

The girl stared at him, her thin eyebrows bending into a frown.

"Hai, but that was in self-defence!" she protested, "I wouldn't have tried to kill her if I thought she wouldn't fight back."

Ronin cut his eyes at her as if to say, "Yeah, right."

"You just _hate_ to lose, don't you?" she accused, "He beat you twice and you just can't take that, can you?"

The man looked up at her angrily, and then looked down to the ground and mumbled something that Kagome couldn't hear.

Apparently, Michi couldn't hear him either, because she inquired,

"What?"

"I said: he beat me more than twice!" he repeated loudly.

Michi sighed in exasperation and slapped her thigh.

"So what? She demanded, "Look, it really doesn't matter! If you want to get rid of him, fine, that's what we're supposed to do, but that girl has nothing to do with it."

"He loves her…" Ronin muttered, "I… I…"

"What? You want him to suffer?" Michi demanded, "You're so selfish! Just because he's stronger than you…"

"He ruined my life," Ronin spat, "He-"

"Forget it!" the woman spat, "You're jealous now? That he was the kid who got that prestigious scholarship even though he was about four grades too young, instead of you? God damn it Ronin, grow up!"

-

Kagome drew back from the bush slightly as anger slowly began to seep through her.

_He wants to kill Inu-Yasha… over a fucking scholarship? What the hell is wrong with him?_ She demanded.

She balled her fist and watched as Ronin slowly stood and flexed his hands.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

He felt over his two finger stubs absently and then looked to the sky once more.

"I heard gunshots from this direction," he commented, pointing to his left and, to Kagome's alarm, the exact direction she had come from, "Maybe we can regroup and chase that bastard down."

Michi stared at the man for a moment as if trying to find another way to scold him, but then gave up and nodded.

"Right," she agreed.

Kagome watched as they were about to head off, her heart racing.

She couldn't let _more_ people go after Inu-Yasha.

Frowning, she desperately padded across her jeans and coat pockets, looking for something she could toss as a distraction.

All she had was her wallet, but she decided it would be a bad idea to throw that: if they were to find it, they would be able to find her health card, and therefore find her, her house, and her family.

Sighing in utter frustration, she tugged at the collar of her shirt, only to feel something warm and metal meet her hand.

Her eyes growing wide, she swiftly looked at the metal in her hand.

It was her necklace: the cheap, silver chain she almost always wore as good luck.

She drew in a quiet gasp. She had completely forgotten that she was wearing it.

Quickly, she yanked on it, breaking the clasp and then, praying that her plan would work, she tossed it violently into the bushes across the small clearing.

She heard it thud into the bracken and, to her relief, Michi turned.

"Did you hear that?" she inquired.

Ronin nodded and he headed into the bushed and shuffled through it for an instant before he emerged with Kagome's chain draped across his finger.

"That girl was wearing this," he commented, "It was on a branch…"

Michi nodded and put a hand to her chin.

"Yes," Kagome muttered triumphantly, though she clapped her hand to her mouth suddenly as she realized that it had come out much too loudly.

She saw Michi's eyes dart in her direction, and then widen slightly.

Kagome froze, horrified, and drew backwards slightly as she realized she had been discovered.

She saw the woman smirk, and she was almost positive she was about to be shot at, but then, Michi did something she would never had expected.

"Hey Ronin," she called, "I bet she was just there, listening to us."

Her smile widened a little.

"I bet it got caught as she was trying to make a break for it. We should head that way… You know, to check it out? Maybe we can follow her back to the kid."

Ronin nodded and headed deeper into the thickening woods.

"I'll lead," he asserted, "She can't be far."

Michi didn't respond, but she took a few steps forward before turning and shooting Kagome a wink.

Kagome's insides jerked, but then she nodded and whispered "Arigato".

The older woman smirked and then, tugging at her holster slightly, prowled into the woods after Ronin.

-

Kagome stared after her adversaries, completely shocked.

She had assumed that Michi would have exposed her immediately, but she hadn't even seemed to consider it.

_She lied straight out to her own partner_, Kagome thought, puzzled, _But… Why? _

Despite her confusion, Kagome was extremely grateful for the woman's sudden sense of compassion, though she still boiled with fury at the thought of them attempting to hunt down Inu-Yasha.

It's just a job… 

Michi's words rebounded inside her mind, and they nearly made her wretch.

_How,_ she thought, _can anyone think killing someone else is just a job?_

Biting her lip, she slowly stood, cautiously taking a few steps backwards before she turned to continue on her way. Unsure of what to do, she merely began to walk again. After a moment, however, she stalled again as she thought she had heard a noise above her.

Slowly, she gazed upwards, though she could see next to nothing through the early autumn leaves. Hesitantly now, she continued, straining her ears for any sounds that seemed out of place or otherwise.

A tingling passed up her spine, and, as she heard a sharp crack above her, she was nearly positive that she was being followed. Unsure of what to do, she came to a halt, and eyed her surroundings. The area she had run from was to her right, and there was now a large, steep hill before her. She assumed that she would be safest on the uneven terrain of the hill, though before she could head towards it, a sharp _thud_ behind her made her whirl uncertainly.

All she expected to see was empty expanses of woods, so the dark human figure standing less than two feet away caused her whole body to freeze in horror.

She took a nervous step backwards as she saw the man across from her slowly begin to smirk. She saw him reach for something, and she took another step backwards, though she had to time to see what it was. Her heel skidded over top of a thick tree root and she stumbled, and then fell backwards down the hill.

-

Kagome's vision became a blur as she rolled awkwardly through the dead leaves. Luckily for her, there were no trees growing on the hill itself, though after a few seconds when she could finally think rationally, she desperately hoped she wouldn't slam into one at the bottom.

Somehow, she felt something catch her pant leg. She heard it tear, but she also felt her _leg_ tear.

Too dazed to cry out, she continued to roll until she, indeed, thudded back against a tree trunk. She groaned in pain and looked back up the hill with blurred vision. She could see that it had been a long way down, and she could also, after a moment, make out the form of the man on the top slowly beginning to edge downwards.

It took the girl a moment to realize what this meant. Her eyes widening with horror, she forced herself onto shaking legs. Her mind reeled and she felt as if she were about to vomit, and a sudden, searing pain burned through her left leg. She looked down puzzledly to see her pant leg in ruins, and dark, red blood soaking through the cloth, dribbling down her boot, and onto the leaves below.

Panicked, she attempted to break into a run, though she staggered dizzily, and her bleeding leg sent a sharp ache up to her thigh.

She paused and limped gracelessly towards the tree she had crashed into, locking her nails into the bark in an attempt to hold herself upright.

In this brief lapse in movement, however, the man in blue had caught up to her, and with a sneer grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her to the ground.

Kagome yelped and toppled onto her rear, sprawling helplessly in the leaves.

"You bastard," she managed to squeak.

Her opponent said nothing, though slowly, from the holster attached to his belt, pulled a shining, black gun.

Kagome pushed herself backwards frantically with her uninjured leg, but the man looming above her, the barrel of his weapon glinting ominously in the fading sunlight, merely pointed it squarely at her forehead.

Her eyes widening with dismay, she vainly attempted to shy away from the barrel.

She could see the man begin to grin and with a slow, deliberate movement, he released the safety on the gun.

Kagome winced, though a sudden, massive crash to her left made her jump in shock, her head jerking to the side in an attempt to see what it was.

The man above her hesitantly cut his eyes in that direction as well, but he was not left with enough time to contemplate the sound.

-

Like a juggernaut, the massive head of a deep purple beast ripped from the trees and it clamped its jaws around the man.

Its bright fangs glistened in a maniacal, alligator-like grin and it tossed back it's head, crunching the human down and swallowing forcefully.

Kagome stared, aghast, and watched in terror as blood gushed down the chin of the dragon-faced monster and sprayed wildly as it tossed its head.

The creature towered above her: it had to be at least four meters tall. It had thick, muscular limbs and stood on its hind legs, almost like a human. Two massive, straight horns crowned its head and between them, running down its neck, was a long, horse-like mane of crimson hair. Its long tail waved back and forth, and it stretched and let out a gurgling growl as if it were pleased with its meal.

Kagome edged backwards, panic jolting inside her.

Was it going to eat her as well?

As swiftly as she could, she pushed herself to her feet and attempted to limp out of sight of the creature, but at her movement, his small, goat-like ears twitched and his head jerked in her direction, glowing red eyes locking on hers.

-

Squeaking with panic, Kagome ducked behind the nearest tree and out of sight, but the creature's lips pulled back in a grin.

The girl could hear the thunderous steps of the monster as it calmly approached her hiding spot.

She closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath as the steps stopped suddenly.

_I… I don't wanna die…_ she thought in fright, _Oh my God, he's gonna eat me!!_

She gripped nervously to the tree and opened her eyes, only to find the bright red eyes of the beast less that a foot from her own as it craned its neck around the tree trunk.

She couldn't help a scream from bursting from her throat and she ducked and bolted for the next tree, but her weakened leg gave out and she collapsed onto the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

She covered her head with her arms and winced, waiting for the jaws to close in around her.

The ground shook with the creature's weight as it approached her once more and, after a second, she could feel its hot breath puffing on her hair.

She dug her fingers into her hair, her entire body quaking violently.

Without warning, she was flipped onto her back and was pinned to the dirt by the creature's massive hand, its black claws digging into the ground beside her neck.

Kagome gulped, though was left utterly helpless as the creature lowered its head and sniffed through her hair, and then pressed the end of its snout to her cheek, drawing in her scent even more thoroughly.

Unable to move away from it, Kagome winced against its rank breath, though through her squinted lids, she could see a small amount of recognition flash in the back of its eyes.

To her surprise, it stuck out its tongue and licked the right side of her face.

Kagome shuddered, trying not to think of how disgusting the gesture was, seeing as the creature had just devoured a man.

She could hear it grunt out what sounded suspiciously like a laugh, and then, as if only to confuse Kagome more, it raised its massive body away from her and began to slowly lumber away, its huge tail swishing absently.

-

Swiftly, Kagome pushed herself upright, her eyes widening as she stared after the creature.

_He's just… leaving…?_ She thought, frowning, baffled, _Why didn't he eat me too?_

Shaking, she grasped onto the closest tree and forced herself to her feet.

_Why did he let me live?_ She wondered.

Her frown of confusion deepened, but then, suddenly, a jolt of panic sparked through her.

She could easily tell that this creature, whatever it was, was extremely strong, but if it were to run into more of the government's agents, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

_If they're after Inu-Yasha for his aura thing, they'll… definitely shoot this guy down… I mean, what the hell is he?_

She suddenly felt a sense of debt towards this creature that had decided not to eat her.

"Hey!" she called, and before she could properly think through what she was doing, she hobbled forward a few steps, "Hey! Purple dude! Wait!"

As if suddenly frozen, the creature stalled in its tracks.

It craned its neck to peer over its shoulder and blinked its crimson eyes in her direction with confusion.

Kagome gulped, unsure if she should have drawn its attention or not, but since she had no choice now, she continued.

"You really shouldn't… uh…" she muttered, and then sighed, rubbed her forehead, and began again, "Look, I don't know if you meant to or not, but you just saved my life, and I… I can't let you go that way without telling you what's over there."

In what seemed to be one giant step, the creature was in front of her again, its eyes level with hers, though now it seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say.

"You know that man you just… umm… ate?" she inquired, "There are more of them over there."

The dragon-like monster bared its fangs in a sinister grin and Kagome couldn't help but notice the gore dripping down its chin.

It was about to turn away, but Kagome yelped and grabbed onto its horns, forcing its concentration back on her.

"I know that _sounds_ good, but it's really not," she explained hurriedly, "Listen, they… they kill things that are different than normal and if they see you, they'll shoot you on sight. I know you're strong, and really big, but… you won't survive if they shoot you a lot. Do you understand?"

The creature tilted its head, unwittingly rending its horns from the girl's hands, but then, it nodded and its smile turned to one of what Kagome could swear was gratitude. It reared back and, after tilting its head upwards to sniff at the sky, it reached forward and grasped Kagome tightly in one hand.

She yelped as she was hefted into the air, but was then placed carefully on the beast's shoulder, in the safe crook of his neck.

Frightened that she would fall, she clutched to its mane nervously as it began to walk.

She could feel it growl out a guttural chuckle and it shouldered past a large tree, nearly uprooting the thing.

"Shit!" she gasped, and the creature's laughing grew louder.

It used one giant finger to ruffle her hair and then continued to plod ahead.

Kagome was in shock. She stared at the creature with wide eyes and knitted her fingers into its mane.

After taking a few, deep breaths, she decided to attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, um…" she said a bit awkwardly, "Um… What's your name?"

The creature grunted, but didn't answer.

Kagome looked slightly puzzled; if she could understand animals, why couldn't she understand this creature?

"Well, I'm Kagome," she said, "…Uhh… Can you talk?"

The creature shook its head and then stopped in its tracks.

It turned to look at Kagome and lifted up its neck and pointed to a series of long, deep scars that laced his skin.

The girl stared, unsure of what she was supposed to think, and then she suddenly realized that its throat must've been damaged somehow.

"Oh," she said quietly, "I'm sorry… Did someone…? Did that happen in a fight or something?"

The creature nodded, but it grinned and began to walk again.

"Oh, but you won, right?" Kagome inquired, and the creature chuckled and nodded again.

She couldn't help a small smile and she shifted closer to the beast's neck, hauling her injured leg up onto the shoulder and tenderly feeling through the blood.

She cringed and sighed, and then looked to the creature again.

"Are you male or female?" she inquired, "I'd guess male, but I… I don't wanna offend you or anything."

Once again, the creature growled out a laugh and nodded.

"Male?" Kagome asked again, and he nodded once more.

Kagome smiled slightly, but then winced, her leg burning. She cursed under her breath and the creature's ear twitched towards her.

He paused and tilted his head to peer at her curiously with narrowed, red eyes.

"Oh," Kagome said, a little embarrassed, "It's just my leg. It's… bleeding a lot is all."

The purple beast's eye ridges bent in a deep frown, and he reached up to her with a massive hand.

He grabbed Kagome around the middle with surprising gentleness and then, bending his opposite arm, placed her on top of it as if she were merely a baby.

She blinked up at him in shock, and he carefully used one of his long, black claws to pull back her torn pant leg.

He stared at the gash for a moment, his eyes flashing annoyance, and then he lowered his jaws, sticking out his long tongue to carefully bathe her wound.

Kagome cringed, but suddenly, she could feel an odd tingling pass through her leg and up to the rest of her body.

Her eyes grew wide and she stared up at the giant with awe as he drew his snout away, a grin of triumph dancing on his fangs.

"Whoa… It… barely hurts now," she commented in disbelief, "Th… Thank you."

The creature chuckled and placed the girl back onto his shoulder, where she clung to his neck to keep her balance.

-

He plodded forward in relative silence for a few minutes and Kagome watched him with curiosity, wondering what and who he was. She supposed there would be no point in asking because he couldn't speak. She also wondered what she should call him. "Purple dude" hardly seemed appropriate.

After another few minutes, Kagome hesitantly tugged on the creature's mane.

"Hey," she said as he glanced back at her, "Um… Would you mind if I make up a name or something for you, just for now?"

He looked back over his shoulder, pausing in thought, but then he nodded, and Kagome smiled.

"Can I just call you Ryu?" she asked, "I mean… You kinda look like a dragon, so…"

The temporarily dubbed Ryu snorted out a laugh and nodded, though his body suddenly tensed and he dropped onto all fours, his dark claws digging into the dirt. And he tilted his head back, sniffing the air and baring his fangs. The girl gripped to him nervously, her heart beginning to race.

"What is it?" she squeaked, "Is it those guys I told you about?"

Ryu nodded and snarled before he reared again, the red of his eyes beginning to glow, fogging his pupil over.

"Do you know how many?" Kagome inquired.

He held up one hand and quickly folded his fingers down, one by one, and then repeated the process several times.

"That's over twenty-five," the girl muttered grimly, "What do you plan to do? Fight?"

Ryu nodded and the girl on his shoulder could literally feel his skin beginning to heat up.

"W-Wait!" she stammered, "Don't! That's not a good idea!"

Ryu turned his head to look at her in puzzlement, the glow of his eyes fading as his brow furrowed.

"If there's twenty-five of them… That means as soon as they see you, you're gonna get shot twenty-five times," she explained, "And no offence, but if any of those hit you in the right spot, you will probably die."

She frowned and bit her lip sadly as his ears pressed backwards in frustration.

"I'm sorry if this sounds selfish, but I don't think I could take that…" she muttered.

Ryu's eyes grew wide, and though Kagome didn't see it, he looked deeply touched by her concern. Deciding to take the girl's advice again, the beast dropped to all fours and, letting out a defining warning-roar, charged in the opposite direction. Kagome jolted and let out a surprised cry before wrapping her arms around his thick neck.

-

Kagome soon became numb, her mind running a blank a she listened to Ryu's feet pounding against the ground and the wind blowing past her ears. The creature was incredibly fast, and he ran deeper and deeper into the woods until the sun had nearly past the horizon.

Finally, he skidded, panting, to a halt among a close circle of trees and he plopped to the ground a little sleepily. Kagome grunted and toppled forward unexpectedly, though Ryu absently caught her in his palm and lowered her to the ground gently.

Blowing out a sigh of relief, Kagome slumped back against him arm, cringing as her wounded leg began to throb slightly.

"That was… _impressive_," she commented, "I don't suppose you have any way of telling me what you are?"

A little forlornly, Ryu shook his head, and Kagome looked at him puzzledly.

"Do you know what I am?" she asked.

He nodded.

"And… you're from _here_, right? I mean, this planet and everything? Earth?"

Ryu nodded again.

"Well, you'd have to be, we sorta speak the same language," the girl mused aloud, "Um… Oh _man_, is this weird…"

She stood on her weak leg and attempted to pace, though her leg gave out and she slumped to the ground dejectedly before she looked up to Ryu again.

"I don't get it," she told him, "Are you a dinosaur?"

The purple creature looked puzzled before he shook his head.

"A dragon?" Kagome inquired.

He shook his head again. The girl sighed and tried to stand again, though this time Ryu carefully grasped her around the waist in one hand and then placed her on top of his opposite arm as he gave her a look that clearly instructed her to not attempt to walk on her injury. Kagome laughed weakly.

"Thanks," she said, but then her brow furrowed again as she looked at him.

She sat up on her knees and inclined her head with puzzlement.

"I can only think of one more thing, but…" she muttered, "I've seen drawings… Really old ones on scrolls… Of 'youkai', and I know I've seen a few that kinda look like you."

Her eyes grew wide and suddenly, her heart jumped up in shock.

"Oh God… Are you… Are you a _youkai_, Ryu?" she demanded.

Ryu smirked and bobbed his head in a nod, though Kagome looked startled, almost as if something had hit her in the face.

"N-No way…" she breathed, "Is that… Is that even possible…? I mean, it must be, because you're right here, but… but… Oh my _God_…"

The youkai began to chuckle and used his claw to ruffle the girl's hair playfully. She jerked slightly, but then, after taking a deep breath, relaxed slightly.

"Heh…" she scoffed quietly, "And I heard youkai were _evil_."

Ryu's red eyes flashed and his ears perked up in amusement. He wished to tell her that he wouldn't exactly deem himself a good-guy either.

"How did you get here?" Kagome asked, "I mean… Really, if there had been creatures like you walking around recently, I'm sure someone would have noticed. Have you been hiding in these woods?"

Ryu shook his head, and the girl looked confused again.

"How did you get here then?" she repeated.

He shrugged, and for a moment, he looked just as puzzled as she did.

"You don't know…" she mumbled, and then sighed, "Well, I wish I knew."

She rubbed her brow and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I'm so confused," she whispered, "And to be honest, I'm sort of scared."

Ryu nodded understandingly, and then patted her head, though he didn't know the true reason behind Kagome's fears.

She feared for Inu-Yasha. Biting her lip, she tried to mentally push back the pain in her leg, looking away as the blood began to dribble down onto Ryu's arm. It unpleasantly jogged her memory of the blood seeping from Inu-Yasha's arm after he had been shot.

She wondered if he was all right. Her imagination unwittingly began to contemplate the amount of pain he must have been in, and she could feel her chest tighten as tears came to her eyes.

Ryu looked down at her, sniffed, and cocked his head in puzzlement. He gently nudged her with the tip of his snout, and then lapped up the blood that had smeared onto his arm.

She looked up at him slowly, unsure of what to say as his slightly concerned eyes probed her as if to ask her what she was upset about. Kagome could barely read his expression through her blurring eyes, so she wasn't able to even offer him any information. He let out a raspy sigh, and then pushed her down with one hand, pinning her to his arm.

She blinked up at him, slightly startled. He ignored her, carefully testing her heartbeat through his palm. Next, he poked her wound lightly, and she jolted, her heart beat almost tripling. The youkai could see that the pain barely registered on her face, thanks to his saliva, though her body was clearly still feeling it, even if she didn't realize it.

Sighing again, his massive purple hand tightened its grip on her, and her heart jolted in panic.

"Wh… What are you doing?" she squeaked.

Though Ryu looked as if he didn't want her to worry, he drew his head backwards and opened his mouth, his canines slowly growing longer and letting off a pale blue glow that seeped from his gums.

Kagome's eyes grew round, though before she could do anything, the youkai lowered his massive head and carefully clipped the side of her neck with one of his fangs. In an instant, she was asleep, blue energy gently coursing through her veins, and clotting the blood seeping from her wound.

oOoOoOoO

The sun was minutes away from setting when Inu-Yasha finally began to stir.

Inside the cave, on his bed of soft moss, the hanyou drew in a deep breath, wondering why his body was so cold. He ground his claws into the moss, trying to ignore the numb pain through his chest and leg, though he was also relieved that the bullet wound to his arm barely hurt.

Slowly, he forced his eyes open, though there was little difference between his vision and the back of his lids. He sighed and forced himself upright, folding his arms against his chest, only to realize that it was bare.

His eyebrow cocking with puzzlement, he patted himself down, realizing that his jeans were missing as well.

"Wh… What…?" he breathed.

He groped around in his own, personal dark, looking for his clothes, until suddenly, his hand met fur.

"Huh?" he inquired blankly.

The fur shifted and he was engulfed in a warm layer of fluff. His eyes grew wide, but he relaxed as he felt a large paw gently pat his back, as if embracing him.

"_Yasha, I'm so glad you're awake,_" he heard Kirara's voice purr, _"Are you feeling any better?"_

Inu-Yasha nodded slightly and then closed his eyes again.

"Hai… It still hurts though…" he muttered.

"_I know… It must, ne? Three bullets…"_

Kirara sighed and licked Inu-Yasha's head.

"_Gomen, I had to take off most of you clothes to get to them_," she admitted shyly, _"I cleaned the wounds for you."_

Inu-Yasha nodded again.

"Where are they?" he asked curiously, "I'm kinda cold."

"_Well, they were right beside you_," Kirara stated, sounding a little puzzled, _"How did you miss them?"_

Inu-Yasha tilted his head to stare up at where he knew her face was and he raised his hands, slowly tracing her concerned features.

"If you don't stop frowning like that, you're going to get all wrinkly," he joked.

-

Kirara stared down at the boy's grin, confused, as he lowered his hands and trembled with cold. She was about to ask him why he didn't merely get dressed again, when something disturbing dawned on her.

She watched Inu-Yasha for a brief moment, and then, cautiously raised her paw before him and waved it up and down. He sniffed against the slight breeze, but the youkai was stunned to see that his eyes barely even registered the movement.

"_Oh gods,"_ she gasped, "_You're… You're blind…?"_

"Huh?" he replied blankly, looking up at her, "Oh… um… yeah…"

Kirara's red eyes grew wide and horrified, and with a sympathetic sigh, she held Inu-Yasha to her furry chest.

He grunted with surprise, heat streaking across his face, and he tentatively patted Kirara's massive shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," he assured her, "I'm fine."

"_How long have you been like this?_" She demanded, completely ignoring him, _"Who did this to you?!"_

"Who do you think?" the hanyou muttered grimly, but then sighed, letting most of his frustration go, "I think I've been blind for… Umm… I dunno, a few weeks? I kinda lost track."

Kirara gawked, appalled, and instantly began licking the boy's face.

Inu-Yasha was just surprised that she was so upset.

"Hey," he said, gently pushing her away, "I'm serious, I'm okay."

He flopped backwards and out of her embrace, and then reached out his arm, trying to feel for his clothes again. Kirara sighed and stood, picking up his garments and passing them into his awaiting hand.

"Thanks," he said.

Sitting up, he slowly squirmed back into his jeans, his finger tracing over the bullet hole in annoyance.

"I _really_ have to stop getting shot," he sighed.

He pulled his t-shirt on over his head, scratching at the back of his neck as he pulled his hair from the collar, and then tenderly rubbed his hand over the wound in his arm. His mind wandered off towards Kagome, and he cringed with worry.

_Please let her be okay_, he thought.

Anxiousness began to steadily build up in his chest, as if each pump of his heart pushed it further and deeper into his body.

Kagome could be anywhere. She could be running for her life. She could be hurt. She could be _dead_.

Inu-Yasha bit his lip, terrified at the thought.

-

Kirara could see the hanyou boy beginning to tremble. Thinking it was the cold, she wrapped her long body around his, stretching out her large paws across the moss.

Inu-Yasha merely shuddered again, though now he contemplated the possibilities for himself.

Though he hated to admit it, in this situation, he was more likely to be killed than not. He felt his throat run dry.

Closing his blind eyes, he leaned back against Kirara's shaggy form and smiled at her forlornly.

"Kirara, as soon as I can walk properly again, I need to go," he said quietly.

"_I guessed you would,_" she sighed, _"But… what's wrong? You're shaking. Are you still cold?"_

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"I don't know… if I'll ever be able to go home after this," he whispered.

"_Nonsense,"_ Kirara chided, "_You can always go home Inu-Yasha. Nothing's stopping you, pup."_

For all her wisdom, Kirara failed to see the hidden meaning behind the boy's words. He sighed quietly, his ears drooping.

"Hey… cat…?" he inquired, "Would you do me a favour?"

"_Of course,"_ she assured him.

"If I… If I'm captured or anything," he said softly, "I mean… You know… If anything happens to me… do you think you could find my friend and tell her some things for me?"

"_Nothing's going to happen to you_," the youkai stated confidently, _"But of course I'd do that. Is it that girl whose scent is all over you?"_

Inu-Yasha looked taken aback for a moment before he smiled slightly and nodded.

"Hai… Her name's Kagome," he said, "If anything happens, can you… can you tell her I…"

His voice trailed off into silence, almost as if it had refused to work. The hanyou gulped, trying to wet his throat.

"Can you tell her that I… That I love her…?" he whispered, "And that… I'm sorry I never got to see her face…?"

Kirara's eyes grew wide and she bared her fangs slightly.

"_Inu-Yasha, don't be stupid, you'll see her again,"_ she said, _"Why do you talk as if you're all ready a ghost?"_

Inu-Yasha felt heat rush to his face, as if for the first time in years, and he cringed as he felt his chest tighten uncomfortably.

"Because I'm afraid," he muttered, "I… I don't think I've ever been so damn scared in my life…"

He paused, and then let out a feeble laugh.

"Listen to me," he said softly, "I can't believe I just said that…"

He chuckled weakly again and reached out for his jacket. He found it and pulled it against his chest before he buried his face in it, taking in what was left of Kagome's scent. Instead of calming him, as he had hoped it would, it merely made him miss her more.

"Damn it…" he cursed softly.

Above him, Kirara frowned and licked the top of his head.

"_I suppose you won't be able to sleep any more,_" she sighed.

Inu-Yasha nodded a little weakly, and then stood and stretched, though pain shot through his entire body. He held in a groan and paced around the floor until he found his sandals. He slipped them on, and then, with Kirara's watchful gaze on him, prowled from their cave to smell the fresh air.

-

It was much colder outside; Inu-Yasha felt a chill run up and down his spine.

He was relieved though. There was no blood scent other than from himself, and he couldn't smell any humans close by either. He did, however, pick up a scent that was warm and familiar to him, and his ears perked straight up in surprise.

"Ah-Un?" he muttered aloud, "No way…"

He could clearly smell the two-headed dragon's distinct scent, though it was slightly faded, as if she had been there a few days before. Despite this, it was strong, like a beacon, as if she had left it there on purpose.

Inu-Yasha's heart leapt with excitement, and then he carefully followed his nose away from the den until the toe of his sandal was caught on a large stone. The boy stumbled, a pang of pain shooting up his leg, before he knelt down to exam the stone that smelled of his friend. He found that it was gouged with deep claw marks.

Puzzled, he lifted it, only to feel something else hard beneath it. Curious now, the hanyou placed the rock beside him and felt over the second object. It lay buried in the leaves, though through the damp, Inu-Yasha could tell that it was made of wood. Softly, he heard the object give off a pulse as he grasped it, almost like it was calling out to him.

His heart jumped with relief and he quickly yanked the object from its leafy bed and clutched it close. It was his sword, the Tetsusaiga, encased in its wooden sheath. Silently thanking Ah-Un for leaving it where she had, he swiftly brushed the muddied leaves from its surface before he stood, ignoring another pang in his leg and chest. His ears twitched back and forth, as he assessed the sounds around him.

He felt Tetsusaiga pulse quietly against his chest for a moment before it stopped, seeming satisfied with where it was. Inu-Yasha's ears perked up a little; at times like this, he couldn't help feeling a tinge of pride, knowing Tetsusaiga had chosen him to wield it over his older (and much more qualified at the time) brother.

Smirking to himself, he carefully hooked the sheath onto a belt-loop on his jeans, though as his fingers hit the hilt of the blade, he noticed a piece of paper messily held to it with an elastic band that was on the verge of shredding. Frowning curiously, Inu-Yasha, removed both the paper and the band. He could feel the ridges of crude scratch-marks on the paper, signs that Ah-Uh had written something in the dragon-youkai language, most likely using her nails. If he had traced the lettering for a while longer, he probably would have been able to read it… That is, if he knew the dragon-youkai language.

Sighing in annoyance, he folded the paper and placed it in his pocket.

_Maybe Kirara can read it,_ he thought hopefully.

-

Swiftly, he limped back to the entrance of the cave where Kirara sat, waiting patiently.

"_And where have you been, young man?"_ she chided jokingly.

"I scented a friend of mine called Ah-Un," he said, looking a little embarrassed, "She must've been here a few days ago or something."

He patted the sword at his waist.

"She left this for me," he said, "I guess since I used to come here when I was little, she thought I might come back… Oh, and I also found this."

He fished the note from his pocket, unfolded it, and then showed it to Kirara.

"Can you read it for me?" he inquired.

Kirara nodded and skimmed the note quickly.

"_It's telling anyone who can read it to give that sword to you,_" she said, _"And it also says, to you, that she misses you and hopes you're doing well. It also says for you to come home soon."_

Inu-Yasha smiled, touched, and he subconsciously clenched onto Tetsusaiga.

"That crazy dragon… she's always worried," he muttered, "That's it… as soon as I find Kagome and get out of here, I'm calling home myself."

"_Why haven't you all ready?"_ Kirara demanded, her eyes widening, _"Your brother must be worried sick!"_

"I was spotted, and the lines from my area to my brother's house were tapped," he sighed, "I suppose I can use a payphone…"

"_Good plan,"_ Kirara agreed, giving his cheek a lick, _"Now, come back inside. It's chilly out here."_

"I guess," he replied, nodding.

Kirara gave him a nudge, and then grinned her fangs.

"_You heal quickly: you're barely limping,"_ she commented, _"But you still can't leave until morning."_

"If you insist," he sighed, "But… I really need to meet up with my friend, Kagome…"

"_You mean your girlfriend? The one you kissed, ne?" _she asked innocently.

Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide and a blush streaked across his face. He shyly rubbed at the back of his head, before he absently eyed the dirt.

"Y… Yeah… I guess I _did_ kiss her, didn't I…?" he mumbled to himself, and his blush deepened, "Um… Geh…"

He continued to stammer as he limped into the den and plopped down onto the moss, and Kirara began to laugh and nuzzled up against him.

"_Why are so embarrassed? You all ready told me you loved her,"_ she chuckled.

"Oh yeah…" he said a little shyly, almost as if he had forgotten, "Umm… Well, you know…"

"_Ah, yes, the male ego,"_ Kirara said, nodding as if she suddenly understood, "_You hate to be seen as 'soft', or whatever it was."_

"Th-That's not it!" he said indignantly, and the looked to his hands in embarrassment, "Okay… maybe it is a _little_…"

His ears drooped and he let out a forlorn sigh.

"Do you think I'll ever get to be with her again…?" he asked uncertainly.

"_There's no doubt in my mind," _Kirara assured him.

"I'm just worried about tonight," he continued quietly, "I mean… She's gonna be all alone in the woods, and it so dangerous… Where's she gonna sleep that's safe?"

Kirara stared at the troubled boy, beginning to look a little troubled herself.

"Maybe… Maybe you could go find her," Inu-Yasha wondered aloud, "Maybe you could bring her here…? No, wait, that's risky… And dangerous for you as well… Umm…"

He thought for a while, tapping his chin with his finger.

"Maybe, could you find her and spend the night with her?" Inu-Yasha inquired, looking to Kirara, "I mean, I know it's a lot to ask…"

"_I could,"_ Kirara said with a nod, _"But, Yasha, just a question… Does Kagome have a Kouken-Konjou?_

"A what?" Inu-Yasha replied dumbly.

"_A… um… how to word this…?" _the cat mused aloud, _"Well, for lack of a better word, a spirit that protects her."_

"Umm… Yeah, I think so," he said, "How did you know about that?"

"_I wasn't sure," _Kirara admitted, _"But I met your friend a little while back, and I was almost sure she had one. I could all but feel his aura around her."_

"Well, that's cool and all, but what does that have to do with anything?" the hanyou asked.

Kirara looked at him, amusement at how naïve he could be dancing in her eyes, and she let out a soft chuckle.

"_It means Kagome will be fine,"_ she assured him, licking his head reassuringly, "_Her Kouken-Konjou will protect her."_

"You're positive?" Inu-Yasha inquired worriedly, his ears pressing back against his head.

"_Of course,"_ the youkai stated confidently, _"But… I understand that you can't help but worry for her."_

"Hai…" the boy muttered before he let out a quiet chuckle, "I _always_ worry."

He let himself flop backwards into the moss and he stared blankly at the ceiling as Kirara gave him a reassuring pat on the head with her paw before she moved away to sit at the mouth of the cave.

The hanyou smiled appreciatively, though he sighed, moving his hand to rest on the bullet hole in his chest. He was relieved that his lung had healed so quickly.

_In less than a day, thank God. It must be a record or something,_ he thought, _If I hadn't… I guess I'd be dead, wouldn't I?_

He tried to ignore the ache of his wounds and he closed his eyes, though refused to pass into slumber.

He would lie there for the rest of the night, praying silently for Kagome's safety and for her "Kouken-Konjou" to appear to her.

_Stay safe, okay?_ He thought.

oOoOoOoO

Under the relative cover of the trees, the giant, purple beast, temporarily dubbed "Ryu", lay on his stomach, his thick tail thumping against the ground, his red eyes glinting in the dark.

The creature sighed and eyed the sleeping girl in his arms, though he couldn't help a smile from passing over his face. The fact that she had "named" him was amusing, though he regretted the fact that he couldn't tell her who he really was: he had never learned to write, as he had never seen a need for it.

Ryu's true name was Tsuyomaru, and he was, indeed, a youkai. He had been alive for close to two thousand years, and had been mute for the greater part of the last hundred.

At the moment, though, he was probably in one of the most puzzling predicaments of his life. One minute, he had been wandering across the barren remains of a battleground, and the next he was in the forest, and there he had made one of the most spontaneous decisions he could remember.

He still wasn't entirely sure why he had decided to save the human girl, but there was something familiar about her that drew him to her.

_I've never… saved a human before in my life,_ he mused, _Why this one…?_

He looked at her a little puzzledly, and he wondered why he had decided not to eat her, as he had done with the man who had been, apparently, about to kill her.

Blowing out a sigh, he cringed at even the thought of eating her. It, surprisingly, made his stomach jolt uncomfortably. He gently ruffled her hair with his claw, and she sighed in her sleep and shifted closer to his body for warmth.

She looked extremely troubled, and he almost wished he could ask her why. She had a male's scent all over her, as well as his blood. Tsuyomaru assumed that she had been travelling with someone, possibly her mate, and they had become separated.

_She's probably worried about her male…_ he thought, _She probably thinks he's been wounded or something like that._

He gently tucked her shivering form closer to his chest, and then arched his head back into the air, sniffing cautiously. He could scent the humans she had warned him of, though they were quite far away. He wondered why she had felt they were so dangerous: his run had, for the most part, merely been to humour her.

_They must have scared her quite a bit,_ he thought, _I suppose they might be dangerous by human standards._

He pondered over the short, black weapon he had seen the male threatening her with, and he wondered what it did. Perhaps it was a concealed blade? Tsuyomaru couldn't be sure, but he was almost positive he had scented gunpowder, though that object seemed much too small to be one of the guns he had seen humans carry where he was from.

Puzzled, he shook his head back and forth before he rested it on his hand beside the girl's.

He hoped she wouldn't have any hard feelings about him putting her to sleep for the time being.

Tsuyomaru shifted slightly to peer at Kagome's leg. He was relieved to see that the blood had, because of his powers, clotted nicely over the wound.

_She'll probably be all right now,_ he assured himself.

-

As the night continued and dark clouds floated through the sky, looking like heaps of steel wool, Tsuyomaru began to feel as if he were being watched. The youkai lifted his head slowly, his ears twitching back and forth. His eyes shifted and narrowed cautiously as the wind suddenly stirred up and caused the foliage around him to shake.

It was not a natural wind.

Tsuyomaru bared his fangs and, carefully, moved Kagome into the palm of his hand so he would be able to conceal her more easily. He could feel the wind beginning to swirl, congregating before him. He winced as it blew a portion of his mane into his face, though he didn't dare look away from the wind. It let off an aura's pulse, and to Tsuyomaru's surprise, began to glow a brilliant white: it was so bright that it stung his eyes.

He drew back slightly, letting out a deep warning-growl. There was another, stronger pulse this time, though now Tsuyomaru could see the vague form of a man standing in the aura-pool's center. He seemed to be a youkai, though this barely eased Tsuyomaru's nerves. In fact, it caused his fur to bristle with unease. He could scent that this youkai was dead.

_Who are you?_ He demanded.

To his surprise, he saw the youkai raise a hand as if to show that he meant no harm, almost as if in response to the thought.

"Relax," he heard, "I'm not here to fight anyone."

_Well, you're going to get a fight if you come any closer…_

"Relax," the youkai repeated, chuckling.

Tsuyomaru's eyes grew wide and he jolted backwards with shock.

_He can… hear my thoughts…?_

"Indeed I can," the youkai stated, "Now, please…"

There was a final pulse and, as the white cleared, Tsuyomaru could clearly see the man, obviously an inu youkai, standing before him. The man's amber eyes darted towards Kagome and he winced before he locked eyes with the massive youkai before him.

"I'm that girl's guardian," he explained, "I just want to see her, all right?"

Tsuyomaru's crimson eyes flashed in the dark.

_How do I know that? How do I know you won't hurt her?_ He demanded.

The inu youkai bit his lip, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know what to tell you," he sighed, "But… Please, just let me see Kagome. I've always come to her to protect her before, and if I don't now, then I'll be failing my duty as her guardian."

Tsuyomaru growled and stretched his neck out towards the man, snorting disdainfully.

_You're dead,_ he commented, _Who are you?_

"Perhaps I should be asking you that," the youkai retorted, "What are you doing with Kagome?"

The creature pulled back and arced his neck, looking down at the girl on his arm with a fondness that surprised the inu youkai. There was a long, uneasy silence, when, finally, the purple demon let out a grunt and tilted his head slightly.

_My name is Tsuyomaru_, he said, _I'm not sure where I am, or how I got here. All I know is… I must protect this girl… _

The inu youkai stared at Tsuyomaru, puzzled.

"Why?" he asked quietly.

_I'm not sure,_ the beast admitted, …_There's something else, something… in the back of my mind that I can't quite grasp. _

He sighed.

_Whatever it is, I can't stop it. I will defend her as long as I can._

The inu nodded slowly. He took a hesitant step towards Tsuyomaru and Kagome, and then puffed out his chest confidently.

"I am Taishio, Lord of the West," he stated, and then tilted his head and looked to the treetops embarrassedly, "At least… I was until I died."

Tsuyomaru nodded.

_Hai, I've heard of you,_ he replied, _You fought to the death to defend a mortal woman, ne?_

"And my son," the inu youkai added quietly, and then raised his voice proudly as he said, "It was a good death."

He let out another sigh.

"I've always come to Kagome in the form of a dog before now, but trust me, she knows me," he stated, and the with an embarrassed smile said, "Travelling between world's isn't easy, you know."

_Not even for the great Dog Lord?_ Tsuyomaru smirked.

"Indeed," Taishio sighed.

Tsuyomaru's lips pulled back to expose large, gleaming fangs as he grinned.

_All right, take her,_ he decided.

He took the sleeping girl into his giant hand and then passed her limp form into Taishio's awaiting arms.

The man swiftly pulled Kagome to his chest. He sat down in the dirt, leaning his back against a tree trunk, and peering down into her sleeping face.

She looked surprisingly peaceful, considering her circumstances.

"Do you know how her leg is?" he asked.

_She was complaining about it earlier, but I licked it clean. She said it felt better, _Tsuyomaru said, _Though I was almost positive her body was still registering the pain, but her mind wasn't… So for now, I put her to sleep using a healing charm_.

Taishio nodded gratefully, though he inclined his head to get a better view of the leg.

He winced as he spied the blood that coated her leg, almost up to her thigh, and he sighed remorsefully and bowed his head.

"Gomen," he whispered to her sleeping form, "I… I should have come sooner…"

_Or I should have…_ Tsuyomaru added grimly.

"You didn't have a choice, my friend," Taishio chuckled weakly, "I did… Damn it all…"

_Do you know what happened to me, then…?_ The youkai inquired hesitantly.

"Hai, you were sent forward in time," Taishio said, "It's really quite complicated, so I'm not even going to bother trying to explain it. I don't entirely understand how it works myself."

_I see… _Tsuyomaru replied.

He let out a sigh and locked his eyes on the sleeping girl.

_She seems so worried…_ he mumbled.

"I know," Taishio replied with a sigh, "I've been watching her since this morning… It took me a while to build up the power to shift worlds, though…"

_So you had to come from the afterlife?_ The great purple creature inquired.

"Hai," the youkai said, looking a little dejected.

-

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both watching Kagome intently. Tsuyomaru yawned quietly and laid his head down, and after a while, he closed his eyes. The giant youkai was soon asleep, knowing that his charge was safe with her guardian. Taishio, on the other hand, stared nearly unblinkingly at the girl in his arms. He wondered if she was still in pain. Unsure of what to do with her at the moment, the youkai hesitated before he decided to wake her: he wanted her to know what his true form was. He knew, however, that he could not give her his true name. He knew that the boy who was quickly becoming Kagome's serious boyfriend had all ready told her that his father's name was 'Taishio': to tell her his name now would expose his son, which he knew would be a bad idea. He wished, also, that he could go visit his sons, though the fact that he was dead limited him greatly. He could only truly materialize before the one he was designated to protect.

Taishio sighed again, unsure of what he would tell her, though he decided he'd make up his mind when it came up.

Gently, he shook the girl, and whispered her name. She shifted slightly, and so the inu youkai shook her a tiny bit more.

\

"Kagome? Little one, wake up," he muttered.

Kagome shifted again, though this time, her eyelids slowly lifted and fluttered slightly until they came into focus, locking onto Taishio's golden coloured eyes.

"…Wh…What…?" she inquired softly.

Her eyes shifted across his face, and she merely looked more puzzled than she had initially.

"Thought I was Inu-Yasha, ne?" the man chuckled

Kagome blinked, trying to clear her sleep-blurred vision before she slowly sat up and looked over the man who was holding her.

It was true: she _had _thought he was Inu-Yasha for a moment. His eyes were surprisingly similar to her friend's.

-

"What…?" Kagome repeated in puzzlement, "Who… _What_…?"

The man chuckled again and grinned at her.

"I'm not surprised that you don't recognize me," he admitted.

Kagome blinked in confusion, though his voice struck a familiar chord in her mind.

"…Doggie?" she asked hesitantly.

The youkai laughed again and nodded, ruffling her hair.

"Quick thinker, aren't you kid?" he said.

She stared into his eyes, startled, and drew back to get a better look at him.

He had long, silver hair that was loosely tied back and he wore what appeared to be a white-and-blue kimono. He also had dark blue stripes running along each cheekbone and, to Kagome's surprise, seemed to have a long, white-furred tail that was split to have two ends, though he carried it draped over his shoulder to look similar to a cloak.

"Oh my god…" she breathed, before she let out a laugh of relief and hugged the man around the shoulders.

Taishio grinned and held the girl close again, patting her back reassuringly.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Kagome repeated, sounding excited, "You would not _believe_ how good it is to see you… Heh, wow, I didn't even know you had a human…. Well, human-ish body."

"You wouldn't think a big old dog like me would, would you?" he said, smiling.

The girl began to laugh and held on to him tighter, though she suddenly remembered Ryu, and pulled back, looking around for him. When she spied him behind her, she sighed, relieved, and then grinned at her guardian.

"I'm really glad you came, dude," she said.

"I know," he replied, ruffling her hair, "Though your demon friend was doing quite a good job protecting you."

"Hai… I'm glad he found me," Kagome said, "I was a bit scared at first, but…"

She tilted her head over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of him.

"I dunno, I guess he's grown on me…" she said, "But…"

She rubbed at an itchy spot on her neck and frowned slightly.

"I think he bit me," she said, puzzled.

"He healed you," Taishio explained, "Your leg seems to have been bleeding quite a lot."

He peered into her eyes, concern clear in his.

"How does it feel?" he inquired.

"Umm…" Kagome muttered.

She stretched out her leg, and was relived to find that it barely gave her any pain. She could also feel that it had stopped bleeding.

"Infinitely better," she said with a smile, "I really owe Ryu a lot…"

"Ryu?" the man repeated, "Oh, he let you give him a name?"

"Yeah, since he's mute… Poor guy…" the girl mumbled, her gaze dropping to the ground.

"His true name is Tsuyomaru," Taishio stated, "I… can communicate through thoughts with him."

"Really?" Kagome inquired, her gaze shooting up to meet his, "Do you…? Do you think you could somehow let _me _do that? I mean, just with him?"

The man smiled at her and gave a shrug.

"I don't see why not," he replied.

He patted her on the shoulder, and a faint white glow rushed through his palm and to her skin. Kagome stared at it in confusion, while the man leaned back against the tree behind him.

"Was that it?" she asked.

He nodded and smirked.

"Expecting something else?" he inquired.

"I dunno, maybe," Kagome said a little blankly, "So… I can talk to him now, right?"

"You can hear his thoughts, yes," he said.

"Great," the girl said, her eyes brightening, "Do you think he'd mind if I woke him up?"

Taishio shrugged and shook his head, so, quietly, she scooted over to the giant creature's side and poked him on his nose three times.

"Tsuyomaru?" she asked, "Hey… Hey, Tsuyomaru, purple dude, wake up."

He grunted and his eyes opened, glowing crimson in the dark.

_Kagome…?_ He wondered groggily.

Kagome jolted slightly as she suddenly heard his deep, growling voice inside her head, though she shook off her shock quickly as she watched him blink at her with sleepy eyes.

"Yep," she replied cheerfully, and as the creature stretched his head upwards, Kagome laughed quietly and hugged his long neck.

"I didn't get to thank you properly," she stated, "You really saved my life."

Tsuyomaru stared down at her, puzzled, and he wondered what had changed. He looked to Taishio, who was staring up at the leaves and was fairly unresponsive.

_Forget about it…_ he thought absently.

"Why?" Kagome asked puzzledly.

Tsuyomaru blinked blankly for a moment before his eyes grew wide. He sat up backwards, his ears pressing forward.

_You can… You can hear me…?_ He asked.

"Hai," Kagome replied, "The… um… That guy sorta… did something that lets me hear you."

She pointed at Taishio, who then looked up and gave the giant youkai a look that told him not to tell her his name. As if she had sensed this thought, though, the girl spun around and looked at Taishio in puzzlement.

"Hey, what the heck _is_ your name, anyway?" she asked curiously.

Taishio chuckled.

"I can't tell you that," he said, "You'll find out why in a few days."

"Oh…" Kagome said blankly, "Well… umm… What do I call you, then?"

_Make something up, Dog Lord. _Tsuyomaru joked, baring his gleaming fangs in a smirk.

"Good plan," he agreed, "Ah…You can call me…"

The youkai tapped his chin with his claw several times, trying to think of an alternate name for himself.

Kagome sat back on her knees and folded her arms impatiently as the man sat for several minutes, wondering what to say.

"Okay, if you don't think of something, I'm callin' you Fluffy," Kagome stated in annoyance.

Tsuyomaru growled out a long, loud laugh, though Taishio seemed intrigued.

"That's what my wife calls me sometimes," he admitted, "Because of my tail… I suppose that would work."

Kagome scratched her head with puzzlement, but then looked embarrassed.

"I was kidding," she said.

"No, no, Fluffy is fine," the youkai assured her.

_I've never heard of something so absurd,_ Tsuyomaru chuckled, _A youkai Lord, calling himself Fluffy?_

"A youkai Lord?" Kagome repeated, and then looked to "Fluffy", surprised, "You're a youkai as well?"

"Indeed I am," he replied with a nod.

"Whoa…" Kagome gasped, "Two in one day… How crazy…"

Tsuyomaru laughed again and lifted Kagome into his giant palm, holding her up to his face.

_You have to be the strangest human I have ever met,_ he stated, _You aren't terrified at the mention of youkai. Gods, even as I picked you up, you were barely scared, were you? _

"Well, I was a little," she admitted, "Like I said, I've never seen anything like you at all in my life."

_Now that I understand… I'm not surprised,_ he said before he turned his head in an attempt to avoid yawning in the girl's face. She cringed against its pungent smell, though she laughed quietly as he placed her back on the dead leaves of the ground.

The youkai's yawn was contagious: Kagome yawned as well, closing her eyes and stretching. She felt the other youkai's arms around her, and she leaned into him, relieved and sleepy.

"Heh… Fuzzy," she commented quietly.

"I thought I was Fluffy," he replied.

"I meant your tail, you dork," she chuckled.

She opened her eyes to look into the man's eyes, though now, their similarity to Inu-Yasha's troubled her, and her gaze shifted away. Taishio looked down at her, though he knew what was wrong, so he didn't bother to ask. He merely patted her head as if to console her, and she leaned further into his fur and looked to Tsuyomaru, who slumped onto his side and rested his head on his arm.

_You were right, Dog Lord,_ he muttered, _A world shift does drain a lot of energy… even if you aren't the one who created it._

Kagome looked puzzled, though before she could ask, the inu youkai said,

"Tsuyomaru will explain what he means tomorrow, but right now you should get some sleep."

"But I was… just asleep for the longest time," she complained.

_It was only a bit over an hour,_ Tsuyomaru said quietly.

"Whatever," Kagome laughed, though she really _was_ beginning to feel tired again.

-

Without consciously realizing it, Kagome fell into a deep slumber once again. Taishio took this as a good sign: she would definitely feel well rested when she woke up next, which would hopefully be the morning.

The inu youkai's eyes passed over to Tsuyomaru, who was asleep again as well.

He wasn't sure why, but Taishio could feel a connection between the two obviously different creatures. Perhaps one knew another from a past life? Taishio, to be honest, had no idea. He felt clearly that Kagome was more than safe with the monstrous, purple-scaled creature.

After another hour, Taishio judged that it would be an appropriate time to leave, before his strength began to wane.

Without a sound, he stood and padded to Tsuyomaru's side. He laid the sleeping Kagome across one of the youkai's arms. The giant automatically covered her with his opposite hand and pulled her close; it brought a smile to Taishio's face as his physical form faded from the mortal realm.

oOoOoOoO

When Sessho-Maru woke up to the sound of the toad youkai, Jaken, shrieking into a phone a floor below him, he was by no means pleased. Slowly, the youkai stood from his bed and stretched, his tail twitching with annoyance.

He had had a rough day all ready.

He had been at the orphanage all day. Odd as it seemed for him to be doing such a thing to everyone who knew him, he spent almost all day spending time with a young girl by the name of Rin. He had been visiting her for almost two years.

She was the type of girl who was still young enough to live at the orphanage, but just old enough to be hard to find a home for.

Sessho-Maru, though, had been trying to adopt her for quite some time. He had finally received the forms, though he was soon informed that they could take up to another four months to process.

This was not good news. The only good thing that had come about recently was that his flu had finally gone away.

Now, Jaken was waking him up by screaming on the phone. It was not a good idea, on his part.

-

In an instant, the inu youkai was down the stairs and into the grey-painted kitchen, and had hefted the short, green man into the air by the collar of his shirt.

"L… Lord Sessho-Maru!" the nasally-voiced toad spluttered, "Wh-What are you doing?"

"You're too loud," he stated bluntly, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed the little man over his shoulder, where he flew through the air and hit the wall with a satisfying squeak.

Sessho-Maru smirked triumphantly, until he noticed that there was someone on the other end of the phone, which now lay upside down on the kitchen counter.

He recognized the male voice, but couldn't place it, so he picked up the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Sessho-Maru-san?" the voice demanded, "Is that you?"

"Yes," he replied, "Is this… Ah, this is that Miroku boy, isn't it? What do you want?"

"Thank God I got you," the boy, Miroku, muttered, "I've been calling all day, but that squeaky-voiced guy-"

"Ignore him, he's an idiot," Sessho-Maru interjected, "I said, what do you want?"

"Inu-Yasha phoned me," he stated.

Sessho-Maru felt his heart stall for a moment, though his face and voice showed nothing.

"Really? And he's all right?" he inquired.

"He seemed to be," Miroku replied, "He said he couldn't call because of… tapped lines or something weird."

"I understand," Sessho-Maru said, "Anything else?"

"Yeah," the boy said, "He… uh… What did he say…? Well, he has a girlfriend."

"Oh, gods," Sessho-Maru blurted, truly surprised, before he regained his composure, "Well, I suppose that's my brother for you… Can't leave him by himself for more than a week before he falls in love, I guess."

"Is that a joke?" Miroku inquired.

"Perhaps," the youkai said, "Is that it?"

"No, one more thing," he said, and then paused, seeming reluctant to tell, before he sighed and mumbled, "Your brother's blind."

Once again, Sessho-Maru's heart nearly stopped in his chest. He disliked the feeling greatly.

"He… He _what…_?" he said slowly, "He's… _blind_…"

"Yeah," Miroku said, "Look, I'm really sorry about the bad news-"

"Bad news?" Sessho-Maru repeated, and then couldn't help a small smile, "My little brother is alive. Thank you."

"It's no problem," Miroku said, "Good bye."

Sessho-Maru sighed and hung up the phone, not bothering to return the "good bye". He always thought that he sounded like a fool when he did. His cold, amber eyes, however, now darted to Jaken, who had finally heaved himself from the floor.

"You truly are the most ridiculous, moronic little creature I have ever met," Sessho-Maru stated coolly, "I don't understand you. You go through so much trouble to sabotage the one who saved your life."

"But… me Lord, he… You saw him!" he bleated pathetically, "The last year! He wouldn't even _talk _to you, the ungrateful little-!"

"_You're_ the ungrateful one," Sessho-Maru spat, a rare tone of fury edging into his normally calm voice, "Now, get out of my sight and go clean Ah-Un's stable for when she returns… Before I decide to feed you to her."

Jaken yelped and dashed from the room, and Sessho-Maru leaned back against the kitchen counter, curling his tail over his armless shoulder.

He eyed it almost fondly, as if his lack of his left arm was all he had left of his brother.

-

The severing of the appendage had been an accident, however. Sessho-Maru had claimed that it was mostly his own fault anyway.

He had been trying to teach the eleven-year-old Inu-Yasha how to master Tetsusaiga, but the young hanyou had accidentally unleashed a technique called the Kaze no Kizu, or the "Scar of the Wind", directly at his brother. Sessho-Maru, thinking himself to be fast enough, had not moved until the last instant possible, causing his arm to be torn off in the blast.

To be honest, however, he was impressed that Inu-Yasha had caught him.

-

The young hanyou had surprised Sessho-Maru many times.

In fact, Inu-Yasha had first awakened Tetsusaiga when he was only two, only a few days after being sent forward in time.

After Sessho-Maru had discovered that he could sell any old "artefacts" to "museums" for a large sum of money, he had asked Inu-Yasha the location of their father's tomb. All Inu-Yasha could remember their father saying to him was "black pearl on the left".

It took Sessho-Maru days to realize that this, in fact, meant that their father had somehow sealed his tomb into Inu-Yasha's left eye.

Trying to contemplate how this was even possible, they entered the new dimension with their helper, the human girl Syd.

They had found many, many old swords, tea sets, and bones, among other things. There were also the two swords that their father had left for them, the Tensaiga and the Tetsusaiga. Sessho-Maru had taken his, though the other was embedded deep into a table and was under a charm.

When neither of the siblings could pull it free, Sessho-Maru deducted that a human would be needed to remove the sword, because their father's first true love was human. There were clues to this all over his tomb.

They tried to use Syd to free the sword, but to their surprise, there was no effect, leading Sessho-Maru to believe that she wasn't actually human.

-

They eventually took a modern day human priestess by the name of Higurashi Yui to the tomb. She was able to remove the sword that then became Inu-Yasha's. He even was able to awake it when he jokingly stated that he would protect Yui's unborn daughter.

-

Sessho-Maru sighed and shook his head, trying to stop reminiscing. Though he sorely hated to admit it, he missed his little brother, almost as much as he had missed his first love, Akai, after she died. He knew Inu-Yasha was probably still alive, but the loneliness still bothered him.

He sighed again, though his ears soon trained on Jaken's distant mutters and curses, and how he shrieked like a young girl when he obviously stepped in dragon manure.

Suddenly, the youkai felt a little better.

* * *


	35. Stuck In The Woods III

* * *

Chapter 34: Stuck in the Woods III

* * *

As the sun rose across the treetops of the woods, the neko youkai, Kirara, awoke with a yawn to find Inu-Yasha pacing a little awkwardly around their cave. 

"_Good morning,"_ she said.

"Oh, hi, yeah," he said a little absently.

He was staring intently at the ground despite the fact that he couldn't see it.

"_How's the leg?"_ Kirara asked, "_Any better?_"

"Well, I can definitely walk," the hanyou said, smiling slightly.

Kirara grinned, relieved, before she stood, stretched, and let out a loud yawn. She prowled up to the boy and gave his face a lick.

"_Did you sleep at all?_" she inquired, her ears drooping slightly, "_You didn't, did you?"_

"Not at all," Inu-Yasha sighed.

"_I'm sorry," _Kirara muttered.

"Why?" Inu-Yasha laughed, "It doesn't have anything to do with you. I just…."

He paused, and sighed, rubbing his head a little embarrassedly.

"I'm just really worried. You know how it is."

"_Yes_" she said, nodding, _"I suppose I do."_

She padded around him absently for a moment before she drew close to him again, shoving her snout into his face.

"_What do you plan to do now?_" she asked.

"Well, I guess… I need to start heading towards the center of the woods," he concluded, "That's where I told my friend I'd be meeting her."

"_Huh…"_ Kirara mused aloud, _"I would've thought you more the type to charge straight back into the woods to find her."_  
  
Inu-Yasha looked to the cave ceiling, shyly avoiding eye contact: he had actually been contemplating that exact rescue-method, but Kirara's tone kicked him back into reality.

"Not on this leg. The hole in my chest ain't really helping too much either," he admitted, "And, seeing as I… you know, _can't see_, I'm guessing that'd it'd take me too long to find her."

"_Ah,"_ Kirara said, inclining her head slightly, _"I didn't think you'd take the path of reason, puppy. You used to be so much more… impulsive."_

"I was _not_," he retorted, folding his arms to his chest.

"_What about that time, a little after I met you, when you jumped off the roof of Sango's onto Miroku so that he wouldn't grope her?" _ she asked.

"Th… That was a one-time thing!" the hanyou yelped, embarrassed.

"_Or, what about the time you set a whole shopping mall's sprinkler system off when you thought someone was burning a cat in a bag…?"_

"How was I supposed to know it was one of those dumb meowing toys?" Inu-Yasha protested, "It _sounded_ real, _okay?_"

"_Or what about the time-?"_

"All right, all right, I get it!" he interjected, throwing his arms up in defeat, "I'm friggin impulsive. I just don't really want to _die,_ right now, okay? Can you really blame me for being cautious?"

"_Absolutely not_," Kirara laughed.

She licked his face, and though Inu-Yasha said nothing, he was glad of her approval.

He paced around the cave a few more times before he turned back to his friend curiously.

"Kirara… Will you come with me?" he asked.

"_I was considering it," _the neko admitted, _"But I'm afraid I should return to Sango now…"_

She sighed and sat down, her tails swishing absently.

"_The reason I left originally was because I was positive that these odd youkai-hunters knew about me… I was afraid that her whole family was in danger,"_ she said, _"But now that I've been away for a few weeks, perhaps I've thrown them off the trail? What do you think?"_

"I sure hope so," Inu-Yasha agreed, "Sango is really worried about you".

Kirara's ear folded backwards sadly and she unconsciously leaned into Inu-Yasha's hand as he patted her neck consolingly. She turned her head towards him, her whiskers bristling and gently brushing his face.

"_Thank you for the reassurance, pup,_" the youkai sighed.

She pulled away from him and strode to the mouth of the cave, peering thoughtfully into the brightening forest.

"_If you run, how long do you think it'd take you to reach the center of the forest?"_ she asked.

"That depends," Inu-Yasha replied, scratching his head, "Where are we now?"

"_About half a mile from the northern edge," _Kirara said.

Inu-Yasha tapped his chin absently.

"Well, normally, running, it might take me… I dunno, maximum, half an hour," he mused, "But on this leg… I dunno… I don't think I'll be able to run very well at all for at least another day or so…"

He looked troubled for a moment, absently rubbing his palm over the wound to his arm.

"Might take me a few hours," he decided.

Kirara's ears drooped and she turned to the boy, concerned.

"_I could fly you there,"_ she suggested.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow, though his eyes became wide and startled.

"You… You can _fly_…?" he asked.

"_Oh, yes, of course. When I take on this form, I can fly quite well,"_ the neko stated, _"Oh dear, I thought you knew that all ready Inu-Yasha."_

"No," the boy said, "I didn't even know you could change forms until yesterday."

"_Ah, right," _she said, sounding a little embarrassed, _"Well, now you know. Would you like me to fly you there?"_

Inu-Yasha could barely bring himself to seriously consider it.

"No way," he said almost automatically, "You'd be way too easy to spot, plus a huge target. I don't want you to risk it."

"_Are you positive?" _ Kirara inquired, _"I'm worried about you."_

"I'm positive," the hanyou stated with a nod.

"_So be it…" _the youkai sighed.

She tilted her head back and let her aura engulf her in flames, and when she emerged, she was no bigger than an ordinary housecat.

"_Good luck Yasha,"_ she said.

She delicately hopped onto his shoulder, licked his cheek, and then bounced down again, her tails swishing.

"_If you ever need me-" _she started to say, but Inu-Yasha nodded, cutting her off.

"I know your scent, I can find you," he said with a grin, "Don't worry about me… And don't follow me, either. I don't need you getting involved in all this crap."

"_I understand," _Kirara said.

She huffed out a small sigh that came out surprisingly high-pitched, and then bounded from the cave's entrance, back into the forest, calling out "_Sayonara!" _over her shoulder.

-

The hanyou listened to Kirara's paw steps as she ran until they became one with the other creatures that lived in the treetops.

For an instant, his nerves shook his body. He was completely alone.

Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself.

_I need to find Kagome._

The thought of her gave him a slight boost in confidence. His determination to see her again made him feel stronger than he had. Inside him, he could feel her aura pulsing with a more definite rhythm than it had before. He could only feel it sometimes, though when he could, it revealed the basics of her emotions to him.

He could tell that she was worried, but she also felt inexplicably safe. Inu-Yasha couldn't be sure as to why, but for whatever reason, he was glad. His confidence building slightly, the hanyou took his first, cautious step from the cave and back into the woods.

oOoOoOoO

Almost an hour had passed before Inu-Yasha began to realize how much his leg hurt. Almost every step sent pain searing up from his muscle. Other than that, however, he was in fairly high spirits and making good time through the forest.

His heightened senses placed almost all of the youkai-hunters far away, to the south, which cheered him greatly, though he worried for an instant that that might be where Kagome was. He felt his mouth run dry with anxiety, though he almost automatically remembered that she hadn't run south: she was probably just as far away from the majority of the threat as he was.

He wondered what had drawn them so far away and off the trail.

Inu-Yasha was a little surprised at how small their threat to him was beginning to seem. They were all obviously new recruits to the "demon hunting" sections, or he would have been found and caught all ready. It seemed like they had few of their older, experienced soldiers to spare. Inu-Yasha wondered why: he had thought he was one of their main objectives recently because he had evaded them so many times.

_I really wish they'd just leave me alone…_ he thought grumpily.

-

He paused for a moment, resting his back against a tree as he took a short break. He didn't want to overwork himself too much. His stomach was starting to hurt a little bit though: he hadn't eaten since last night, and his mouth was beginning to dry out as well.

He knew there was a river somewhere in the woods, but he hadn't been to it in a few months and he couldn't remember where it was. Plus, it probably wasn't the best idea to go drink dirty water.

Tired, worried, and thirsty, the boy sighed, and then continued diligently on his trek.

Every once and a while, he tested the air, hoping that he'd catch a whiff of Kagome on the wind. He was a little depressed that he never could: he assumed that she was too far away. For now, what was left of her scent on his jacket was his only source of comfort. Even the gentle, occasional pulsing of Tetsusaiga at his waist barely eased his tension.

His fingers traced its hilt uncertainly as he squinted up into the leaf-blotted sky. The sun was slowly creeping into the blue, its warm light pouring through the gaps in the foliage. The heat felt good on the hanyou's face.

He wished that he had a slightly better sense of direction, though he was glad he had familiar scents to guide him. He was also glad that he knew the woods fairly well: if he didn't, he would have been absolutely, hopelessly lost.

He hoped Kagome knew the woods as well as he did, or at least knew her way to the center and the giant tree from wherever she was.

-

After almost another hour, the dark grey that was Inu-Yasha's vision burst with light as the trees gave way to a clearing. Relief sprung up in the boy's chest and he limped quickly towards the large tree at its other end, resting his hand against its bark to steady himself.

"Thank God…" he mumbled aloud.

He glanced up towards the leaves above him, and then over his shoulder. He straightened slightly, perking and swivelling his ears.

He was a little disappointed: there was still no sign of Kagome. He was tempted to leave again to attempt to find her, but he decided that it wouldn't be in either of their best interests. What if Kagome arrived after he left? Or what if he ended up running into the humans who wanted him dead?

Inu-Yasha sighed dejectedly. He knew he was hardly in any shape to fight off people with guns, though the Tetsusaiga reassured him slightly.

The boy braced himself on the ground for a moment, readying himself for the pain he knew would seer up his leg, and then jumped upwards, grasping onto a branch and awkwardly hefting himself onto it. He leaned his back up against the trunk, took a deep breath, attempted to suppress the ache of his wound, and then closed his eyes, waiting for Kagome to show up.

oOoOoOoO

The whole world seemed to be rocking back and forth when Kagome slowly let her eyes flutter open. She watched in groggy puzzlement and trees and ground passed by slowly, along with loud, deep, and rhythmic thuds. It took the girl a few moment to remember what was happening, and when she looked up, she saw a scaled, purple chest before her, and long, claw tipped fingers all around her, like an open-topped cage. She frowned with slight confusion for a moment until she felt the chest rumble with a guttural laugh and the movement around her stopped.

_So, you're finally awake_, she heard echo through her head.

She tilted her head upwards and sat up to see a giant fanged snout descending towards her. She winced slightly, only to have the creature roughly lick the top of her head.

"Urm… Good morning to you too," she said, smiling a little embarrassedly.

She stole a glance to her side to get some bearing of where she was. In a moment, it was easy for her to tell that she was held, cupped in her youkai friend's palms.

"How long have you been up?" Kagome inquired curiously.

_An hour or so, _Tsuyomaru replied, _though I only started to travel a little while before you woke up._

He promptly picked up the pace again.

_I didn't think that staying in one location would be in our best interests… Though I haven't scented any humans around for quite a while._

"Do you think they left?" Kagome asked hopefully.

_No, they are just far away… I wonder what drew their attention…_

Kagome's thoughts automatically shot to Inu-Yasha, and she cringed, silently begging that he wasn't the distraction. Tsuyomaru could easily sense her anxiety: he tilted his head puzzledly and looked down at her, his brow ridges bending in a frown.

_What is it?_ He inquired.

"It's… It's nothing…" she mumbled, biting her lip.

_Liar: there is obviously something wrong with you,_ the demon growled, _What is it?_

Kagome winced and placed her hand on one of the giant fingers around her. It automatically curled, the giant demon taking the girl in his grasp with unexpected gentleness before placing her on his shoulder.

She sighed and, sitting in a slightly painful, cross-legged position, clung to his mane sadly.

"It's just… my friend…" she muttered, "I'm so worried about him… He's been shot, and I… I just really hope he's all right."

_You mean the male that left his scent all over you? _Tsuyomaru inquired, curious now.

Kagome nodded slightly, and the youkai snorted into the air and his lips stretched back to show fang in a slight grin.

_Don't give another thought to his safety for now, _he stated, _That boy is further away from the humans than we are. I can scent him._

"You can?" Kagome asked, automatically brightening, "Where is he, is he okay?"

_I scent blood, though you all ready told me he was shot… though…_

Tsuyomaru frowned, confused for a moment, before he turned his head to look at Kagome slightly.

_I do not understand… I saw no bows or arrows with the humans. _

"Oh, humans don't use bows and arrows anymore," the girl explained, "They use guns, now."

_Guns…_ the youkai repeated,_ I know of guns… Was that the item that human had pointed at you?_

Kagome nodded, and the demon looked thoughtful.

_These items were different in my time, _he said, _I suppose they are more accurate now?_

"I'm afraid so," Kagome sighed, "That's why I warned you about them, remember?"

-

Kagome slumped across her friend's shoulder as she reached up lazily to scratch behind his ear. He jolted, surprised, before he relaxed slightly as he realized that he liked the feeling.

"Were there a lot of demons were you lived?" Kagome asked curiously.

_I suppose so,_ Tsuyomaru replied a little absently: he was a little preoccupied by the ear rub.

"As many as the humans?" she inquired.

_More than, I believe, _he said.

"Really?" Kagome said, surprised, "You know, there are no actual _records_ of demons… Not even any bones."

Tsuyomaru looked back at her, his face troubled.

_Are you positive of this?_

"Yeah, unless there's been a massive conspiracy thing to cover them up," she said, "Well… Actually, I'm starting not to doubt that so much now."

_That is odd,_ Tsuyomaru mumbled, _No records… Not even one?_

"Only legends…" Kagome explained, "Though, some of them might be real. It's just, see… we learn history in classes now, and demons are never mentioned except in legends."

_Your race must be trying to pretend that the past did not happen_, Tsuyomaru growled, annoyed, _They are trying to pretend that my race did not exist._

He grunted and Kagome looked away, shamefaced.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

_Why are you sorry? _The youkai inquired curtly, _Little one, you have absolutely nothing to do with it._

He sighed grumpily.

_It is sad that the children of your race will never know of the great battle of Nobunaga and Ochitaro._

"Nobunaga?" Kagome repeated, "We learn about him."

_But not Ochitaro,_ Tsuyomaru grunted, _He was a wonderful, demon general. We fought alongside Nobunaga's clan, against two allied human ones and another great demon and his army. When we met them in battle, the 2000 of us defeated their whole army of 40,000._

"I heard about that battle," Kagome said, "But… there was no mention of demons in it…"

Tsuyomaru jerked to a halt with surprise, looking straight back at Kagome with wide eyes.

_No demons?_ He repeated in disbelief, _I fought in that battle!_

The girl was suddenly awestruck.

"No way," she gasped, "You… are _so_ cool."

Tsuyomaru looked puzzled for a second before Kagome laughed and rubbed the top of his broad snout with her palm.

"Cool means, like… awesome, great… impressive. That kind of thing."

Tsuyomaru nodded his understanding before he began to walk again, grumbling about injustices to himself.

"Hey," she said consolingly, "I'll tell everyone I can about your kind, okay?"

_Don't bother, little one, _he snorted disdainfully, _If all you've told me is true, none of the humans will believe you_.

"I guess not," the girl said dejectedly, "But that's all right, people think I'm nuts anyway."

_Why?_ The youkai asked, confused.

"I talk to animals."

_That's normal for a miko,_ he said simply.

"A… miko…?" Kagome repeated, "My… My friend said that too."

_Then your friend is wise,_ Tsuyomaru said.

"You think?" Kagome asked a little blankly, "My grandpa said it as well… I used it in a pen-name sometimes."

Grasping tightly to the youkai's mane, she pulled herself into a sitting position and sat quietly for a few moments, thinking as she absently stroked her friend's fur.

-

She knew from past experiences that they were about halfway to the center of the woods, and at their pace, it might take them another hour or so, depending on whether they ran into any more trouble or not. Kagome was feeling more confident now that she wasn't alone anymore. Having a thousand-something year old demon as a traveling companion was extremely reassuring, even though he was still weakened from the "time-shift", whatever that was. She would have to have him explain it to her later.

She wondered what Inu-Yasha would think of her new friend once they found him at the tree. She also began to wonder what she was going to do with the massive beast. Undoubtedly, she couldn't leave him by himself in the woods, especially since he had decided to protect her.

She pictured herself and Inu-Yasha trying to cover him with a giant tarp of some kind and vainly attempting to pass him off as a weird sculpture, or a truck, or _something_, sneaking him down the road towards home, and a smile came to her face.

She had absolutely no idea what to do with him. If the forest had connected to the one near her house like it used to, she wouldn't even be having this problem: a large section had been cleared away for construction some years ago, though an endangered bird was found living there and the cutting of trees had abruptly stopped.

-

After about ten minutes of silence, Kagome craned her body slightly to look into Tsuyomaru's face, eyeing him over closely. She sighed dejectedly, realizing that there was no possible way she could even try to pass him off as some sort of normal animal. His features would scream "dragon" to anyone who looked at him.

"I wonder…" Kagome mumbled aloud, "What am I going to do with you…?"

_What do you mean?_ Tsuyomaru inquired, _What are you talking about?_

"Well, you and me, we're friends, kinda, aren't we?" Kagome said, and when Tsuyomaru nodded a little uncertainly, she continued, " Well, that means I'm going to need to try to find a way to sneak you back to my house… But you're just so big…"

_You own land? _Tsuyomaru asked, curious.

"Well, not me, my dad-type-person," she clarified.

_Oh, _the youkai said, _Well… I don't necessarily have to be…. Big…_

Kagome raised her eyebrow, puzzled.

"What?" she asked.

_I can… Well…_ Tsuyomaru said, and to Kagome's surprise, he sounded a little embarrassed, _I am able to assume a human-like body, if need be._

"Really?" the girl said, surprised, "Oh… Wow…"

A broad smile bloomed on her face and she couldn't help a relieved laugh from bubbling up her throat.

"Oh wow," she sighed, "That makes everything infinitely easier. Thank God…"

She elbowed him lightly.

"'Cause, you know, the only thing I could think of was to try to sneak you away under a big tarp, but then… where would you sleep if you couldn't fit into the house?"

_I will just change my form_, the youkai said again, nodding slightly, _But… are you sure your family would accept a creature such as I…?_

"Well… Ummm…"Kagome said a bit embarrassedly, "The only person in my house with me at the moment would be my best friend Inu-Yasha and my cat… My dad is… well, never there, not that I care… And my Mom and Grandpa have been travelling on and off for quite a while. And I have a little brother too, but he'd think you're, like, the epitome of cool. '"

_I see,_ Tsuyomaru said, though he sounded a little troubled, _What of this "Inu-Yasha" character?_

"Oh, I really don't think he'll care," she assured him, patting one of his long horns, "He's a really good guy."

Kagome smiled slightly at the thought of him before she shook her head and patted her friend's horn again.

"Don't worry about a thing," she said, "And I'll just tell people that you're my uncle or something."

Tsuyomaru cocked his head slightly before his lips pulled back to expose bright fangs in an amused grin as he snorted out a loud laugh.

_You never cease to puzzle me, Kagome,_ he said.

"What? Why?" Kagome asked.

_If you were from where I was, you'd understand._

"Why don't you explain it to me, then?"

Tsuyomaru's smile widened slightly.

_I have never hesitated to eat a human before I met you. Most creatures are terrified to even look me in the eyes, _he said, _And even if I wasn't like that, humans believe that aiding a demon will earn you a curse and an automatic ticket to hell. Your kind doesn't believe that anymore?_

He tilted his head to look back at the girl on his shoulder, and he was a little surprised to see her purposefully look him in the eyes, smiling slightly.

"Some do," she said, "People of different religions… Or just people who are more religious than me."

She shrugged absently.

"Well, whatever, curse or not, I'd like you to come home with me," she said.

Tsuyomaru didn't know why, but her statement made his heart jerk slightly. His cold gaze softened slightly and though he now hid his fangs, his smile was still present.

_Thank you, Kagome,_ he said.

oOoOoOoO

The midmorning sun had the two agents, Akagawa Michi and Yamada Ronin scouring the woods once more. They had camped out in poor quality, agency-provided tents overnight, though neither of them had slept very much. Michi had lain awake almost all night, watching Ronin as he feigned sleep, wondering if he was planning to get up to try to catch that girl again.

The man had been extremely upset that he had apparently lost the trail, though in reality, Michi knew that there had never been one. She was a little surprised that he hadn't noticed that it was a ruse, but then again, he had become so obsessed with hurting Hanyou 153 that he was blind to most things. He was starting to frighten her.

During their training, as soon as he had heard that the hanyou was still alive, he insisted that they be a part of the team sent to pursue him if he were spotted.

Since becoming an official member of the "youkai hunting team", or Project Youki, as it was called, Ronin had become all the more violent and obsessive. Michi wished she could understand what it was about Hanyou 153 that infuriated him so. It couldn't _really_ be just about a scholarship, could it?

What was odd to her was that the two of them had been in classes together. The hanyou, apparently, had skipped ahead academically and had been awarded a math scholarship that Ronin had had his heart set on.

Michi didn't understand what the big deal was, especially since the hanyou had offered him the scholarship anyway, but Ronin, being the way he was, had rudely refused…in front of a large committee.

Michi was beginning to wonder what she had ever seen in her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. She supposed that he had been sweet when they had first met, but now, as she watched him clench and unclench his finger-challenged hand, curse, and scan the area incessantly for signs of either the hanyou or his female companion, she felt almost repulsed by him.

As he swore again, Michi bit her lip to avoid telling him to shut the hell up.

_I don't understand why he wants to kill that poor kid, just for being with the hanyou… She doesn't even know what he is…_ she thought a little sadly.

She took a deep breath and stopped as Ronin stamped irritably ahead, squinting through the underbrush as if staring at it hard enough would make tracks magically appear.

"Ronin…" she said, and he jerked and turned as if she had thrown a rock at the back of his head, "Hey… I don't think the girl went this way… Maybe we should radio in to the group leader and regroup a bit, huh? Get our bearings?"

"My bearings are _fine_," Ronin snapped, "Besides… they wouldn't allow the disposal of non-transferred human subjects anyway…"

He cut his eyes at Michi cynically.

"_You_ won't say anything, will you?" he said, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

The woman scowled slightly, a little offended that he was trying to give her orders, though they were the same rank.

"And what if I do?" she demanded, "I don't agree with this, Ronin. Not at all. She's barely any younger than us!"

She tried not to wince as she saw rage spread across the man's face.

"What if I refuse to cooperate, huh?" she asked, frowning, "What if I turn you in for this?"

For a moment, Ronin was frighteningly silent, though after a moment, a sneer passed over his lips.

"Then the hanyou got my gun," he said simply before turning and starting to walk again.

It took Michi a moment to realize what he meant, though as she did, she felt her blood run cold.

"Are… Are you threatening me?!" she demanded shrilly.

Ronin said nothing, but the woman could hear him chuckle darkly. Michi gulped, and after hesitating for a moment, she began to follow him again, trying to think of a way to ditch him.

-

After another few minutes of extremely awkward, uneasy silence, the radio-communicator at Michi's waist crackled to life, making her jump.

"Come… in, large… I repeat…" was all she could hear, so she picked it up as Ronin turned to look at her curiously, and she pressed down on the button that allowed others to hear what she was saying.

"This is Akagawa and Yamada. Can you repeat that?" she asked.

"I repeat, _again_, there is an extremely large, purple-coloured creature that has been spotted at 13 22. We believe it is a youkai."

Michi looked startled for a moment, while Ronin's eyes lit up. He snatched the radio away from the woman and held it to his mouth.

"Is the human girl near him?" he demanded.

There was a pause as static buzzed through the speaker.

"Affirmative. He's… Got a human female on his shoulder."

Michi's heart jumped nervously as Ronin looked triumphant and shoved the radio back into her hand.

"Let's go," he ordered.

Michi hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly complied when she felt cold metal pressed to her ribs.

oOoOoOoO

As Tsuyomaru paused on their trek to take a drink from a nearby stream, letting the girl onto the ground, Kagome couldn't help but begin to feel uneasy. Her stomach turned over in a sickening dance and she clutched to it with one hand. Her leg had suddenly started to hurt and bleed again a few moments prior to the nausea kicking in, and now, it was becoming hard to stand.

She limped awkwardly to a nearby tree to hold herself upright, though after a few long moments, Kagome realized, to her horror, that this was the same feeling she had endured before both "agent attacks".

"Tsu… Tsuyomaru," she called a little weakly.

His head automatically jerked up from the river and he looked at her, his ears pinned forward.

_What is it, little one?_ He asked, sounding concerned.

He lumbered to her side and her mind reeled for a moment as he brushed the top of her head with his fingertips.

"We have to get out of here, right now," she mumbled.

_Why, what's wrong?_ The demon inquired.

"Those guys… Those guys who want to kill us are coming," she mumbled.

_How can you know that? _He asked, _I cannot smell them…_

"They're upwind," Kagome stated, not knowing how she knew such things, "Every time I get this certain feeling-"

Kagome suddenly felt like she was going to vomit and cupped her hand over her mouth awkwardly, just as the very first, blue-clad soldier edged his way over the hill behind her friend, like the first of a hoard of ants. She gasped and pointed, and Tsuyomaru automatically jerked around, his eyes narrowing spitefully.

_Bastards,_ he snarled, baring his fangs.

"We have to run," Kagome choked out.

She could hear the birds above her screaming, fearing for their lives. She heard a few try to call her, addressing her frantically as "miko", to head for the trees.

Kagome wouldn't have been able to leave, even if she had not been petrified with fear: her leg was now oozing blood once more, and she could barely stand on it.

Tsuyomaru lowered his body and wrapped an arm around Kagome protectively, his red eyes fogging over furiously. There were more soldiers now, dozens of them, pouring over the hill like dark water, their weapons glistening in the speckled sunlight.

They showed no fear at the sight of Tsuyomaru, as if they had seen his sort of creature before. Kagome had no idea what to do, though she could feel Tsuyomaru's demonic aura pulsate and begin to rage around him, like a hurricane. In a flash, she could see the darkness around him, like black fire with a blue glow.

_They will not touch you, child,_ the beast snorted.

-

He reared confidently onto his hind limbs again, and instantly, every gun was aimed at him.

He smiled a shining, crocodile smile before he lurched forward, and his aura exploded around him as the dark flames burst from his mouth and engulfed all the humans before them.

Kagome let out an involuntary shriek just and the demon spun towards her, scooped her into his hand, and barrelled away on all fours, the girl clutched safely to his chest. The fire darkened the entire area almost as if it were night.

Kagome closed her eyes as Tsuyomaru panted triumphantly, though from his left, he began to hear loud shouts. He turned furiously to meet the oncoming gunmen and let out a deafening war-roar. Kagome winced and covered her ears, and the beast quickly placed her on the ground behind a thick tree, trying to get her to use it as a makeshift shield.

A single gunshot echoed, though the impact of the bullet didn't faze Tsuyomaru in the least. He snorted furiously, his mane bristling, though Kagome could see the small wound in his chest, his dark blood slowly trickling from it.

The youkai dropped to all fours, baring his long fangs aggressively before he charged, roaring, at the armed humans.

"Tsuyomaru, _NO_!" Kagome called frantically, though her demonic companion paid no heed to her woods.

He raced aggressively into the humans, rearing up and knocking them back with a simple swing of his arm. Helpless, Kagome could only watch as her friend received another two shots to his shoulders.

He bellowed with pain and Kagome gawked, horrified.

"Tsuyomaru, get out of there!" she yelled, waving to him, "You're gonna get killed!"

-

Unfortunately, Kagome didn't notice that her flailing had attracted the attention of a gunman on the edge of the fray. He swiftly raised his rifle to eye-level to aim, though the jerk in his movement drew the notice of the purple youkai.

With a growl, he ducked to all fours and bounded in front of the girl, just as another shot echoed through the trees.

Kagome couldn't see where Tsuyomaru was hit, though by his sudden gurgle and the blood that began to dribble from his mouth, she assumed that it was in the throat.

"Oh, God, no…" she breathed, before she dashed forward and grasped onto his massive arm, "Tsuyomaru, we have to run. Please!"

She tugged on his limb for a moment, but a quick flick of his wrist sent her tumbling to the leaves with a yelp.

_A true warrior will finish his battles,_ he growled.

He let out another roar that forced most of the soldiers to cover their ears, and with this distraction, Tsuyomaru plunged back into the fray, grasping one of the humans in his jaws and biting down hard before he tossed the ruined body against its former allies.

-

Suddenly, a yell was heard over the hill behind the fighters, and Kagome, shaking her head in disbelief, felt her heart sink as she could see what was left of the fire-blasted battalion racing to join the fray. She also spotted a sniper there, who quickly took up a position to aim directly between her friend's eyes.

"Ts… Tsuyomaru, DUCK!!" she cried, though her yell was barely heard above the roar of the fighters.

She saw her friend's ear twitch, and he stole a confused glance at her, just as she heard the sharp, clear noise of the gun being fired.

Horrified, Kagome could only watch in what seemed like slow motion as a quick, metallic blur sped through the youkai's skull and blood spurted in a thick, red stream.

"No…" she gasped.

She felt like she couldn't breathe. She watched Tsuyomaru stagger for an instant, his eyes growing wide with pain.

_K… Kagome…_ he growled weakly.

The girl was on her feet before she knew it, reaching out to the youkai.

"C'mon… we can… we can still get out of here," she whispered.

She could see the youkai's eyes fogging over and he bared his bloody fangs in a small smile.

_Gomen…_

He turned away from her, panting and, in what seemed like a final struggle at survival, he turned and flailed his claws through the crowd, sending dozens flying. He braced himself directly in front of his charge and let out a roar of pain and rage and, before Kagome could try to call him back again, the woods echoed with so many gunshots that it sounded like thunder.

-

Tsuyomaru froze, and, to Kagome's alarm, she saw what seemed like hundreds of bleeding wounds open up in his back.

_Oh, God, please… No…_

He stumbled, his right knee giving out, and without warning, he toppled sideways.

The entire world seemed to shake as the purple giant crashed to the ground, snapping a tree in half in the process.

Kagome gawked, aghast, as she watched the dark blood pooling on the ground around him, pouring from nearly fifty bullet holes in his flesh.

"Tsu… Tsuyomaru, no…" she gasped, "No, no, no!"

She stood as fast as she could and ran on weak legs to his side, kneeling and throwing her arms around his thick neck.

She knew he was dead before she even stole a glance into his blank, red eyes.

Tears now flowing freely down her face, she hugged the massive youkai, burying her face in his mane.

"No, no, no…" she murmured, "No, please…"

She stroked his scaly brow and gulped, trying to wet her dry throat as the uniformed officers began to close in around her.

She couldn't bring herself to move. There was no way she was going to just leave her friend's body to be taken away and dissected.

She cringed and held him close as one of the bolder men took a large step forward, raising his gun to point at her forehead. He pulled the trigger, and there was an impossibly loud noise, but, as Kagome braced herself for the pain, nothing happened.

She looked up slightly, only to see, to her astonishment, the man crumpling backwards at the impact of his own bullet.

A highly practiced silence was all that occurred between the soldiers.

"How…? They disappeared…" One muttered.

"It deflected the bullet," another said.

Kagome's eyes grew wide, and she stared them down, completely baffled.

"Disappeared?" she repeated softly.

_What…?_

A woman slipped her gun into her holster and then approached Kagome.

The girl tensed up, but the woman seemed to be staring right through her.

She reached out a hand, though it stalled in midair as if it had made contact with a wall, and then jerked backwards with a static _zap_.

The woman, what little of her brow could be seen through her visor bending in a frown, inspecting her lightly smoking palm.

"She put up a barrier, somehow," she muttered.

Kagome jolted slightly and squeezed Tsuyomaru's lifeless form tighter, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Confusion took her. She had no idea what to think of anything anymore. Not of youkai, of barriers, of anything…

She bit her lip, wanting to say something to her friend, but unable to come with anything.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered after a moment, resting her forehead against his miserably, her voice feeble and soft, "I'm so… so sorry… This is all my fault…"

_If I hadn't called out to him, then…_

She choked, her stomach reeling as she mopped the fresh blood from the wound in the side of his head with her hand. She stared at him hopelessly as it continued to flow, and she was about ready to plop down to the ground with him, when a single thought shot through her head so strongly it was as if someone had shouted it at her.

_RUN._

_What…?_ Was her weak response, and again, the thought hit her almost painfully.

_Run. Now._

Her eyes grew wide and she could feel energy suddenly surge into her body, numbing the pain in her leg. She looked back to Tsuyomaru's body, startled, only to find that it was glowing. She nearly jumped back, though in an instant all the light dispersed, shooting up towards the sky, and, before she knew it, Kagome was left clutching three long, jagged fangs in her hands. The words _Thank You_ were also scrawled across the dirt in an extremely messy form of kanji.

Kagome couldn't help but draw in a breath of shock. All that was left of her friend's corpse were his three fangs, and the crimson stained dirt.

Again, something inside her told her to run and so, standing shakily on slightly reenergized legs, she edged away from the soldiers, who were now taking turns running at the barrier, and bolted out the back way as quick as her limp would let her.

To her surprise, none of them seemed to notice her. In fact, she was almost positive that not _one_ of them had even seen her. A little more confident now, Kagome tucked the three fangs into her pocket and ran as best she could through the trees, and after a moment, she knew exactly where she was going. She was only a little ways away from the center of the forest.

Her heart leaping with relief, Kagome tried her luck at sprinting, and was soon quite confident that her friend had given her an extra burst of energy to help her on her way.

-

Her heart pounding in her ears, Kagome could not hear the heavy footsteps that had begun to trail behind her. Though joy took her when she emerged into the bright, warming sun of the clearing, the giant tree within her sights, it was short lived.

She didn't hear the short, sharp laugh that echoed behind her, and she didn't get a chance to hear the pop of the man's gun. Before she had even realized what had happened, Kagome had dropped into darkness with a bullet in her back.

oOoOoOoO

It was just a few moments ago that Inu-Yasha had been awakened from his nap by the devastating roar of a creature out in the woods. Unsure of what it was, he had darted away from his post at the tree, to survey the other areas around him quickly. In an instant, however, he had scented Kagome. He had felt her aura burst up and out of the trees. His heart had leapt and he had rushed, ecstatic, back to his post, only to hear the laughter of the human, Ronin and a woman's voice cry out "Oh FUCK, Ronin, DON'T!!".

-

Now, Inu-Yasha gawked in horror, his ears pressing backwards as the gunshot echoed clearly through the trees. The scent of blood sprayed into the air and splashed him in the face, and his entire body quaked as he heard the dull thud of Kagome hitting the grass.

His mouth dried and his blood ran as cold as ice.

_No… No…!_

His trembling fingers clamped down on Tetsusaiga's hilt and he pulled it furiously from its sheath. He grasped it tightly in both hands and stood on his branch, relishing in the blade's aura as power surged through it and transformed it before his deadened eyes.

He could hear the tired, triumphant laugh of the man who couldn't see him, and his heart began to beat wrathfully.

_Kagome…!!_

With a roar, Inu-Yasha launched himself from his branch, bringing Tetsusaiga down with an earth shattering crash before him. Shouting out in dismay, Ronin flung himself backwards as the ground split in a deep crack.

Inu-Yasha, panting, his eyes narrowed with utter fury, yanked his blade from the ground and pointed it directly at the man. Red pulsed across the whites of his eyes and he bared his fangs.

"You BASTARD!" he bellowed.

He broke off towards Ronin at a run, charging in blind rage. Trying to stay calm, Ronin aimed his gun and shot as straight as he could at the hanyou. Though one bullet clipped Inu-Yasha's all ready bleeding arm, it was obvious that it didn't register at all. The boy snarled and, energy surging through his blade, he swung it at the man who had shot Kagome. The energy glowed bright gold, nearly blinding Ronin, who attempted to stagger away. It was no use though: the energy blasted along the ground in three deep lines with a sound like thunder, and he was quickly engulfed.

Once the energy had faded, all that was left were the three scars along the ground, and a tiny bit of ash where Ronin had been standing.

-

Inu-Yasha stood, his knees shaking, his fingers locked tightly around Tetsusaiga, whose blade lay embedded deep into the soil. He drew in a few shaking breaths and then swiftly whirled and bounded towards Kagome's felled body.

He dropped to his knees at her side, sheathing Tetsusaiga with trembling fingers, his heart racing as he felt blood smear onto him from the grass. He felt his chest tighten and he reached out a shaking hand to the girl, unsure of what to do. As he lifted her limp form into his arms, for the first time in years, the hanyou truly thought he was about to cry.

A feeling of utter helplessness set in on him: his mind drew a blank. What could he possibly do to help her?

-

In his blindness, however, Inu-Yasha had completely missed Michi, who now stood, almost petrified, against a tree.

She had watched, helpless, as the hanyou had obliterated Ronin, though she was surprised to feel no remorse for the man. Perhaps it had been his lack of humanity towards both the hanyou and his girlfriend. Plus the fact that he had threatened her life.

As she slowly was able to relax, she watched as the hanyou raced to the downed girl's side. She saw him skid in her blood and, panicked, lift her to his chest and cradle her with surprising gentleness.

Michi's heart jolted as she watched the boy, who seemed close to tears, nuzzle against the girl's face and mutter what sounded like an incredibly endearing sentiment. Guilt set in and it almost made the woman's eyes begin to water.

_They're… They really are just kids…_ she thought.

She had never really seen the boy she knew as Hanyou 153 as human until that moment. All her training over the past two years had taught her that the youkai she would be facing were subhuman, but as she watched the boy, she realized how wrong everyone had been.

_He's more 'human' than any of us,_ Michi thought.

Cautiously, she edged her way over to the hanyou's side, and then cleared her throat to draw his attention.

In an instant, his head jerked up and he darted a few feet away, the girl grasped tightly in his arms.

"_You_…!" he gasped out, "Wh-What the hell do you want now?"

"I…" Michi muttered quietly, though the uncertainty in her voice made the hanyou before her relax slightly and peer at her puzzledly, "I'm… sorry…"

Inu-Yasha jolted and he stared the woman down, his eyes wide.

"What…?" he said.

"My name is Akagawa Michi," she said quietly, "And… Hanyou, I'm… so sorry…"

Inu-Yasha couldn't be sure what she was talking about. He clutched onto Kagome, his mind still racing as he tried to figure out what to do with her.

"What?" he repeated.

"When I shot you, I thought…" she began, and then shook her head, "I just… I guess I didn't understand."

She sighed.

"I was trained to think of your kind as monsters, but… I realize now it was all wrong," she muttered, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone care more for someone than you do."

Her eyes traced to the bleeding girl in the hanyou's arms, and she winced.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and he looked to Michi, not knowing what to say.

"Hey, you tried to stop that guy," he said finally, "It's not your fault…"

He stood, biting his lip as Kagome's trembling form almost slid from his grasp. He held her in a close embrace, though did his best not to squeeze her.

"I know you liked him," he muttered, "And… I guess… Well, I'd be lying if I said I were really sorry, but-"

"Don't worry," Michi assured him with a cold laugh, "He wasn't the guy I… well, you know… He changed. You know how it is."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha agreed, "But still…"

He sighed and his shoulders shook with fatigue.

"I have to get her to a hospital…" he whispered to himself.

Michi eyed him with slight surprise before she stood as well and tentatively laid a reassuring hand against his arm.

"Hey, listen," she said, "Um… I have a phone… I'll call… I bet I can call off this whole search as well."

Inu-Yasha's ears perked, though he looked slightly nervous.

"Why would you do that for someone like me?" he inquired.

"That girl in your arms," she stated, "Shouldn't have to suffer… In fact, neither should you. I can bluff. Just… it'll be our little secret, all right kid?"

The hanyou looked apprehensive for a moment before he nodded gratefully.

"Thank you…" he mumbled, "I… I'm in debt to you now…"

"Just don't waste my efforts, okay?" she joked as she drew her phone out of a pocket in her jacket.

Inu-Yasha nodded again. The woman across from him dialled a number, and put the phone to her ear. In an instant, the search had been called off. She quickly told her supervisor that Hanyou 153 had taken his human and leapt over the tree line, and that he was probably in hiding now.

Inu-Yasha heard the man on the other end of the phone line curse several times: he was obviously upset that the hanyou had supposedly escaped. Then, he issued an order for all "units" to fall back.

Michi grinned triumphantly, and then, as soon as she hung up, dialled 1-1-0 for Inu-Yasha before offering it to him.

Slowly, he sat down in the grass, shifting Kagome to he lap and supporting her back with his arm. He took the phone from Michi in sticky, blood soaked fingers and held it to his head after mumbling "thanks," to her.

-

Soon, the ringing stopped and a female voice answered, saying,

"1-1-0, what's your emergency?"

"H… Hi, my name's Inu-Yasha," he muttered, "And… my girlfriend's been shot…"

"Shot where?" the voice asked, trying to sound calm.

"In the back, I think," the hanyou replied, "She's… She's bleeding everywhere…"

"Well, you're on a cell phone… Can you tell me where you are, son?" she inquired.

"Um… Um… I don't know," he said, starting to feel a little anxious, "Um… We're in the woods… I'm blind, so I really have no idea."

"Okay, well, your phone has a GPS system, so we can locate you. Just stay on the line with me a little longer, okay?" she said gently.

"Yeah…" he said quietly.

His head was starting to hurt.

"Do you know who shot her?" she asked.

"Some guy," he lied a little helplessly, "I dunno, I just heard his voice…"

"Okay," the woman said, "Are _you_ hurt at all, son?"

"Hai, I've… I've been shot as well," he said.

"Oh my…" the woman gasped, and then took a deep breath to regain her composure before she said, "Do you know where? And who shot you?"

"Same guy," Inu-Yasha lied.

His head was really starting to spin. The scent of blood was making him nauseous, and his wounds were starting to act up. Michi knelt and put a steadying hand on his shoulder before he continued.

"One in my leg… and in my arm…. And in my chest," he said, "I… I think I'll be okay though…"

"There should be some help coming very soon Inu-Yasha," the woman assured him in a soothing voice, "Can you stay with me for another few minutes?"

"Yeah, I think so," the hanyou replied.

"Are you dizzy?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Okay, keep talking to me," the woman said, "You need to stay conscious, okay? What's your favourite colour?"

"Um… red," Inu-Yasha muttered.

_Ironic_… he thought.

"Mine is green," the woman replied, " When is your birthday, Inu-Yasha?"

"December 28th," he stated.

"How nice. Right after Christmas. Do you celebrate Christmas, Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah," the hanyou said, "I… I like Christmas."

"Almost everyone likes Christmas," the woman laughed, "You're doing very well, son. Do you think you can hang on until an ambulance gets there?"

"I think so," Inu-Yasha said.

"Good," she said, sounding slightly cheerful, "We have your location pinpointed, and there will be help there in a few minutes. Are you okay to hang up now, or would you like me to stay on the line with you?"

"I'll be all right," the hanyou assured her, "Thank you very much."

"Good luck," she said, though she sounded a little grim now, "Sayonara."

"Sayonara," he replied before he pressed the "END" button on Michi's cell phone; it took him two tries: his blood covered fingers slipped over it the first time and he hit the number 3 instead.

-

Letting out a feeble sigh, he attempted to pass the phone back to Michi.

She politely declined and pushed it back into his hand.

"You keep it," she insisted.

"It's 'cause I got blood all over it, ne?" the hanyou chuckled weakly.

"One of the reasons," Michi admitted with a smile, "Will you be okay if I leave you and… What's her name?"

"Kagome," Inu-Yasha mumbled, "Yeah, I think we'll be okay…"

"I'm glad," she said, "Good luck."

"Arigato," he said as he fished his bandana from his pocket and awkwardly tied it down over his ears, "And… also… thanks for everything."

Michi smiled.

"Hey, I'm quitting this thanks to you," she said, "And about Ronin… Don't even think about it for a second."

Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide and startled, but he nodded.

"See ya," he said.

Michi smiled again and straightened before she headed back into the woods, trying not to hesitate, and willing herself not to look back. She couldn't be around when the help arrived. She reluctantly left the dirty, crimson-stained boy and his girlfriend to their fate.

She prayed that they would be all right.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha had to wait a grand total of two minutes and forty-seven seconds before he heard the sirens of a police car and an ambulance arrive in their vicinity: he knew because he had counted.

Within another minute and a half, he heard people rushing into the woods towards him. He realized that they must not have been too far from a road. He heard his name being called by several people, and it took him a moment to realize that he should probably answer.

_The blood loss must really be starting to get to me_, he assumed.

"Here!" he called out, and in an instant, six paramedics were on him.

Before he could even determine what was going on, Kagome was taken from him an laid on a green stretcher, and covered comfortably by a white blanket and hurried away, while a young woman took him gently by his uninjured arm and helped him to his feet.

"Relax, okay, Inu-Yasha-kun, you'll be okay," she assured him, "We have a stretcher here for you."

"I can… I can walk," he mumbled.

"Nonsense," she insisted.

Before he could protest any more, he was gently pushed down onto a stretcher, which, he realised, was surprisingly comfortable.

He could feel himself being carried, and he could vaguely see the girl walking along beside him.

"We're going to take you and your friend to the hospital," she assured him, "You were shot, ne? We'll remove the bullets. What's you're full name?"

"Taishio Inu-Yasha," he said, "I… I might have insurance, I think…"

He felt his head spin and he couldn't comprehend what the woman said next. He felt himself being lifted into the ambulance, and someone strapped him down to the stretcher, which was placed on top of some sort of table. He was too tired to protest, though he felt another woman take his face in her hands gently.

"Oh, you poor boy," she whispered, "You're soaked through…"

He felt her fingers land on his bandana, though now, his heart jolted with shock.

"N… No, wait…" he muttered, but he suddenly felt a new substance being pushed into his body and his voice gave out.

"Relax honey," he heard through now muffled ears, "Everything will be all right. Just count down from ten…"

Inu-Yasha couldn't remember if he did so or not as utter darkness and sleep took him.

* * *

A/N: Just in case you didn't know, 110 is the Japanese equivalent of 911… Well, at least in Tokyo it is, I think. If you know otherwise, feel free to correct me, because I'm not entirely positive.

Oh, and also, I was wondering... Say I was to write an actual BOOK, with original characters, plot, everything... And get it published or something within the next couple of years... Would any of you people be likely to read it?

* * *


	36. The Hospital

* * *

Chapter 35: The Hospital

* * *

After what seemed to be a matter of seconds, Inu-Yasha jerked, panicked, upright and panting. He could feel that he was sitting in a bed, and the sheets around him sagged away from him. He gazed, confused, around the room, and he was vaguely able to see a woman standing across from him. She turned to look at him, and though he couldn't see it, she smiled at him, relieved. 

The woman was garbed all in white, and had black hair and warm, concerned eyes.

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake," she said.

Inu-Yasha didn't know her voice, but it calmed him slightly.

"Who… What…?" he muttered, perplexed, "Where am I?"

"You're at the Tokyo National Hospital," the woman said, and she walked up to him and sat on the bed beside him, "My name is Kasamori Aoi. You're Inu-Yasha, right?"

"Yeah," he said, "What happened? How long was I out?"

"Just a little over an hour," the woman replied, "How do you feel, son?"

"Um… I…" the hanyou muttered, though he trailed off as he suddenly realised there was an intravenous stuck into his arm.

He blinked, and his fingers traced it uncertainly.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Morphine," the woman replied simply, "To stop the pain. Are you okay?"

"I think so," he said quietly, rubbing his forehead, "Um… Can I take it out…?"

He looked at the needle, feeling slightly anxious, and then let out a sigh.

"I… have a bit of a phobia," he muttered.

"Oh, of course, I understand," she assured him.

She took his hand in hers and guided his arm closer to her, where she gently removed the tube and needle from his vein. He couldn't help but go slightly limp, and he smiled gratefully.

"Thanks," he said.

He carefully scratched at an itchy spot on his chest, though he found that his claw was caught on what seemed to be a thin cast. Surprised, he patted himself down to find that he was wearing what felt like baggy pajamas and his wounds were bound in bandages.

"We removed the two bullets from your leg and arm," the nurse, Aoi, assured him.

"…What about my friend?" the hanyou inquired, "How's she?"

"The girl they brought in with you?" Aoi asked, "She headed into surgery a little while ago."

Inu-Yasha stared at the nurse, his ears drooping.

The woman frowned at him, pity clear on her face, and after hesitating for a moment, she reached out a hand to the boy and placed it on his head, gently rubbing his ears. Inu-Yasha sighed and closed his eyes sadly, worrying for Kagome, though in an instant, what the woman was doing to him dawned on him.

He gawked in dismay and jerked backwards, his eyes wide with horror.

"What the-!?" he gasped.

"_Relax_," the woman whispered to him, her speech passing fluently into the youkai tongue.

Inu-Yasha's jaw dropped.

"Wh… What…? How do you know…?" he stammered.

"It's all right," the woman chuckled, "You're a hanyou, aren't you? My own son is as well."

Inu-Yasha stared at Aoi, stunned for a moment, before he slumped, his fingers knitting into his sheets.

"So… everyone saw…?" he whispered.

"Don't worry," the woman assured him once more, smiling, "Everyone here knows about your kind all ready. In fact, we have a few youkai on the staff, including my husband."

Inu-Yasha stared, shocked, before he managed a small smile.

"So, it's safe here," he muttered, and then laughed quietly, "Oh, thank God… Thank God…"

The woman smiled at him and chuckled, patting his ears reassuringly.

"You didn't know, did you?" she asked.

"I had no idea," he muttered, "I've never… I haven't met very many youkai in this city."

He looked up at Aoi from the sheets.

"Don't tell… Don't tell _her_, okay…?" he whispered.

"Your friend?" Aoi asked, and when Inu-Yasha nodded, she sighed and stroked his head again, "It must be hard…"

The hanyou nodded, and then the woman stood.

"I'll go get you some breakfast, all right? Would you like me to find out about your friend for you?"

"Hai," he said, "Thank you…"

-

Aoi left the room quietly, leaving Inu-Yasha all alone with his thoughts.

He was incredibly relieved to know that this hospital was perfectly safe. He had never thought there would be a place like this, a sanctuary of sorts, for his kind.

He leaned back against his pillows, staring blankly at the ceiling, and as he thought about Kagome, he cringed and his body began to tremble.

He clenched his fingers into his sheets and clamped his eyes shut, trying to push the scent of her blood away. He felt like he was about to wretch, so he sat up, though the feeling was almost instantly gone. The hanyou grimaced and clutched his blankets closer. He was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut, and the worry for Kagome sprang up inside him.

_She has to be all right_… he thought, _She just… She just has to…._

_-_

It took another few minutes for Aoi to return, bearing a tray of orange juice and toast, though her face was grim, and Inu-Yasha could immediately tell from her scent that something was wrong.

"What is it…?" he asked hesitantly.

The nurse placed the tray down at the foot of the bed and sat in her old spot beside him.

"Inu-Yasha… Honey… I have some bad news…" she said quietly.

Inu-Yasha's heart felt frozen in his chest. He unconsciously gulped, and then slowly asked,

"Wh… What…?"

"Your friend… Higurashi Kagome, was it?" she stated, "She did go into surgery, but…"

"But?" Inu-Yasha demanded weakly.

"The bullet in her back is dangerously close to her spine," she said, "There's… There's a twenty-percent chance she will not make it… I'm sorry."

Inu-Yasha blinked, stunned.

"What?" he asked blankly, "She's… She might _die_?"

"Yes, she might," Aoi sighed, "But try not to worry too much about that. Our doctors are some of the best in the country."

Inu-Yasha nodded slightly, though he sensed that she was not done, and then looked at her, urging her to continue.

"But… And this may be very hard to hear, but…. There is a great risk she will be partially paralysed once the bullet _is_ removed."

Inu-Yasha's jaw dropped, and he could feel himself beginning to tremble.

"P… Paralysed?" he repeated, "No way… No…"

He sagged in the bed, his ears pressing flat against his head, and his fingers began to shake.

"This is all my fault…" he whispered miserably, "If it weren't for me, then…"

He clenched his fists and looked down despairingly. All his fears and doubts played in his head, and the guilt of the many murders he had committed made his chest ache as if he had been brutally beaten.

Trying to shy away from the world, the hanyou curled up, shaking with utter horror at what he had caused.

"Everything… this is all my fault…" he muttered again, "She… She'll…"

He shuddered at the thought.

-

Aoi watched him, stunned, before she gently put an arm around his shoulders.

"Son, don't worry," she said, "It's not… You couldn't have helped it."

"Yes I could have!" he growled at himself, "I could have stopped him! I could have… so much earlier… I should have…"

He shivered again, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his lap.

"And I… I killed so many…" he whimpered, "Oh God, I'm… I'm a fucking murderer! I was trying to keep her safe, but I… I killed… so many soldiers…"

His fingers shook and he buried his claws into his legs.

"The blood was… was _everywhere_," he mumbled, his voice trembling, "I _killed_ them…"

Breathing was getting harder. Inu-Yasha panted desperately for air. He felt so alone his personal darkness.

Kagome wasn't there to consol him. He had no parents, no brother, no friends…

He shuddered, alone, and terrified, until, to his surprise, he felt Aoi begin to embrace him.

She pulled the shuddering boy close, stroking his head.

"Inu-Yasha, _stop _it," she ordered, "It's not your fault."

The hanyou jerked at these words as if they had physically hit him.

"What do you mean?" he whispered.

"It's not your fault," the woman assured him, "None of this is your fault."

"Kagome got hurt 'cause of me…" he muttered sadly.

"Honey, did _you_ shoot her?" the nurse asked.

"Of course not," Inu-Yasha whispered, aching inside at the very _idea_ of it.

"Right. And honey, did you kill those soldiers for fun?" she inquired.

"No…" the boy said.

"You had no other choice," she continued, "Or they would have killed you, ne?"

Inu-Yasha nodded weakly.

"So, it's not your fault," she stated confidently.

She rubbed circles on his back and he let out a sigh, slumping in towards her.

"I know how hard it is," Aoi said gently, "My son… My son is only ten, and yet… He had to do the same thing you did."

Inu-Yasha took a moment to comprehend this before he leaned backwards swiftly, shock plastered across his face.

"You mean… your kid…" he gasped, "…Only _ten_…!? Oh my God…"

He let out a weak laugh.

"And here _I_ am, sniffling like a pup!" he chided at himself.

He laughed again, and Aoi stroked his head.

"You're a strong boy," she said, "And brave too. I was a little surprised that you weren't crying."

Inu-Yasha smiled slightly and let her hold him close again, consoling him, though his ears drooped again after a moment.

"I'm… I'm going to jail, aren't I…?" he whispered.

"No, you're not," the woman assured him, "I can keep your secret."

Inu-Yasha was stunned. He froze, surprised, biting his lip nervously.

"But… I'm a murderer," he mumbled, "Won't there be investigations into the deaths of all those soldiers?"

"No, there won't," Aoi sighed, "Sweetie… It'll all be covered up. The section of government radicals that are doing these terrible things to youkai… The real politicians don't know a thing about it."

Inu-Yasha's body jolted and his posture slumped.

"So it's all some… stupid conspiracy?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," the woman replied.

-

Inu-Yasha was silent for a few minutes, and Aoi pulled him closer, trying to consol him. In truth, it was working. He _did_ feel quite a bit better.

"Man… I wish I had a mom like you," he said.

"Oh, I'm sure your mother loves you very much," the woman assured him.

"It's not that," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, "I mean… I don't have a mom… I mean, I _did_, but…. You know…"

He sighed as the woman gave him an inquiring glance.

"Only my older brother and I were sent forward," he explained, "I haven't had a mom since I was two."

"That must be hard," Aoi said softly.

"I guess," he replied quietly, "But, you know, it could always be worse…"

He sat up and leaned backwards, and the woman released him as he fingered the blankets around him.

"I mean… I'm glad I have my brother," Inu-Yasha said, "If I had come by myself, I probably would've been dead a long time ago."

His ears drooped and he sighed deeply.

"Kasamori-san?" he inquired, "When… do you think I can see Kagome?"

"Soon," the woman assured him, "She should be out of surgery relatively soon."

Inu-Yasha nodded and bit his lip a little nervously, while the woman across from him looked slightly ashamed.

"May I talk legally with you, for a moment?" she wondered.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"We were supposed to have a guardian sign a waver for her," she muttered, "Though… You're the closest we could find. We couldn't wait to put her through any longer…"

Inu-Yasha nodded, and then chuckled quietly.

"I understand," he said, "Don't worry, I won't sue anyone if something goes wrong… It's not like it'll help… And I'm sure the surgeons are doing their best for her."

"They are," Aoi confirmed, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead with her knuckles, "To be honest, I don't know if you're even allowed to sign forms for her. You're seventeen, ne?"

"Hai," he admitted, "How… How do you know?"

"Your brother has your records available to those who can read the language of Youkai," she said, "In case something like this were to happen, I suppose."

"Wow…" the hanyou whispered, "He's ready for just about anything, isn't he…?"

"I guess," the woman laughed quietly, "He must really care for you."

Inu-Yasha smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yeah…" he mumbled.

"And so you'll be glad to know that he's on his way, ne?" Aoi said with a smile.

This took Inu-Yasha by surprise. He stared blankly at the nurse for a moment, before blurting,

"_What…_?"

"He's been notified about your injuries, obviously," she said.

Inu-Yasha merely gawked, before he put a hand to his forehead.

"Can you… Can you tell him not to come?" he muttered.

The woman frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've been away from home without a word for _weeks_… He's gonna kick my ass," he joked, and then sighed, "Crap, do I miss him, but… I don't think I'd be able to deal with him right now… Tell him I'll call him later."

Aoi looked concerned, but she nodded.

"If you say so," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded his thanks, and then looked to the woman curiously.

"Hey…" he said, "If you have my records… When's my real birthday? …I actually have no idea, I make up a new one every year."

"Oh," Aoi said, sounding slightly puzzled.

She stood from the bed and walked to the end, where a clipboard full of notes was posted. She picked them up and skimmed through them quickly.

"December 28th," she stated.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked up with shock and he looked to Aoi, his eyes wide.

"For real?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, replacing the charts before returning to his side.

"That's insane," the hanyou muttered, shaking his head, "That's… That's _exactly _the day Kagome made up for me…"

"Your friend must have a sixth-sense about you then," the woman said with a smile.

She patted his shoulder, and he brightened slightly.

"Yeah… She's really good at that kind of thing," he said.

He leaned back into his pillows and closed his eyes.

"She damn well better be okay," he whispered.

Aoi wasn't sure what to tell him. She patted his head reassuringly before she stood, bringing his tray of food closer to him.

"Eat if you can," she said gently, "I'll contact you're brother for you now, okay?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and delicately took a piece of toast between his claws as the woman walked from the room.

_oOoOoOoO_

It only took the hanyou a minute to eat his breakfast and down the orange juice he had been given. Despite what was happening around him, he had regained most of his appetite, and was soon hungry again. His ears drooped downwards briefly before he rotated them to casually listen to the sounds outside his room. He strained to hear Aoi's voice, hoping that she would come back with good news about Kagome for him.

The worry began to gnaw at him again, and he cringed.

_Damn it… Kagome, after this, I'm never letting you go off by yourself like that again,_ he vowed.

He sat up slightly, wincing as the pain from his chest ran up and down his body. The morphine's affect was starting to wear off: his hanyou metabolism was pushing it out of his system incredibly quickly.

-

He lay back in his sheets to rest slightly, wondering what was going to happen. He hoped that Kirara had made it out of the forest safely.

He let his mind replay the events of the last few hours and cringed. He wondered what had made that roar in the trees.

_It was nothing "normal", I know that… It kinda reminded me of Ah-Un, now that I think about it,_ he thought absently.

Had there been another demon out in the woods?

Frowning, Inu-Yasha folded his arms behind his head, and after another few minutes, his ear tweaked to the sound of Aoi's approaching voice. She was talking on the phone with someone, and Inu-Yasha almost automatically knew it was his brother.

His heart jerked, and he instantly felt excited, yet anxious. The woman walked into the room a few seconds later, a portable phone held to her ear.

"He's right here," she was saying as she came through the door, "Yes, don't worry, he's perfectly conscious…. All right, I'll pass him over."

She turned to Inu-Yasha, who sat up, his ears perking, and said,

"Your brother would like to talk to you, Inu-Yasha."

She held the phone out to him, and he hesitantly took it and whispered his thanks before drooping his right ear slightly and holding the phone close.

"Hello…?" he said.

_oOoOoOoO_

In his car, Sessho-Maru nearly jumped at hearing his younger brother's voice.

He had received a call from the Tokyo National Hospital at home, informing him that his brother was there, and he had almost immediately rushed out to his car, giving the nurse who had talked to him his cell phone number in case anything important came up. As he had received the second one from a nurse named Kasamori Aoi, he had swiftly pulled into a nearby parking lot, so as to not be distracted while on the road, though he had had to drive partially with his tail in order to do so.

The youkai sat, stunned for a moment, until he heard his brother hesitantly ask,

"Hello…? Sessho-Maru?"

Sessho-Maru took a deep breath, and clasped his cell phone in his claws before answering.

"Inu-Yasha? …Baka hanyou, are you all right?"

After a moment, Inu-Yasha began to laugh weakly, and it brought a slight smile to Sessho-Maru's normally serious face.

"Oh, I'm okay," he replied, "I just got shot a couple of times, no biggie."

"No biggie," the youkai repeated, almost laughing, "You little smartass… How many times?"

"Well, three this time," Inu-Yasha replied, "Since I've been gone, it's gotta be… umm… Jeez, at least six."

"Baka," Sessho-Maru repeated quietly, though he couldn't help but smile, though in an instant, he was frowning, "Why did you leave?"

"Leave?" the hanyou repeated, confused, "Dude, I was friggin abducted. I wouldn't just leave without saying anything to you."

"Yeah…?" he asked, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice, "Well, I wouldn't put it past you since… you know, you've been ignoring me for the past-"

"Sessh…" Inu-Yasha interjected, suddenly saddened, "Look, I'm… so sorry about that… Didn't you get my note about it?"

"Note?" the man repeated, and Inu-Yasha sighed and cursed softly to himself.

"I left it near the coffee maker," he explained, "Well, whatever. It was just to apologize, really… And to say I was going out for a walk."

He sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said again, "I just… I dunno what to tell you… But… I swear, it wasn't anything personal… I swear… You know, when you said that… that you thought I hated you…?"

"Yes," Sessho-Maru replied.

"That really… _really_ got to me," Inu-Yasha said, his voice quiet now, "I… I don't hate you at all, Nii-san."

He laughed weakly, though it sounded a little forced.

"I couldn't hate you."

Sessho-Maru jerked slightly, and if he hadn't all ready shrunk his tail back into his spine, it would have started to wag by itself.

"Inu-Yasha…" he muttered, and then shook his head, "Your nurse said you didn't want me to come."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha, "It's not like I don't want to see you, it's just that… I think it'll be way too stressful… And I'm gonna need to look after-"

"Your girlfriend?" Sessho-Maru interjected with a chuckle, and then smirked, "I think I understand."

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said embarrassedly, "Yeah, I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing so much, you're starting to sound like a little girl," the youkai sighed.

"Ah, shut up," the hanyou barked jokingly.

"How are your eyes?" Sessho-Maru said swiftly, drumming his fingers against the phone.

"Oh… Well, still not working very well at all," Inu-Yasha said a little forlornly, "Miroku told you?"

"Yes," he said, and he couldn't help a growl from creeping into his voice when he said, "Who the fuck did that to you?"

"I dunno, they knocked me on my face," the hanyou admitted, "Umm… Oh…"

There was a pause and Sessho-Maru heard a female voice tell Inu-Yasha that "Kagome would be out of surgery soon".

"I guess you heard that," Inu-Yasha said into the phone, "I should go… Say hi to Rin and Ah-Un for me… Oh, and tell her I got Tetsusaiga."

"Oh, you found it? Good job," Sessho-Maru said, "I'll tell them you said hi… When are you coming home?"

"Don't know," the hanyou said, sounding a little anxious now, "I'll call you. Bye."

"Bye," the youkai replied.

He hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket, unable to keep a small smile of relief off his face.

-

Carefully, the youkai pulled out of the parking lot, feeling better than he had in weeks. For a moment, he wondered about whether he should go visit Inu-Yasha anyway. As he got back onto the road, he decided against it, and then decided he wanted to go visit Rin instead. He then recalled that she would be headed into school by now: it was nearly 9:00 am.

He sighed, unsure of what to do with his time, and then decided that he would drive to Rin's school to pay her a visit, and then check in at the orphanage to see how the adoption papers were coming along.

Perhaps it would turn out to be a good day after all.

_oOoOoOoO_

With anxiety beating in his heart, Inu-Yasha kept a quick, limping pace alongside Aoi as she clasped his hand and guided him to a waiting area down the hall from his room. Though he hadn't told her, the hanyou was quite sure that she knew he was blind.

His feet felt cold on the tiled floor but he had refused the fuzzy green slippers that she had tried to get him to wear.

-

In less than a minute, they had reached a door that opened into a waiting area. It smelled less strongly of medication than the rest of the building and was full of blue and green chairs, lining the walls. There was a white counter where another nurse sat, scheduling visiting times with an older man that Inu-Yasha automatically knew was a youkai. Other than the man, the room was empty save for four scattered, separate humans.

The hanyou was about to push his way into the room, though Aoi gently stopped him, taking him by the shoulders.

"Not everyone in there knows about youkai, honey," she said gently.

She fished around in her pockets for a moment before pulling out a clean, black bandana. She had to stand a little taller on her toes to reach, but she quickly tied it over the hanyou's ears. He looked a little embarrassed and nodded as she pushed the door open for him and sat him down in the chair closest to the desk.

He fidgeted for a moment as Aoi left his side, though she merely took a folded blanket out from behind the desk and draped it around his shoulders before sitting beside him.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks," he said, smiling slightly, "…Thanks for taking such good care of me…"

The woman smiled and shrugged slightly, giving his head an affectionate pat.

"I suppose you remind me of my son," she laughed.

Inu-Yasha felt slightly cheered by her statement, though he waited eagerly for any news, any sign… _anything_ to tell him that Kagome was all right.

-

After a little while, he leaned closer to the nurse.

"How much longer do you think it'll be until we can know how it went…?" he whispered.

"Not much longer, I'd expect," Aoi said, trying to sound reassuring, "They alerted me when it was nearing completion… They told me it was going very well."

Inu-Yasha's ears perked up and his eyes brightened.

"Good," he mumbled, and then let out a weak laugh, "I don't know what I'd do if…"

His sentence trailed off into quiet and he sighed, while the woman patted his back consolingly.

"Don't worry," she assured him, "I'm positive that she's going to be all right."

Inu-Yasha nodded, but his head drooped.

_But what if she's paralysed?_ He kept wondering, _It's all my fault…_

He sighed, saddened again, and he bunched his blanket around himself. He could almost feel the morphine draining out of his system as his limbs began to ache. He closed his eyes, but after a moment, he jumped, hearing swift footsteps drawing closer as they rushed down the hallway opposite from the one they had entered from.

Aoi jerked slightly as well as the door swung open. Another nurse, garbed in mostly white, walked in quickly, a look of urgency plastered across her face.

"Aoi, we just brought another one in," she panted.

"Another one?" Inu-Yasha repeated curiously, looking to the woman, and then back to Aoi.

"What… do you mean?" Aoi asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Another, like him," the new nurse said, lowering her voice and pointing to Inu-Yasha, "In the same forest."

Inu-Yasha jerked in his chair as Aoi jumped to her feet.

"How bad is he-?"

"Over twelve gunshots," the nurse said grimly.

Aoi put a hand to her mouth in shock, while Inu-Yasha looked to the other nurse with wide eyes, his ears drooping.

"No…" he gasped.

_That time when all the soldiers were drawn away, they were… Oh my God…_

"Is he gonna be okay?" he demanded.

"Do you know him, Inu-Yasha?" Aoi inquired.

"No, but… but…" he stammered.

He shook his head in disbelief, and then looked up at the nurse worriedly.

"Is he going to be okay?" he repeated.

"We… We hope so," the woman replied, "None of the wounds were to vital areas, but he lost a lot of blood."

Inu-Yasha slumped backwards, biting his lip, and Aoi put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Inu-Yasha, it's all going to be okay," she assured him gently, "Now… I need to go, and I want you to stay _right here, _unless you get word about your friend"

Inu-Yasha nodded a little weakly.

"I'm so sorry…" he breathed.

Aoi's eyes grew wide with surprise and she patted the boy's shoulder.

"What?" she inquired.

The hanyou bit his lip and winced, his head drooping.

"It's my fault… Those men were after me…" he whispered.

"Inu-Yasha…" the woman said softly.

"Aoi, please, we have to go," the other nurse urged.

Aoi looked up at her and, nodding reluctantly, pulled away from Inu-Yasha.

"You and I are going to have a long chat about "faults" when I get back, young man," she stated, wagging a finger at him before walking away.

-

Inu-Yasha stared after her, his heart aching.

_That… That poor kid_, he thought sadly.

His head drooped and the guilt built up again.

_All those people… Kagome… and now this kid…_ he mused, biting his lip, _How many people have to get hurt because of me…?_

He sighed deeply, and then tried to push his regret for the soldiers away. If he hadn't killed them, _they _would have killed _him_. His ears drooped at the thought and he straightened slightly, leaning his head back and thumping it against the wall as he clung tightly to the blanket around his shoulders.

-

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long amount of time, Inu-Yasha heard footsteps smacking against the hard, clean tiles down the hallway, and a man swiftly pushed the door across from him open. He had dark hair and blue eyes that frowned with worry behind his dark-rimmed glasses. He pulled his doctor's coat close as the other people in the room looked up at him, wondering if he brought news of any of their loved-ones.

He looked around the room and slowly, he cleared his throat.

"Is there a… Takahashi Inu-Yasha in here?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha jolted as he heard his name, though he raised his eyebrow at the family name.

"Um… I'm Inu-Yasha, but… I'm Taishio Inu-Yasha," he said quietly.

The man swiftly walked up to him and bent down to his level.

"Ah," he said, "I'm sorry. I thought your brother would have told you."

"Told me what?" he asked.

"He's changed your family name to Takahashi to… well…" he said slowly, as if trying to think of how to phrase something, and then lowered his voice, "To clear your trail, since you registered here under the name of Taishio for your treatment."

"Oh," the hanyou said, his eyes widening, "Wh… What about my driver's licence and-?"

"He told us he'd send someone with all new documents for you," the man whispered, and then, raising his voice slightly, gave the boy a smile and said, "I have good news. Your friend, Higurashi Kagome, has just come out of surgery."

Inu-Yasha nearly jumped out of his chair, but the man chuckled and pushed him back down gently.

"Relax son," he said.

"Is she okay?" the hanyou demanded, his eyes wide.

"She's fine," the doctor stated.

"And… nerve damage…?" he breathed, and the doctor laughed again, shaking his head.

"None," the man said.

Inu-Yasha gawked for a moment before he cracked a relieved smile.

"She's fine…" he repeated.

His ears perked up slightly.

"Thank God…" he whispered.

The doctor grinned at him and took him by the arm, carefully guiding him to his feet.

"Are _you_ all right?" the man asked him.

Inu-Yasha nodded readily.

"I'm perfect," he laughed, "Can I go see her?"

"Of course," the doctor said with a smile, "Though… she might be unconscious for a little while."

Inu-Yasha nodded again and his face brightened.

"That's okay," he assured him.

­_I just want to be close to her again_.

-

He was almost ecstatic as the doctor led him out of the room and away, down long expanses of halls that smelled like Tylenol and old marshmallows.

His nose wrinkled, but the scents stopped bothering him after just a few seconds. He was going to get to see Kagome again! He didn't care how the building around his smelled.

After a little while, the doctor came to a halt, and Inu-Yasha overshot him by a few paces and then doubled back, looking embarrassed.

"Excited?" the man asked him, shooting him a smirk.

"I'm just so glad she's okay," Inu-Yasha said shyly.

The doctor smiled and patted the boy on the shoulder and guided him towards a door.

"She'll be right in there," he assured him, "Either one of the nurses or I will be in to check on Kagome soon."

Inu-Yasha nodded and then, smiling gratefully, stepped into the room, and was automatically swamped with the girl's scent.

His ears folded backwards and he edged towards the rectangular form against the opposite wall.

"Kags…" he breathed tentatively.

He hoped desperately for an answer, though he knew that the girl was out cold.

His smile had slowly fallen, and he now stood, biting his lip and wondering what he was going to do now. He glanced around the small room and spotted a wooden chair with white cushions propped up against the wall beside the bed.

Squinting slightly, he edged his way towards it and pulled it towards him. He sat close to the bed and stared blankly at the outline of Kagome's face. He shifted his chair closer and inclined his head, wishing he could make his eyes work properly. From what he could tell, though, Kagome looked quite peaceful.

The boy's ears drooped.

He hoped that she wasn't in any pain. He also hoped that she would wake up soon. He reached out a hand to her tentatively and brushed her hair from her face. Guilt throbbed inside him and he stroked her head gently. After a moment, he drew back and stared at her blankly, unsure of what to do. The ticking of the clock pinned to the wall began to seem louder and louder until it became a dull drone, broken only by the occasional sound of footsteps in the hallways.

The hanyou was starting to feel absolutely terrible. Remorse made his stomach turn over and he slumped in his chair. His ears pressed against his skull and he cupped his chin, letting out a deep, depressed sigh. The room around him suddenly became cold, and he clutched his blanket closer, though it barely helped. It was an odd feeling, almost as if all the heat had been abruptly sucked from the room. The boy shuddered, and then looked up to Kagome worriedly. She still lay unmoving in the white hospital sheets, though the hanyou could sense something different about her.

He couldn't place the feeling, but it troubled him. He sighed once more and drooped downwards, putting his head in his hands sadly.

"Kagome…" he whispered aloud.

_oOoOoOoO_

_Kagome_…

The sound echoed softly through the dark, incomprehensible.

It was in a voice the girl knew though. One she knew very well.

It took a moment for the sound, swirling in her head, to swell and become a clear representation of her name

_Inu-Yasha?_ she wondered curiously.

Kagome's head swam for a moment before she forced her eyes to open. Clear, blue sky was all she could see for a moment and she frowned, confused.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't that.

Cautiously, she pushed herself into a sitting position, her hands coming to rest in soft grass. She looked around, puzzled. She was positive that it was Inu-Yasha who had said her name, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Kagome frowned, worried. All she could see was grassy hills before her. She turned a little awkwardly, and still, all there was to see was more grass.

Kagome scratched her head.

"…What…?" she mumbled, confused.

She looked up to the sky and shielded her eyes from the sun, squinting. There was a slight breeze blowing across the girl's face but, nonetheless, it seemed unnaturally quiet.

_Where the hell am I?_ She wondered.

After a few moment of contemplation, Kagome nearly jumped to her feet as she heard something prowling through the grass behind her. Cautiously, she turned to see who was there, hoping secretly that it would be her friend.

-

Unfortunately, whoever it was, it certainly wasn't the silver-haired boy Kagome had been hoping for. Instead, she could see a tall man, looking to be in his late twenties, or maybe even his thirties. He was still a fair distance away, and had paused to observe something above him, but the girl could see him quite clearly.

The man was tall, and he looked ragged; almost feral. His hair was long and red, and a little shaggy, and, to Kagome's shock, he sported two long, straight horns on his head that sloped backwards slightly. Thick, black claws adorned his fingers, and his irises were bright red.

Kagome was unsure of what to make of this strange-looking man, though he reminded her of someone.

-

After a few seconds, the man turned his attention away from the sky and continued in her direction. The girl watched him curiously, though as he drew closer, she began to feel more and more familiarity with him. Though she couldn't quite comprehend it, she watched him; studied his face in an attempt to remember when or where she might have seen him before.

As the man crossed over a hill towards her, his bright red eyes suddenly locked with hers, and grew round, horrified.

He stalled in his tracks and visibly shook before he collapsed onto his knees, shaking his head.

"No," he gasped, "It can't be…"

Kagome blinked at him, confused, but she recognized his deep, growling voice. It was the voice of a dragon.

The girl gawked for a moment before stumbling to her feet, staring intently at the man.

"Tsuyomaru?" she demanded.

The man merely shook his head, whispering "No," over and over to himself.

Kagome bit her lip, and in an instant, had jogged to his side and squatted beside him.

"Tsuyomaru?" she asked again.

The man's gaze shot up and he stared into her eyes for a moment before he nodded and took her tightly by the shoulders.

"Why are you here!?" he demanded, "What happened? …You're not supposed to be here!"

Kagome jolted with shock: she was surprised on so many levels that she wasn't sure which one to address first.

"It's… really you?" she whispered.

She felt tears well up in her eyes and the man jumped, and then frowned worriedly before cupping her cheek with a large, battered hand.

"Of course it is, little one," he said, calming himself, "Kagome, you have to answer me. How did you get here?"

Kagome merely blinked at him blankly for a moment before he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What? You don't sound very glad to see me," the girl joked, sniffling.

"I'm not glad to see you _here_," the human-form Tsuyomaru said, frowning, "This is no place for the living."

Kagome resumed looking at him blankly and he sighed, his head drooping.

"You shouldn't be here if you're not dead," he muttered, "I thought… I was afraid, for a moment, that you were, but…"

He trailed off and shook his head before grasping her shoulders again.

"You have to get back."

"Get back where? I don't understand," she said, "And why can you talk? And why don't you look like you did before?"

"When you die, all wounds such as mine are healed," Tsuyomaru explained, "And I was asked to meet someone here, in this form… I guess it was you."

"Asked by who?" Kagome inquired.

Tsuyomaru bit his lip and then looked a little embarrassed.

"It doesn't matter," he stated, and the patted her head affectionately, "I'm very glad you're all right, little one. Did you make it to your friend?"

"Um…" Kagome muttered, frowning, "I… I don't know."

Tsuyomaru looked puzzled, but then sighed and, to Kagome's surprise, hugged her close. She sat still for a moment before she smiled and hugged him around the shoulders.

"I don't understand why you're here," he muttered softly, mostly to himself.

"I still don't know where here is," the girl chuckled.

The youkai sighed and patted her back, but, suddenly, he felt something warm and sticky on his fingers. He jerked back and automatically knew the substance was blood.

"Oh gods…" he whispered, and Kagome stared at his crimson fingers, confused.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked.

Tsuyomaru frowned, biting his lip.

"You… Your back is bleeding," he muttered.

Kagome raised an eyebrow and then put a hand to her lower back. Suddenly, uncomfortable heat and pain rushed through her body. Before she could even cry out, she saw a flash of light before her eyes and everything when dark once more as her form was whisked away from the land of the dead as suddenly as it had appeared there.

_oOoOoOoO_

In an instant, Tsuyomaru sat, alone. All that was left of the girl, the blood on his fingers, evaporated almost instantly into tiny, blue sparks that fluttered away with the wind.

The youkai sighed, his head drooping, and he clenched his fists tightly.

He wished he hand been able to stay with the girl longer. She had obviously been wounded after he had been killed.

Guilt gnawed at him, though he knew there was nothing he could do. He stood slowly, his limbs shaking slightly, and in a few seconds, he had reassumed his normal, scaly form.

His goat-like ears drooped and he turned to head back in the direction he had come, only to see a woman with long black hair, garbed in an elegant blue kimono, standing before him.

It was the same woman who had told him to go to that spot initially.

"You'll see her again," she assured him with a smile.

The youkai nodded, though his face fell and he looked to the dirt.

"I didn't get a chance to tell her…" he whispered.

The woman looked at him sympathetically before she approached him and patted his arm consolingly.

"There'll be another time," she told him, "She may find out on her own. She's a clever young thing."

She latched her hand onto one of his huge fingers and laughed quietly.

"I'd say you did quite well," she laughed.

Slowly, Tsuyomaru managed to crack a fangy grin.

"I'd say so too," he agreed.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome felt lost, as if shrouded in fog. All around her was dark again, but she felt surprisingly comfortable. The pain that had hit her had subsided almost as suddenly as it had appeared.

She was puzzled as to what was going on, and why it was so dark, until it struck her that her eyes were closed.

She nearly laughed aloud at herself, though she wondered why she was so out of it.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, though her lids felt heavy. She blinked up at the white tiles of the ceiling above her as her eyes adjusted to the light of the room she was in.

She wondered where she was, and then she began wondering where she had been just a few moments ago. Then, she wondered where Inu-Yasha was.

Groggily, the girl sat up slightly, feeling pillows propped up behind her head. She squinted slightly, and then looked to her side.

She was pleasantly surprised to see Inu-Yasha sitting in a chair to her right, kneeled forward with his head in his hands. Her face automatically brightened, though she wondered why the boy was hunched over.

_Is he feeling sick?_ She wondered.

She could see his back heaving slightly, and she suddenly frowned, worried. Was he crying?

Kagome bit her lip and moved one arm slightly closer to him.

"Inu-Yasha?" she said quietly, "You okay…?"

In an instant, the boy's head jerked up, his eyes wide. Kagome was relieved to see that there were no tears on his face, though he looked startled and pale, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Kagome?" he gasped.

The girl smiled weakly at him and laughed softly, raising her hand in a slight wave.

"Hi," she said.

-

Inu-Yasha stared at the girl, his heart leaping joyfully, and before he could even contemplate stopping himself, he was on the bed beside her, doing his best to avoid the tube attached to a vein in her arm as he scooped her up and hugged her close.

Kagome jumped, startled, though she smiled and weakly wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he began to laugh, relieved.

"Oh, thank God you're okay," he whispered.

He nuzzled against her cheek contentedly, and Kagome laughed again.

"You're all cuddly," she snickered, though she looked a little confused, "Where are we, Yasha?"

"We're in a hospital," he stated, patting her back gently.

"Hospital?" Kagome repeated, "What? Why?"

Her eyes widened and she drew back slightly, worried.

"Oh my God, how many times did you get shot?" she demanded.

She couldn't help her eyes starting to water, and she bit her lip briefly.

"Are you okay…?" she whispered.

"Me?" the boy replied, looking surprised, "I'm not the reason we're here Kags."

He raised one hand to her face and gently brushed her tears away as she began to frown, confused.

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

"_You're_ the one who got hurt," Inu-Yasha stated quietly, looking guilty.

"Really?" Kagome asked, "But… I'm not sore or anything…"

"That's 'cause you're probably on morphine," the boy told her, "You… You got shot."

Kagome raised an eyebrow and then stared blankly at him for a second.

"What? No way," she said, "…Really…?"

"Yes, really," Inu-Yasha said, his smile falling, "You were… you were right near the tree and-"

"And then everything went… poof… Black…" Kagome interjected, "Oh… shit…"

She began to feel a little frightened and she leaned forward again, hugging onto her friend tightly for reassurance.

"It's true," she muttered to herself, "Oh my God…"

She shuddered.

"Who was it…?" she whispered.

"Ronin," the hanyou growled out spitefully, "But… he won't ever be doing something like that again…"

The boy sounded grim, and by the tone of his voice, Kagome almost immediately knew what her friend had done.

She bit her lip and hugged him tighter, only to realize she was barely able to squeeze him at all; she suddenly felt incredibly weak.

"Thank you," she whispered, and then managed a smile, "You saved my life again, didn't you? I-"

She caught herself abruptly and shut her mouth, unable to stop a blush from spreading across her paled cheeks. She had been about to say, "I love you," to him.

Embarrassed, she snuggled closer, though, unknown to her, Inu-Yasha could feel her slight change in temperature and was curious, though he didn't push the matter.

He patted her head, and she smiled, drawing her arms from his shoulders and wrapping them more snugly around his waist; it was his turn to begin blushing. He drooped his head and pressed a tiny bit closer, careful not to apply any pressure to her lower back

"I'm just… really glad you're okay…" he whispered after a few minutes.

Kagome closed her eyes and nodded.

"I'm glad that you are," she muttered, "I was so damn worried… After you got shot…"

She frowned.

"How many times _did_ you get shot?" she asked, "Knowing you, it was more than once, wasn't it?"

"Um…" the boy muttered shyly, "I don't know if I should-"

"Just tell me, Inu-Yasha."

"I don't wanna worry you…"

"It's all done with now," Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes, "And… If we're in the hospital, you've been all treated and bandaged and whatnot, right?"

The hanyou nodded and blew out a sigh.

"All right…" he muttered reluctantly, "It was… three times…"

Kagome winced and her heart sunk.

"Are you in pain?" she whispered.

"Just a bit, 'cause I'm off the painkillers," he admitted, "But I'm all right."

Kagome cringed and sighed as well.

"You poor guy," she whispered, "How long have we been here?"

"A couple hours," he replied, shrugging.

-

Kagome sighed and sat quietly against her friend for a bit longer until, once more the loss of her youkai guardian caught up with her. Her eyes began to tear up and she sniffed sadly. She was also extremely confused about a great deal of things, such as how she could swear she had just sat with him in a grassy field, and that she had somehow erected a barrier in the woods.

Inu-Yasha frowned, puzzled as to why Kagome had begun to cry, and he loosened his grip in case he was hurting her.

"Kags? You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'm just… sad and confused," she whispered, "I'll be okay…"

She sniffed and tried to hold back the tears, though when Inu-Yasha dipped down to kiss her on the cheek, she couldn't help but choke quietly.

_He's… so sweet,_ she thought, biting her lip and latching onto his shirt, _Oh my God, I can't believe that… I might've died today… And then he'd be all alone again, and…_

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry for what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome gulped and finally forced herself to straighten to look him in the face. She didn't know why, but he suddenly seemed so much taller than her…

She kissed his cheek before she slumped slightly and gripped onto his arm.

"I… I lost someone in the woods," she whispered, "Someone who… who saved my life after we had to split up."

Inu-Yasha was a confused, and his ears drooped backwards.

"What…? Like an animal?" he asked.

"No," Kagome said, and couldn't stop a slight laugh, "He was a dragon."

Inu-Yasha jolted, surprised, and for an instant thought it might be the drugs in her system messing with her head, but after a moment, he realized that she was dead serious.

"How big a dragon?" he asked a bit dumbly.

-

Inu-Yasha's question made Kagome laugh again, and, after a slight pause in conversation and after she was able to stop crying, Kagome explained her exploits to the hanyou in great detail. Finally able to pull away from him slightly to sit up by herself, she told him all about how she had tripped and wounded her leg as a man had perused her, and how her youkai friend, Tsuyomaru, had saved her life then by eating him. As she drew to a bit of a close, she found Inu-Yasha to be staring at her thoughtfully.

"You don't believe me," she said shyly, though the hanyou's eyes grew wide and he shook his head swiftly, slowly sneaking an arm around her shoulders.

"What? No, I do believe you!" he protested.

He couldn't help but nuzzle against her cheek gently, trying to reassure her.

"I really do," he muttered, "I promise you..."

Kagome bit her lip before she looked to him hesitantly.

"Yeah…?" she asked quietly before she let out a sigh and leaned back against her friend, "His throat was all scarred… But later, it was weird… Oh jeez, you're gonna think I'm absolutely insane."

She laughed weakly, though Inu-Yasha shook his head, his eyes probing her inquisitively.

"What?" he said, "Keep going."

"Well… That dog spirit guy came to me as well, after nightfall… And he made it so I could hear the big demon's thoughts. He told me his name was Tsuyomaru," Kagome explained, "And so… I dunno, I… I really liked him… I guess we were kinda quick friends…"

Kagome folded her arms to her chest and looked to the bed sheets miserably, her mouth running dry.

"I… I asked him to come back with me… He had nowhere to go…" she whispered, "I… I didn't think you'd mind… He said he could look kinda human, so we'd say he was my uncle… but then…."

Kagome could feel the tears start anew, and the hanyou automatically pulled her closer.

"He… He died for me, Yasha," she whispered, "They shot him so many times… He ran right in front, so that I could get away… But then…"

She shook her head.

"It's all insane…" she whispered to herself before looking to Inu-Yasha with wide, sad eyes, "Inu-Yasha, do you think I'm crazy?"

"No," he replied honestly.

He brushed her tears away with a finger and hugged her closer, once again being careful not to squeeze her too hard.

"I wish… I wish I could have met him," he admitted, "To thank him for taking such good care of you."

Kagome let out a weak laugh and hugged onto the boy's waist, leaning her head tiredly onto his shoulder.

"Thanks Yasha…" she muttered, "But honestly, _I_ sound crazy to myself, so if you don't believe me-"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I do?" the boy sighed, rolling his eyes, "You're so weird."

Kagome laughed softly and closed her eyes, letting herself relax.

"Thanks for letting me cry on you," she said.

"That's my job," he assured her.

-

They sat together quietly for a while as Kagome let her tears run freely, not embarrassed in the least.

Despite her sorrow for the loss of Tsuyomaru, she was extremely grateful to still have Inu-Yasha by her side. Just being able to sit with him again raised her spirits. She clenched her hand onto his shirt and let out a sigh before she drew back to look him in the face.

He looked a little confused, but then shot her a grin.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"A bit," she said, "It's just…"

She sniffed a little sadly and cupped her boy's cheek.

"Please… never do anything like that," she begged.

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he inclined his head.

"What do you mean?" he inquired.

"Don't do what Tsuyomaru did," she whispered.

Inu-Yasha was startled, and, frowning with pity, he pulled the girl against his chest and stroked her head as she cuddled up to him with a sigh. He didn't answer though, because he knew that if he said he wouldn't if the situation came up, it would be a bold-faced lie. He would gladly die to protect Kagome, and, deep down, he was sure that she knew that.

_oOoOoOoO_

After a few more minutes, Kagome began to tire again, and soon enough, she had fallen asleep in Inu-Yasha's arms, but not before wondering aloud about where her belongings were.

The hanyou soon laid her back into her covers and tucked her in gently, his heart lightened. He was so relieved to know she was all right that he merely sat beside her contentedly for almost ten minutes before he realised that he should probably be finding something to do. Perhaps he could find someone to ask where Kagome's things were. In fact, he was also a little curious as to where his own belongings were, especially his sword.

He stood up slowly, trying not to shake the bed too much, before he quietly prowled to the doorway and left the room.

To his surprise, though, he found Aoi leaning up against the wall beside the room, looking a little worried.

"Kasamori-san," Inu-Yasha said, a little startled, "What…? How long have you been there?"

"Not long," the woman said, giving him a small smile, "How's your friend?"

"Fine," he stated, unable to help a grin from passing over his face, "She's fine… She just fell asleep again. How's that other kid?"

"Stable. We think he's going to be okay," the woman said.

"Great," Inu-Yasha said, and Aoi gave him a slight smile and patted his shoulder.

"Are you still hungry? Would you like me to show you where our food court is?"

"There's a food court?" he asked, "Hmmm…"

He was still hungry, but he decided that he could wait.

"Maybe later," he said, "Kasamori-san, do you know where our stuff would be?"

"Oh, of course," she said, "Though we had to throw most of you clothes out. And I'm technically not supposed to give that sword back to you while you're in here, but I'm sure most of the doctors will understand."

Inu-Yasha's ears perked up slightly.

"But uh… what am I gonna do about clothes?" he wondered.

"Oh, don't worry," the nurse assured him, "Everything has been replaced."

"Okay," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "Umm… What didn't you guys get rid of?"

"For both of you, just your shoes," Aoi admitted, "And any jewellery or things in your pockets."

"Oh, good," the hanyou said.

"Did you want me to get your things for you?" the woman asked, "Your friend's things should just be in the chest of drawers, against the right wall."

"Okay, thanks, that'd be great," Inu-Yasha said a little cheerfully.

Aoi smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder as she walked past him and away down the hall, and he turned and darted back into Kagome's room.

-

Squinting through the grey of his vision as if it would make things at least a little more clear, he gazed around until he found the aforementioned chest of drawers.

He walked over to it and squatted, cautiously feeling through each drawer until he found Kagome's pile of clothes. As he scooped them up, he could feel the girl's wallet and a few other things, but something seemed to be missing. He stuck his arm back in the drawer and found Kagome's boots, but he still couldn't find what he was looking for: Kagome's silver chain.

_Oh… She must've lost it in the forest,_ he thought, and then smiled, _Well, I guess I'll just have to buy her a new one._

He took the girl's boots from the drawer before he elbowed it closed, and then he stood and placed her things by her bedside. As he did, he saw her shift slightly, and, unknown to him, her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Who…?" she mumbled, causing the hanyou to jump and spin towards her, "Yasha?"

"Of course," he said quietly, "Aren't you tired? Go back to sleep."

The girl laughed softly and reached up, taking his hand in hers and tracing his claws.

"Yeah, I'm tired," she replied, and couldn't help a yawn, "How long was I out this time?"

"Only a little while," the hanyou said, leaning towards her slightly to ruffle her hair, "Go on, get back to sleep."

Kagome smiled up at him and patted his hand again, though she still felt extremely groggy. She closed her eyes, but beckoned her friend closer. A little confused, he bent over her, and she carefully pulled him down and kissed his cheek. Inu-Yasha felt heat rush to his face, and before he could even contemplate stopping himself, he was sitting on the bed again and hugging the girl close.

Needless to say, he was feeling unusually emotional today.

He kissed her on her forehead, and she let out a soft laugh, leaning her head against the base of his neck quite contentedly.

"You're the best…" she whispered.

For the second time within the last half an hour, Kagome fell asleep listening to Inu-Yasha's heartbeat, though he was just happy that he was able to comfort her so much.

-

After tucking her back into her blankets again, he stood, wondering what was taking Aoi so long with his things. Perhaps she was delayed by something? Maybe that other youkai boy who had been hurt?

Curiously, the hanyou wandered from the room again, and then, when he found no sign of the nurse, walked up and down the hall absently, letting his mind wander slightly, but not enough to lose his bearings and forget where Kagome's room was.

His ears automatically searched around him for familiar sounds, though there was nearly nothing. Very few of the rooms in this hallway were occupied at the moment. He could hear the breathing of several sleeping people all along the hall, and the quiet conversations of some just outside of that area, and of people in a far room.

-

After a minute or so, Inu-Yasha heard footsteps enter the corridor, though the scent of the person was completely unfamiliar, and a little odd. He smelled heavily of anger, and Inu-Yasha could smell gunpowder, smothered under a layer of clothes.

He automatically didn't trust whoever had entered the hall, but he wasn't surprised when the man walked towards him and then stopped, just a few feet away.

The man was wearing a jean jacket and a baseball cap with the visor pulled down over his face slightly. Inu-Yasha edged backwards slightly, automatically getting an uneasy feeling in his gut.

"Are you Taishio Sessho-Maru's brother?" the man asked.

The hanyou raised his eyebrow, and edged a little further away.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh really?" the man asked almost kindly.

Unnerved, the hanyou drew back even further, though before he could leave, the man had grabbed him by the arm. Startled, the boy didn't even have a chance to let out a yelp before he was flipped onto the cold, hard tile with a loud thud.

Inu-Yasha grunted, his chest wound suddenly throbbing, and he would have sat up if no for the cold muzzle of a gun that was pushed up against his chin.

"Move, and I blow you're fucking head off," the man hissed, taking a seat on Inu-Yasha's chest.

The boy winced, though didn't cry out. In fact, he didn't even try to fight the man off. Why risk getting shot again? Though he couldn't throw the man off now because of his injuries and the morphine still in his system, he knew there were some other youkai in the hospital.

Eventually, someone would come, though for now, Inu-Yasha slumped, feigning defeat.

Sensing that he had the hanyou weakened, the man smirked.

"Good boy," he said, "Now… Where's the girl?"

If he hadn't been positive before, now Inu-Yasha was damned sure that the man was with the "Project Youki" that had been hunting him for so long, and he also knew that it was Kagome the man was asking for.

The hanyou forced a blank stare onto his face and weakly shrugged one shoulder.

"Dunno," he lied.

The man frowned and venomously pushed the gun against Inu-Yasha with a force hard enough to leave a deep bruise on a human.

"See, you don't understand," he stated, "I need both of you."

Again, Inu-Yasha shrugged, though his ear twitched as he heard footsteps rushing down the hall towards them. His nose automatically identified the source.

_Aoi…!_

His eyes darted towards her, and he silently begged her to run away and get some help, though he could feel something about her that might be of use.

She was carrying Tetsusaiga.

-

The woman had spotted the hanyou in trouble from down the hall, though she had slowed and tried to calm herself as she approached. Slowly, she shoved his bag of clothing under he arm, and slid his sword from its sheath before pointing it at the intruder's head.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded boldly.

Instantly, the man looked up, about to utter a threat until he saw the blade between his eyes.

"Drop the sword lady, or the kid gets it," he said after a moment of contemplation.

"Oh, how wonderfully original," she scoffed, "Agent, where is your authorization?"

Startled, the man slumped slightly, and Inu-Yasha's eyes darted towards the woman, confused.

_What's she doing? _he wondered.

"What?" the man said dumbly.

"I am 283 of Y.H.Q., and I repeat, where is your authorization," she demanded confidently.

The man was stunned.

"Um… err…" he stammered, "I… have none, ma'am."

"You mean to tell me you launched a solo attack without reporting to your P.L.?" she asked loudly, frowning, "What did you think you could accomplish?"

The man muttered something involving the word "promotion", and Aoi laughed cruelly.

"Stand down, fool," she barked.

The man gulped, and Inu-Yasha nearly let out a sigh of relief… that is, until the man pushed the gun against him once more.

"Wait," he said, and then sneered, "283 of Y.H.Q…. Where is _your_ authorization?"

Aoi looked blankly at the man, whose sinister grin merely spread.

"Ah," he laughed, "You nearly had me there. But let's not forget who had the gun and the hostage, all right lady?"

Aoi grimaced, her heart sinking, though she kept Inu-Yasha's sword pointed dangerously close to the man's head.

"All right," she agreed, "But let's also not forget who has a sword about an inch away from whom, eh?"

She frowned.

"You pull that trigger and I _will_ kill you."

Though he didn't look it, Inu-Yasha could tell the man was nervous. In truth, he was a little amused by the banter. He was also very grateful for the nurse's ruse. He smirked.

"Stalemate. Good job," he said.

"Shut up," the man snapped.

"Honey, this really isn't the time for jokes," Aoi said.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, though, once again, he heard footsteps entering the hall, this time from a door just a little ways away from the standoff.

-

Slowly, a man backed out of the door, and it only took Inu-Yasha a moment to realize that it was the cheerful doctor who had taken him to Kagome's room to begin with.

Both the man pinning him to the ground and Aoi stole glances at him, and the woman's eyes grew round and startled.

"D… Doctor!" she stammered.

The man turned, looking a little confused, pushing his glasses up the brow of his nose, though when he saw the man with the gun, he frowned.

"What on earth…?" he muttered, and then shook his head and took a few steps forward, rolling back the long, white sleeves of his doctor's coat, "Aoi, what is going on here?"

"Don't move!" the other man suddenly yelled.

The doctor merely smiled, and then winked at Inu-Yasha.

"You can't throw him off?" he asked.

"No, he's crushing my bullet wounds," the hanyou said simply, "Oh, and I'm recently off morphine."

"Shut up!" the man yelled again, slightly panicked now, "I'll kill-!"

"Knock it off," the doctor said, and then smiled at Aoi, "Would you mind…?"

Aoi shook her head slowly and backed away, and the doctor stepped forward.

-

In an instant, Inu-Yasha could feel the man's aura grow from almost nothing and whip down the hall like a powerful gust of wind.

_He's a youkai too?_ The hanyou wondered, surprised.

As he stared with blind eyes, he could vaguely see the man's body bulge and start to grow very large and muscular, his clothes tearing with a disturbingly loud sound.

The man's skin darkened to grey, and his face pushed out into a short snout, filled with huge, tusk-like fangs that jutted from his gums. Several more arms burst from his sides, completely destroying his white coat, and fur sprouted all along his body, further increasing his bulk. His eyes fogged over red and, finally, two jet-black horns rose from his skull just as his rounded glasses toppled from his snout and onto the floor with a clink and he assumed his full height, cramped up against the ceiling.

He smiled fiendishly down at the man with the gun, who now stared blankly at the creature who used to be a cheerful-looking young man. Aoi calmly walked forward and picked up the doctor's glasses, brushing them off slightly.

Now looking a little annoyed, the demon picked up the stunned man in one of his huge, grey hands and pinned him against the wall, his brow ridges bending with disapproval.

Inu-Yasha sat up swiftly, staring in disbelief at what little he could see, and Aoi ran to him, taking him comfortingly into her arms.

The man looked down at the floor helplessly and kicked his swinging legs vainly.

"Oh SHIT!" he gasped loudly, and he panicked and fired a shot into the youkai's shoulder.

Inu-Yasha looked startled, though the demon doctor merely looked irritated and held the man up so high that his head knocked against the ceiling.

"I would… really… appreciate it…" he said, thunking the man's head back against the wall at each pause, "If you didn't… make so much… noise… in this hall… Some people… are trying… to sleep!"

The man groaned, dazed, and then shot wildly again, only to have the huge, spider-like demon bang him against the wall some more.

"I'm warning you," he stated, though the man merely shot again, trying to free himself, so the youkai sighed, rolled his eyes skyward, and then shoved the offensive creature into his mouth and down his throat.

"Oh my God…" Inu-Yasha breathed, and Aoi cringed as the huge creature gulped and a hissing sound was heard from inside his stomach.

"Ooh," the demon hiccupped.

He cupped three hands out of eight to his face for a moment, and then sank down, his limbs bending under him like a spider's and sighed, looking apologetically to Inu-Yasha and Aoi.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he stated, "Are you two all right?"

Feeling a little braindead, Inu-Yasha nodded.

"We're fine," Aoi said.

"Shit…" Inu-Yasha said, gawking, "You… You just _ate_ him…"

"Yes, it's not the first time," the youkai muttered, and then clutched one of his hands to his chest, "Ugh… He's not going down well either…"

He winced and scuttled a few feet down the hall and then back.

"He had to eat a shooter a few years ago," Aoi explained to the befuddled hanyou.

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha muttered, "Shit…"

He sighed and then sank back, letting Aoi hug him consolingly.

"You think they'll be back?" he asked.

"You heard him," she said with a smile, "No authorization. They didn't even know he was here."

"How did you know to do that?" he asked.

"Years of experience," the nurse chuckled.

The giant youkai doctor wandered back to them and grinned his slightly grotesque fangs.

"Aoi is the master of diversions and bending the rules," he said, "We owe a lot to her."

His grinned widened, and then he looked embarrassedly to Inu-Yasha.

"I'm sorry! I completely forgot to introduce my self!"

He held out a hand to the boy, who smirked and grabbed two fingers to shake.

"I'm Dr. Katsura Nagi."

"Nice to meet you," Inu-Yasha said, smiling a little more broadly, "That… was friggin awesome."

Nagi looked a little cheerful, but then turned and squinted down the hall.

"I have to go postpone all my afternoon work now waiting to digest…" he muttered, "I'll see you later, all right?"

He scuttled away down the hall a little awkwardly. Inu-Yasha saw him knock on a door close to the end of the hall, and then open it, reach in, and pull out a young nurse.

"Be a doll and postpone all my appointments for this afternoon by about two hours, would you?" he asked.

"Of course, Katsura-san," she said brightly, seeming completely unfazed by the doctor's appearance.

"Thanks hun," he said and replaced her in her room and closed the door before walking away.

-

Inu-Yasha stared blankly and Aoi laughed.

"Surprised?" she asked, and then handed him his things.

He took them carefully and nodded, cutting his eyes at the woman slightly.

"You really weren't kidding about the demon thing, huh?" he laughed.

* * *

A/N: Yo! Random sidenote, I know that Sessho-Maru's fluffy thing might not be his tail, but, I mean… C'mon, tails are awesome! Especially when you lack an arm. So in this story, fluff equals tail. I don't wanna get into a debate because there are lots of people who think it's lots of different things, but yeah. In this story, tis his tail of DOOOOM!. All I know is that it's not armpit hair and it's not shoulder hair.Oh, and his dad sorta had a fluffeh thing too. Yeah... Please, no more reviews concerning teh fluff, if you don't mind. 

Anyway, I digress. Thanks so much to everyone reading! WOOOOT! KNOWLEDGE IS POWAH!!

* * *


	37. Going Home

* * *

Chapter 36: Going Home

* * *

In a wide, slightly empty cafeteria, Inu-Yasha sat at a window side table, staring out at a parking lot outside. He was in pain, but to anyone who had seen him earlier, he had seemed surprisingly chipper. Over the course of the previous day, he had completely weaned himself off the painkillers, for fear he might become addicted to them. Because he was a hanyou and his system worked extremely quickly, any drugs put into his system would usually take effect almost immediately, but they would also be flushed out of him again quite swiftly as well. This had a tendency to be quite annoying. He wished that it had been the same with the drugs that had blinded him. 

-

The first day at the hospital, with nothing better to do, Inu-Yasha had explored most of the building, learning it's layout, and he had become acquainted with the cafeteria's food, which he had found slightly addictive… probably because he was starving.

Aside from that, though, the hanyou was disappointed that Kagome hadn't woken up again that day, but he was also grateful. The more rest she got, the better off she'd be. He, on the other hand, was afraid that he wouldn't be able to sleep in a strange bed, though at night when he had gone back to his room, he dropped like a rock.

-

Now, feeling fairly well rested, the hanyou sat at his table, a tray that had previously been full of his breakfast under his drumming fingers. He squinted out the window, tracing the outlines of cars with his eyes. Things had become a little clearer, but not by much. Still, it was _something_, and it cheered the boy greatly. He wasn't sure why his vision would suddenly become a little better, but he was certainly grateful.

-

The hanyou sighed, bored, wishing that he knew what time it was.

He could only guess that is was around 9 am, because he knew he had woken up at around eight, and that he had been awake for a decent amount of time. He sort of wanted a shower.

He sighed and rested his chin in his hand. He wanted to go see Kagome, but he didn't want to wake her either.

After a little while, the boy's ear twitched to the sound of wheels, and he felt a new demonic aura enter the room. He looked up curiously, only to realize that the new youkai was relatively young. He assessed his scent, and it was immediately clear that the young demon boy was inu youkai. Inu-Yasha's ears drooped.

_Could that be the kid?_ He wondered.

The young boy had short, silver hair, yellow eyes, light blue stripes curving up from his jaw line, and was garbed in baggy grey pajamas. He sat in a wheelchair quite contentedly, and moved in a circle for a moment before he spotted Inu-Yasha. Startled, the boy looked hesitant for a moment before he edged towards the older youkai.

"Oi," he said cheerfully as he approached, and then bared his fangs in a grin, "Kasamori-san said I'd find you here. You're Inu-Yasha, right?"

Inu-Yasha nodded, startled, and the child laughed a little.

"I'm Kenshin," he stated, and then inclined his head curiously and asked, "So you were in the forest too?"

Inu-Yasha's heart stalled and he looked, shamefaced to his table.

"Hai," he replied, "Hey… Kid, I'm… sorry…"

Kenshin looked puzzled, and scratched his chin with a bandaged hand.

"Kasamori-san warned me you'd say that," he said, "Why are _you_ sorry?"

"You got hurt, didn't you?" the hanyou grumbled, "I mean… I know I don't know you but… The people who hurt you were only in the forest because of me."

Inu-Yasha didn't know why, but his instincts began to make him shake and he felt an urge to protect the boy. Perhaps it was because he was inu youkai as well.

Kenshin looked startled, but his face brightened almost immediately and he patted the older youkai's shoulder reassuringly.

"Oh, c'mon," he said quietly, "It's all right man. Really."

"They told me you were shot over twelve times," Inu-Yasha growled, "Don't tell me that's okay. I mean, you're in a wheelchair now."

"How do you know I wasn't before?" Kenshin inquired, and when Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow sceptically, the boy laughed, "Okay, you're right, I wasn't… But don't worry, this is only until my legs stop hurting."

Inu-Yasha huffed disdainfully and rested his chin in his hand.

"_Don't worry_," he repeated a little mockingly, "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because you're too protective," the boy laughed, "Listen to you. You're talking to me like we've known each other forever…"

The boy blushed slightly and rubbed at the back of his head as the hanyou looked at him with a raised eyebrow again.

"I feel like I know you too," he admitted, "Maybe since we're inu."

"Maybe," Inu-Yasha agreed, "Pack mentality?"

"Could be," the boy decided, "Know what? I think I'm gonna call you Nii-chan."

"Great," the hanyou grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Kenshin laughed, and his eyes traced to Inu-Yasha's bandana with curiosity.

"Is it true you have… the ears?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied.

The other boy's face brightened again. Inu-Yasha wondered why he was so cheerful. Perhaps it was the morphine.

"Cool," he said, grinning, "I have an adopted sister. Neko hanyou. She has them too but… You know, cat-ish ones."

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"So it's a hanyou thing…" he mused.

"Yeah," Kenshin said, "I sorta wish I had 'em… I've always been a little jealous!"

He grinned even wider, and Inu-Yasha couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah? They cause a lot of problems," he laughed.

"Not as much as tails do!" Kenshin pointed out.

"True," Inu-Yasha said, and then was quiet for a minutes before, to break the silence, said "So… How'd you end up in this fix anyway?"

"I was playing in the forest," he said, shrugging, "I like it there. And then, suddenly these jerks pop outta nowhere and shoot me or something. I'm not sure, I passed out after the first hit."

"God… You must've been bleeding out for quite a while before anyone came," Inu-Yasha whispered, his face falling.

"I don't know," the youkai said, shrugging, "I didn't wake up 'til this morning… Oi, don't look so down, Nii-chan!"

He patted Inu-Yasha's shoulder again and laughed.

"Sheesh, you feel guilty easily!"

"Easily?" Inu-Yasha asked a little weakly, "Nearly being the cause of someone's death isn't a valid reason for feeling guilty anymore?"

Kenshin's brows furrowed and he sunk back into his chair, a little defeated.

"I'm not gonna convince you to feel otherwise, am I Nii-chan?" he inquired.

Inu-Yasha shook his head, and the inu youkai sighed.

"Well, I tried," he said with a sigh, "Man, I feel bad for you… But if it helps, even if it _was_ because of you that those guys were there-"

"It _was_," Inu-Yasha interjected.

"Even though you're firmly convinced it was," the child continued, rolling his eyes, "I don't blame you for what happened. Does _that_ help?"

Inu-Yasha sat quietly for a moment. He wasn't sure if it lifted his spirits at all, but he nodded slightly and Kenshin's face brightened.

"And besides," he said, "You were hurt worse than me anyway, with the lung wound and all."

"Kasamori-san told you all this?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Only when I asked," Kenshin admitted, "She said there was another inu youkai injured at the same time I was, and so I asked about you. I was curious… I kinda wondered if you were all right."

Inu-Yasha nodded slightly, understanding how that boy had felt. He drummed his fingers on the table absently for a moment before he peered curiously at Kenshin, his ears drooping slightly.

"D'you have a family, other than your sister?" he asked.

"Yeah," the boy stated, "I have a human mom and dad. Kasamori-san said that my mom's going to come pick me up now. You?"

Inu-Yasha merely shook his head. Kenshin's smile fell and he looked away shyly.

"Sorry," he muttered softly.

Inu-Yasha frowned, unsure as to why the child suddenly seemed depressed. The hanyou shrugged, and his ears twitched to the sound of the cafeteria door opening again as a human female walked in. She smelt of tears, and Inu-Yasha guessed that she might be Kenshin's mother.

-

Sure enough, the woman, a tall lady with messy brown hair and a tired face, entered the room, took one look at them, and then cried out,

"Ken! My little Kenshin!"

Kenshin turned his wheelchair around and Inu-Yasha looked at the woman curiously. She was over by them faster than what seemed to be humanly possible, kneeling and hugging her son, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, sweetheart, I was so worried!" she cooed, squeezing the young boy.

"Ka-san, I'm okay," Kenshin assured her with a laugh.

He cuddled up to her as Inu-Yasha turned away absently, feeling a little awkward.

"But… Oh honey," the woman muttered, stroking her son's head, "They told me what happened and-"

"I'm okay!" he assured her, kissing her cheek, "I'm fine!"

"But… twelve shots…" she whispered, biting her lip.

She sniffed and hugged him tightly.

"Ka-san, don't be like that," he said gently, patting her on the back, "I'm okay. My new friend was hurt way worse than me, and he's fine. Don't fuss over me."

The woman drew back and looked confused for a moment, wiping the tears from her face with a tissue that was all ready clasped in her fist.

"Your new friend…?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Kenshin said, and then gestured to Inu-Yasha, who blinked with surprise as he saw a hand flailed in his direction, "Ka-san, this is Inu-Yasha."

Kenshin's mother straightened slightly and Inu-Yasha gave her a slight smile.

"Umm… Hi there… urr… Kenshin's mom," he said awkwardly.

Startled, she looked between him and her son for a moment.

"You're… like my Kenshin," she whispered, surprised.

It was easy to tell that she was addressing the fact that he was also inu youkai.

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kenshin's mother approached him tentatively.

"Were you hurt by those terrible people as well…?" she asked softly.

"It was my fault they were there in the first place," he said a bit stiffly, "They were after me, and just happened to run into Kenshin instead. I'm sorry."

He bowed his head slightly and the woman's eyes grew wide and round, while the younger youkai shook his head.

"He had guilt issues, Ka-san," he hissed at his mother.

The woman seemed unsure of what to say for a moment, but she soon bent a little lower and patted the dejected-looking hanyou on the shoulder.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for son," she assured him.

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped, though he didn't reply. The woman looked at him with a pitying frown plastered on her face and then let out a sigh.

"We should get home," she said to Kenshin, "Your sister and father are worried sick."

"Right," Kenshin agreed.

He manoeuvred himself away from Inu-Yasha's table and then shot the hanyou a slight grin.

"See you later, Inu-Yasha-nii-chan," he laughed.

Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at the child and shot him a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," he said dismissively, "Get better, eh kid?"

"You too!" he said, giving the hanyou thumbs-up before he headed towards the exit.

Kenshin's mother paused, looking at Inu-Yasha thoughtfully for a moment.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Fine," he stated, "Thanks."

The woman nodded and watched him as he turned to look blankly out the window again before she followed her son from the room.

-

A little while after Kenshin left, Inu-Yasha suddenly began to realize how quiet it was without the chatty young youkai. He sighed, resting his chin in his hand again.

_I'm bored…_ he thought, _I hope Kagome wakes up soon._

He couldn't wait to go see her again. Being around her always cheered him.

After a few more minutes, Inu-Yasha stood, stretched, and the left the cafeteria to wander a little. He wasn't sure of what he was going to do, but he didn't feel like sitting by himself anymore. Staying close to the wall, Inu-Yasha shoved his hands in his pockets and walked through a wide hall full of small offices. As he walked by one with green wallpaper near the end of the hallway, the doctor, Katsura Nagi, darted out and caught him by the arm. He jolted, startled, and his gaze jerked towards him.

"Good morning," the doctor said brightly, "Do you remember me?"

"How could I forget?" Inu-Yasha said, rolling his eyes, and then lowered his voice, "You friggin _ate_ a guy…"

"And I still have indigestion," Nagi said with a sigh, "But that's beside the point."

He guided the hanyou into another, tiny room with not much more than a desk and a raised, cushioned platform in it. It looked like an examination room.

"A man who works for your brother left some of your new papers with me," he said, "Health card, driver's licence, etcetera."

He pushed his glasses up the brow of his nose with his middle finger absently. Part of the earpiece was now wrapped in duct tape where it had broken on its collision with the floor. The man handed Inu-Yasha his new documents and gave him a slight smile. Even though Inu-Yasha could barely see, he noticed that this slightly odd, spider youkai doctor was almost always smiling.

"Keep them with the rest of you things, all right?" he said, "I _would_ keep them for you, but I'm afraid that with all my paperwork, I'd lose them."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, shoving the cards into his pocket, "Thanks, Katsura-san."

"Not a problem," he assured him dismissively, "How're you feeling?"

"Great, other than the soreness," the hanyou replied.

"Off the morphine, are we?" Nagi inquired.

"Since yesterday afternoon," he said with a nod.

"Good," the youkai said, "Don't want you to get hooked on it."

"That's what I was thinking," Inu-Yasha stated, nodding.

"Clever," the man said.

He grabbed the a pile of papers from his desk and knocked them against the hard surface, trying to even them out, though his finger slipped and ran along the edge of one of the sheets. A small red line appeared and the man grimaced.

"Damn, paper cut…" he mumbled to himself.

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow as the man shoved his finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

"Umm… I'm going to go see Kagome now, I think," the hanyou said.

"Yes, go," Nagi said, pulling his finger from his mouth and laughing slightly, "Ow… My finger."

The hanyou tried not to laugh and he nodded and left before room, deciding to go visit Kagome. Their rooms were up on the second floor, so he headed towards an elevator shaft, because he still wasn't sure where the stairs were… Plus, he had tripped on them the day before because of the wound in his leg.

He made his way to the elevator and stepped inside, though before he could press try to press the right button to take him up, more people rushed into the small compartment, shoving him to the back.

"Fourth floor!" he heard someone call.

"Oh god…" he muttered to himself in irritation.

_This could take a while… I think I should've walked!_

_oOoOoOoO_

"Kagome?"

Kagome could hear a soft voice speaking to her. It reminded her of her mother's.

She cringed and opened her eyes. She frowned, confused, at the white ceiling above her, wondering where she was. She squinted, racking her brain, trying to figure out where she had seen that type of ceiling tile before. The nurse's office in the school had ceilings like that.

_Nurse…? …Pain in my back…? Ohhh…_

It took her another few seconds before she realized that she was in the hospital, the same as she had been the day before. She felt a little dazed, but she smiled to herself, proud that she had figured it out.

Slowly, she sat up, and she saw a kind-looking woman standing beside her bed. She was placing a tray holding a bowl of cereal and a glass of chocolate milk on what looked like a small table beside her bed. The table also had a bland white lamps and a digital clock on it.

"Are you up, honey?" the woman asked, turning to her.

Kagome blinked puzzledly at the woman before she nodded slowly.

"Um, who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Kasamori Aoi: I'm a nurse," she said, "I've been taking care of you and your friend, Inu-Yasha."

"Oh," she said, a little surprised, "Hi."

She sat up a little further, wincing. A sharp pain shot through her back and left her biting her lip as it faded slightly into a painful ache.

"I brought you some breakfast," Aoi said, "How are you feeling?"

"My back hurts…" Kagome muttered.

The woman looked at her with pity and then moved to a panel beside the bed. She pressed a button, and Kagome watched her curiously. She followed a wire from the panel, only to find that it was attached to her arm.

"Drugs?" she inquired blankly.

"Morphine," the nurse laughed, "You'll feel a little better soon. Though we're lowering the doses."

"So does that mean we can go home soon?" she asked brightly.

"Yes," Aoi replied, "You're making a surprisingly swift recovery. Inu-Yasha'll be happy."

"How long have we been here?" Kagome asked, "I feel like I've been sleeping for a week…"

"You've been here a little over a full day," the woman said, and she jerked her head at the cereal, "Do you feel well enough to eat?"

"I guess so," Kagome said.

She twisted to grab the bowl, and Aoi handed her the spoon from the other side of the tray.

"Thank you," the girl said politely.

She took a spoonful of cereal and was quite pleased. She hadn't realized that she was hungry until now.

"This is good," she said happily.

"I poured it myself," the woman joked.

Kagome laughed quietly.

She didn't know why, but she felt fairly cheerful.

"I wonder where Inu-Yasha is…" she said aloud.

She picked up her glass of milk and took a sip, and was again, surprisingly pleased by it. She hadn't had chocolate milk in what seemed like forever.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Aoi asked.

"Nope, I'm good," Kagome stated, "Thanks."

The woman smiled at her, and pointed to a chest of drawers on the other side of the room.

"If you feel well enough to get up, your things are over there," she said, "Now, will you be okay if I leave for a little while?"

Kagome nodded, and Aoi reached across the girl and lowered what looked like an armrest on the side of the bed.

"See this?" she asked, pointing out a red button on its underside, "If anything happens and you need a nurse, just press this."

"Oh, okay," the girl said, smiling, suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to push the red button several times.

She restrained her self though, and gave the woman thumbs-up.

"I'll be back," Aoi assured her, "And a doctor will be in to check on you soon, all right?"

Kagome nodded again, and then focussed on her cereal as the nurse left the room.

-

Every once and a while, Kagome would look over at her clock, watching as the green numbers against the black background would pulse as the minutes slipped by. She could hear footsteps in the hall and she looked up eagerly, hoping it was someone coming to visit her. Her heart sank as she heard the steps fade. She sighed, placing her bowl on the table beside her.

She was starting to feel a little lonely.

Kagome perked as she heard the footsteps return, and someone twisted her doorknob a little awkwardly before the door opened to reveal the silver-haired boy that Kagome had been missing. She noticed that he was wearing baggy grey pajamas that looked incredibly comfortable. She wondered if she was wearing something similar.

"Yasha!" she said, grinning, "Hi!"

The boy closed the door behind him and smiled back at her.

"Kagome," the hanyou said brightly, "You're finally up, eh?"

"Yep," Kagome laughed.

She took a sip of milk before she placed the glass on the tray beside her, and Inu-Yasha approached her. He took a seat on the floor next to her bed and smiled at her.

"Sorry I took so long: I got stuck in an elevator," he said, "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good," the girl said, "Still a bit groggy and a little sore. But other than that, I'm good."

She reached out her hand and patted her friend's shoulder. His smile grew and he stood and sat on the bed beside her, taking her hand and stroking it.

"I'm glad," he said.

He leaned his head on her shoulder. She laughed and put an arm around him contentedly.

"I'm glad everything turned out okay," she said, snuggling close and letting her head rest against his chest.

The hanyou's heart swelled. He kissed her cheek and ran his fingers through her hair, enjoying the closeness.

Kagome let out an uncharacteristic giggle and squeezed the boy lovingly.

"I'm really happy you came," she said.

"Why wouldn't I come?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged and sighed blissfully. She sunk her nails into his shirt, though she couldn't help but notice something different.

"Psst," she whispered at him, "Yasha, did they cut my nails?"

Inu-Yasha looked a little confused for a moment before he took her hand and ran his thumb over her fingertips.

"Feels like it," he said.

"Oh…" Kagome mumbled, "Damn, they took so long to grow out."

"They were probably broken Kags," he laughed.

He nuzzled her head and she nodded in agreement.

"Probably, I fell over like twenty times in the woods," she admitted, "I didn't notice."

She squished against him again contentedly and, after a moment, Inu-Yasha wrapped his arms around her and touched her lower back gently.

"You… sure you're okay?" he inquired.

"For now," she assured him with a nod.

-

They sat quietly for a little while; both were quite content to do so. Kagome didn't know why, but she was feeling much happier than usual. She began to laugh for no reason she could comprehend, and above her, the hanyou smirked.

"You know it's the morphine making you like that, right?" he asked quietly.

"It is?" she replied, looking up at her friend curiously, "I didn't know."

Inu-Yasha laughed at her, and she couldn't help laughing along with him. She squeezed him happily and looked up into his face.

"You have such a cute face," she snickered.

She felt Inu-Yasha jolt under her. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him, confused, as he began to blush.

"What?" she demanded.

"You think I'm…" he muttered, his ears drooping, "Umm… thanks…"

He looked so embarrassed that Kagome burst out laughing again.

"You can handle hugs and kisses, but not me calling you cute?" she demanded, "I thought you and me were dating, yeah?"

"We… We_ are_," Inu-Yasha said quietly, still looking a little shy.

She seemed to have lost most of her inhibitions, thanks to the morphine, though Inu-Yasha still felt embarrassed. He wasn't used to saying he was dating anyone.

His ears folded and his blush deepened as the memory of their kiss kicked its way back into his normal recollections. It seemed so long ago that it almost felt like a dream.

He closed his eyes and his posture sagged as he rested his head against hers.

"Thanks Kags…" he whispered.

Though Kagome had no idea what he was thanking her for, she smiled. It took quite a bit of what self-control she had left not to blurt that she loved him, though before she could say anything equally corny, Inu-Yasha whispered,

"So… is there anything you wanna do? Wanna watch T.V. or something?"

"Well, okay, but only if I can keep cuddling," she said.

"Of course: I'm not gonna force an injured girl move," Inu-Yasha laughed.

"Annnd… you're cuddly today too," she said cheerfully, "Where's the remote?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged, so Kagome pulled away from him briefly, cringing against the pain in her back, and searched around the room.

"Ack, I don't know where the remote is," she grumbled.

"I could get up-" Inu-Yasha began, shifting, though Kagome shook her head swiftly and hugged him tighter.

"Nope, you're staying here," she insisted.

"Heh… Fine," he said, smirking, "No T.V. then."

"That's cool with me," the girl assured him.

-

Time dragged on, and the two teens sat together, and even though they said nothing, Inu-Yasha's mind was racing. Now that they were alone, this was almost the perfect time to reveal his true nature to her.

His ears drooped under his bandana, and just as he opened his mouth to try to set Kagome up for the new, and probably startling, information, the two teenagers were jolted out of their blissful stupor when the doctor, Nagi, entered the room.

"Oh my," he said, startled as his eyes landed on them, "Gomen, I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No," Kagome said as Inu-Yasha cringed and held in a few curse words, "Who're you?"

"Your doctor, Katsura Nagi," he said, retaining his normal, cheerful demeanour, "Hello Inu-Yasha."

He shot a wink at the hanyou that went completely unnoticed, but the boy smiled at him a little embarrassedly.

"Hi Katsura-san," he muttered.

Curious, Kagome sat up, though took a hold on the hanyou's hand as her eyes traced the doctor inquisitively. The man watched her, seeming equally curious as he pushed his glasses up the brow of his nose.

"Children, the press has somehow heard about young Higurashi-chan being shot," he said, sounding a little ashamed, "They want to know if you have anything to say?"

"Me?" Kagome inquired, pointing at herself and looking startled.

"Yes, you," Nagi replied, "Do you have anything to say?"

"Ummm…" Kagome said slowly, "Umm… About what?"

"About getting shot, I'm assuming," Inu-Yasha said.

The doctor nodded and Kagome cupped her chin, thinking.

"I dunno," she admitted, "I guess it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it might. Tell them to leave my name out though."

"Okay," Nagi said, "Anything else?"

He shuddered.

"There's a bunch of people in the lobby downstairs… They want blood!" he exclaimed, "Well… Not _literal_ blood… But you know what I mean, ne?"

"Okay," Kagome said, brightening, "Umm… Tell them that I nearly died, and was nearly crippled, but I'm pulling through after you thought I'd never walk again. And then tell them I'm in excruciating pain, but I'm pulling through for the sake of my loving family… You know, that kind of bullshit."

"That's only half bullshit," Inu-Yasha said.

"Three-fourths," Kagome argued, "I'm fine! Just sore…"

"All right, they want blood… We'll give 'em blood," Nagi agreed, laughing, "I'll tell them, hold on, there was something else I need to talk to you two about."

He left the room quickly, leaving the door slightly ajar. Inu-Yasha began to laugh slightly and Kagome grinned at him.

"He seems nice," she decided.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and Kagome snickered slightly.

"Wow, the press wants to know about me getting shot: how weird," she said, "I wonder why…"

"There aren't that many shootings in this city," Inu-Yasha replied, "I guess it's kinda big news."

"Pfft," Kagome scoffed, "Well, what about you? They don't know about you?"

"I guess not," the hanyou said, shrugging.

"Stupid…" she grumbled.

-

About two minutes later, Nagi returned to the room, looking a little annoyed, though this time he brought the nurse, Aoi, along with him.

"Hello you two," she said as she entered the room, smiling, "How are you doing?"

"I'm sore," Kagome said, "And Inu-Yasha's probably sore. But other than that…."

The girl shrugged, and Inu-Yasha nodded his agreement.

"You'll be sore for a little while," the doctor put in, "But you both seem to be making surprising recoveries. Especially you, Kagome."

"Me?" she asked, startled.

Aoi nodded.

"You can go home tonight, if you want," she said.

"Wow… That'd be great," Inu-Yasha said.

"Do I get painkillers to take home?" Kagome wondered.

"Of course," Nagi assured her, letting out a quiet laugh, "And a doctor's note, excusing you from classes. It _is_ Monday, after all."

"Dear teachers, please excuse Kagome's absence for the last little while: she was shot in the back," Kagome recited jokingly, "Wow, what a great excuse."

"Do I get one too?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Of course… _Takahashi-san_," Nagi stated, smirking.

"Takahashi?" Kagome repeated, looking to Inu-Yasha, confused, "I thought you were Taishio, otherwise known as Tachisuji?"

"My brother changed it again," the hanyou replied, rolling his eyes, "He seems to have a thing for the letter "T"."

"It goes well with your name," Aoi stated.

"Anyway," Nagi said, cutting in, "Onto a slightly more serious note, Kagome, I know you've been through a lot over the past little while. And as such, I'd like to offer you a free counselling service."

"Counselling?" she asked, surprised, "You think I need counselling?"

"It always helps to talk, dear," the nurse said gently.

"True," Inu-Yasha agreed.

"It'll be like a little therapy session," Nagi assured her, "Just talking."

He looked a little embarrassed.

"I… sense something about you… I think you might find this beneficial," he said, "Am I wrong?"

"Maybe not," Kagome admitted, and then turned to Inu-Yasha, "What do you think Yasha? Do I need therapy?"

"Do you _need_ it?" he repeated, "No. But do you think it'd help with anything?"

"Maybe…" she said quietly.

She tapped her chin, pondering for a few moments before she looked up to Nagi.

"Yeah, okay," she decided, "What could it hurt?"

"That's the spirit," he said brightly.

Kagome smiled a little and tried to stand up, but pain jolted through her body and she couldn't help a quiet yelp of pain.

Instantly, Inu-Yasha had grabbed her, but after reassuring him that she was fine, she convinced him to help her off the bed and onto her feet.

Aoi took her gently by the arm and removed the tube that was pumping morphine into her veins, before she handed her a bottle of pills from her pocket.

"You can take up to two of these every hour," she said, and Kagome nodded affirmatively.

Nagi took her by the shoulder as she swayed on her feet slightly to steady her.

"Thanks," she said, and then turned to Inu-Yasha with a joking smile, "Don't have too much fun without me, eh?"

Inu-Yasha smiled back at her, and she waved at him over her shoulder as she was carefully guided from the room after the nurse insisted that she put on a pair of fuzzy green slippers to keep her feet warm: the same ones she had tried to make Inu-Yasha wear.

-

Once Kagome and the doctor had left, Inu-Yasha sunk down onto the bed again, looking a little let down.

"Oh, honey, what's wrong?" Aoi said almost immediately.

"Not much," Inu-Yasha muttered with a sigh, "I just… I guess I was just kinda hoping to be able to talk to Kagome alone for a little longer…"

"Ah," the woman said understandingly.

She took a seat on the bed beside him and patting his hand.

"You love her, don't you?"

Inu-Yasha said nothing, but his feelings were as plain on his face as if he _had_ said them aloud. Aoi smiled at him sympathetically.

"I was gonna try to tell her I was a hanyou," the boy mumbled, "God… It's so much harder than I thought it would be."

He smiled slightly, embarrassed, and then let out a quiet laugh.

"I keep getting interrupted," he said.

"I understand," Aoi assured him, "You should've seen my husband when he was trying to tell me that he was a youkai. Now that I think back on it, it was a little funny, to be honest."

"Yeah? What did he do?" Inu-Yasha inquired curiously.

Maybe he could pick up a pointer or two.

"Well," Aoi said, tapping her chin with a finger, "First he just… kept stumbling over his words very nervously when he was trying to word it so I wouldn't be too shocked, but after about two minutes of not actually being able to _say_ anything, he just sort of blurted out 'Oh hell!', and whipped out his tail."

She chuckled quietly and Inu-Yasha couldn't help a smile.

"Yeah?" he asked, and the woman nodded.

"Obviously, I didn't expect my fiancé to have a fox-tail, so I was shocked, but after he explained his situation to me, I think I… I was actually quite thrilled," she admitted, "And I took to playing with his tail. Demons have such wonderful fur, don't they?"

She cut her eyes at the boy, who blushed slightly, embarrassed. Aoi laughed at him and patted his hand again.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to tell her," she assured him.

"I hope so," he grumbled, "I hate that she doesn't know. And I hate that I was too stupid to tell her right off the bat."

"It's all right that you were nervous," Aoi stated, "I mean… I can't imagine having to tell someone that I wasn't human."

"It's a bit overwhelming," the hanyou admitted.

"Would you like a hug?" the woman asked politely.

"Um…" Inu-Yasha said, a little startled, "Ur… I don't know."

"Well, you're getting one!" Aoi laughed.

She drew the boy close and hugged him as she had the day before, and Inu-Yasha's face burned. He _did_ like being hugged a bit though. Aoi's motherly warmth cheered him.

He slumped weakly in her embrace and calmed himself as best he could.

"Er… Thanks, Kasamori-san," he muttered after a few moments.

She smiled at him and pulled back, giving his head an affectionate pat.

"You're a good kid," she said quietly, "How're your eyes?"

Inu-Yasha looked a little puzzled as he drew away.

"I don't think I ever told you I was-"

"You didn't have to," she said gently, "I can tell just by looking at you."

"Oh…" Inu-Yasha said, smirking slightly, "Am I that obvious?"

"Only to someone with medical training," she said, "You're very good at getting around despite it… But… What caused it?"

"Some sort of drug," the hanyou mumbled, looking a little disheartened, "But, it's been a few weeks, and I'm getting better, slowly."

"Would you like someone to take a look at your eyes for you?" Aoi asked.

"No thanks," Inu-Yasha said, "I think I can handle this."

The woman nodded, though she seemed a little sad on his behalf.

"Would you like me to get you anything?" she asked.

"Nah," he replied, "Actually… I think I'll go out for a little bit."

"You sure?" Aoi inquired.

"Positive," the boy assured her with a grin.

"Be careful," she insisted as she stood up from the bed.

"I will," Inu-Yasha said innocently.

Her concern was starting to get a little annoying, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

-

After a little more persuading, Aoi left Inu-Yasha in Kagome's room by himself. He wandered to the chest of drawers where he remembered that Aoi had placed his clothes the day before.

It took him a few minutes to find them, though when he did, he changed almost immediately. Though they weren't his old clothes, he felt a little more comfortable in them than he did in the grey pajamas.

His sandals were still the same as ever though, and he was grateful. He slipped them on and pushed his sword back into the drawer his things had been in and out of sight. Then, he removed all his cards from the pockets of his pajama pants and shifted them to the pocket of his leather jacket after he put it on.

He was quite happy with the jacket: it was one of the few garments that was more comfortable than his original one.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, wondering where he should go and what he should do.

_Oh well, I'll figure it out once I get outside_, he decided.

_oOoOoOoO_

A little way down the hall from where her room was, there was a large, relatively empty room that seemed suiting for group discussions. It had a grey counter against the right wall with multiple power outlets, a sink, and a kettle. The wall opposite the door was line with windows that stood out brightly against the turquoise wallpaper that looked like it had been applied fairly recently. There were two blue, comfortable, cushioned chairs that were located close to the counter, but other than that and a clock on the left wall, the room was fairly empty.

This was where Kagome and the doctor-psychiatrist sat.

-

Kagome shifted a little awkwardly in her chair as Doctor Katsura sat across from her, smiling as he adjusted his glasses. Kagome noticed that a portion of the earpiece was secured with tape.

"What happened?" she asked, pointing.

"Oh," the man chuckled, "I dropped them earlier."

"Sucks…" Kagome muttered, though the man merely smiled at her.

"Kagome, you know why you're here?" he asked gently.

"Umm… Psycho…analysing?" she said slowly.

"Exactly," the man stated, "I'm just going to sort of… _assess_ how well your handling all the stress of what's happened to you, okay? I'd like to bring up as much as we can, as a precaution."

Kagome nodded slightly, and the man locked eyes with her.

"We can talk about what ever you want, all right?" he said, "Even before this incident, okay?"

Kagome nodded again, and she suddenly felt so at ease, as if she wanted to tell this man everything, to get it off her chest…

She inclined her head, and slowly, something dawned on her as she noticed that flecks of red were dancing across the man's normally blue eyes. She wasn't sure where the notion had come from, but before she could really think about what she was saying, she muttered,

"You're hypnotizing me, aren't you?"

Nagi looked a little surprised, but then he smiled and began to laugh.

"So you truly _are_ powerful," he chuckled, "I'm surprised that you could tell. Yes Kagome. I am. But only so that you won't feel apprehension about telling me anything significant because you're afraid I might not believe you."

Kagome blinked heavily, feeling a little dazed, but she nodded.

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"I won't regret saying anything?" she asked, and the doctor shook his head, and suddenly the girl felt her apprehension return.

"No, you won't," he assured her.

"Well, how can I believe you if you have crazy mind tricks?" she asked.

"Because, you know you're not under the influence of my "crazy mind tricks" right now," Nagi said.

Kagome couldn't help a smile.

"That's why I feel nervous again," she said, "All right. I trust you."

"I'm glad," the man said.

He locked gazes with her and Kagome felt the sense of calm confidence return.

"You ready?" she asked, "I think I'm going to tell you… _everything_."

_oOoOoOoO_

Inu-Yasha wandered outside, sniffing the relatively fresh air, relief in his heart. It felt much better than breathing in the medical scents of the hospital. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and wandered down the sidewalk. His leg hurt a little from walking down the stairs; he definitely didn't want to risk taking the elevator again though. He stood in front of the large building for a few moments, wondering where he could go.

_Maybe… I could… umm…_

His mind automatically shot to food, but he decided against it. The hospital gave him free food. He didn't _need_ more food.

_Something for Kagome?_ He wondered, _Ah… Yeah, of course! I could get her a new necklace thing, since hers is gone…_

_-_

It didn't take him long, walking away from the hospital, to reach a slightly more commercialized area of the city, and it took him even less time to find what he was looking for: a jewellery store. He was quite happy with his discovery, especially since it didn't necessitate crossing any roads.

-

Cautiously, he entered the store, wincing as the door jingled above his head. The building was full of shelves with boxes of glittery merchandise lining the walls. The more expensive items were held in glass cases.

"Konichiwa!" a man said.

Inu-Yasha followed the voice and, squinting could make out a short man standing behind a counter a little ways away.

"Can I help you with something?" the man continued.

"Um… Yeah," Inu-Yasha said a little awkwardly.

He walked up to the counter, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm… looking for a necklace thing for my… um… girlfriend," he said.

His face turned a little red. Kagome _was_ his girlfriend, right?

"What sort of thing are you looking for?" the man behind the counter asked.

He reached down into the case behind the counter and pulled out a heart-shaped pendant, lined with jewels.

"This sort of necklace is very popular among the young ladies recently," he stated.

"Ummm…" Inu-Yasha said, blinking at it blankly: he could hardly tell what it was; "I'm sorta looking for… a chain-type thing… silver, if you've got it. It's to replace one that she lost."

"Ah," the man said.

He ducked behind the counter abruptly and Inu-Yasha jumped slightly, wondering where the short man had gone. He popped back up a moment later, causing the hanyou to start again.

"What about this?" he inquired, brandishing a silver chain necklace in his hand carefully, "Made with real silver."

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow as the man handed it to him for inspection. The hanyou accepted and felt it over carefully.

"It's nice," he decided, "Um… Look, my girlfriend is kinda… weird… She falls over and trips and stuff all the time. Is this thing durable enough for that kind of beating? I mean… she isn't gonna wreck it within a week, is she?"

"Most definitely not," the man laughed, "It's very strong, see?"

He took it back and, taking an end in both hands, yanked. When nothing happened, Inu-Yasha felt slightly reassured.

"All right," he decided, "I guess I'll take it."

He paid for Kagome's new necklace with his equally new credit card, and was out of the store again with a small blue box containing the item within a few minutes.

-

Inu-Yasha shoved the box into his pocket and couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself.

He had never bought a nice, expensive gift for a girl before. But, of course, he could imagine Kagome complaining about him spending money on her, as she always did. Even taking her to the movies, all she had done was whine about how he shouldn't have to pay for everything.

Inu-Yasha smiled at the thought. It had been their first date together, kinda… It gave him a warm, contented feeling. Despite the fact that they had been harassed by a clique from Inu-Yasha's old school, it had been a fairly enjoyable night.

-

Inu-Yasha, unsure of what to do now, headed back for the hospital. He knew he'd probably just end up eating and watching television as he waited for Kagome's therapy session to end, but he didn't mind. He smiled to himself and fingered the box in his pocket. He hoped that Kagome would be happy with his gift to her.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome sat in the company of the demonic doctor for what felt like hours as she almost literally relayed her life's story to him. Everything she could remember that she did that was wrong, or violent, or even illegal, came out. Everything that had upset her for almost as long as she could remember, including an incident in which her father, drunk, barged into her room and beat her with her own guitar before he threw it out the window, was revealed.

Upon hearing about all the incidents with her father, Nagi wasn't at all surprised by the aggressive attitude towards almost everyone that she described to him.

A little bit of a unique and rebellious personality had unfair repercussions for the girl that the doctor was sure should never have happened. The abuse the girl had suffered at the hands of her father had made her antisocial, which in turn had made her an outcast among her peers. This had caused her to dislike most people and try to force them away by making herself as aggressive and unappealing to be around as possible. It had also led to a subconscious need for attention, and with the absences of her mother, it had caused her to resort to dangerous, and occasionally illegal activity: for example, graffiti.

She had let very few into her emotional shell, but, for some reason, the boy, Inu-Yasha, had managed to crack through and, in a matter of weeks, reverse a surprising amount of emotional damage.

At least, that's what Nagi was getting out of the girl's stories.

-

Kagome had spent so much time talking about her past that by the time she arrived at the events of the few days prior, she was exhausted.

She sat in her chair, grasping the arms and feeling even more groggy and weird than before they had started. Nagi eyed her with concern and then stood and walked to a counter for a few moments before returning with a cup of tea for her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

She took a sip and almost instantly felt a little refreshed. The doctor frowned worriedly and patted her shoulder consolingly.

"I can't say I understand what you've been through personally," he said, taking a seat again, "But… I know the emotional effects those sort of event could have… Kagome…"

He suddenly seemed more serious than before.

"Did you ever contemplate suicide?"

"Once," Kagome muttered, "Just once. It was stupid. I was depressed but…. I realized it wasn't worth it."

She smirked slightly.

"Something in the back of my mind just said that things were gonna get better, and I listened. A week later I met Inu-Yasha."

Her smiled widened slightly, and Nagi couldn't help but share it.

"I'm glad," he stated.

"He's the best friend I've ever had," the girl said brightly.

"I can tell," Nagi said with a grin, "It's very interesting… From what you've told me, you technically _should_ be… more… aggressive right now, and defensive, but against all real logic, this boy seems to have… somehow _cured_ you."

"You think?" the girl inquired, "Well… He has been saying stuff about how I don't act exactly the same as I did when we met."

"Exactly," the man stated, "And do you notice… That I think you've change your speaking habits as well?"

"How would you know that?" the girl asked, a little startled.

"Through your retellings," he laughed, "You seem to have used lots of weird slang in the past, but now…"

"I feel different," Kagome concluded, "I dunno."

Nagi grinned at her.

"Now," he said, "Are you willing to keep going, or shall we stop for today?"

"Let's keep going," Kagome said, "I think I'd rather just get this all over with. How long has it been?"

"About four hours," he replied.

"Ouch, I wonder what Yasha's been doing all this time?" she wondered quietly.

"His nurse will have found something to keep him busy, don't you worry," Nagi assured her.

Kagome nodded and then, taking a large gulp of tea, continued, telling the entire story of her ordeal in the woods.

-

She concluded after talking about Tsuyomaru's death, though as she observed the doctor's reaction, she was a little surprised to see that he looked very understanding.

"Do you think I'm nuts?" Kagome inquired quietly.

She felt drained and sleepy. She wanted to lie down somewhere.

"No," Nagi replied simply.

He leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers.

"I believe you," he said.

Kagome looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," the man replied honestly, and he shot her a grin, "There are more creatures like that in this world than you know."

"Yeah?" Kagome asked hesitantly, "How do you know that?"

"Well, hun, it's because I _am_ one," he said.

The girl stared at him, her eyes widening with shock.

"What?" she said, gawking, "Wait… _what_?! You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all," the man said, smiling brightly, "Would you like to see?"

Kagome sunk back in her chair and, after hesitating for a moment, nodded stiffly. Nagi seemed cheerful and he stood and walked to the large windows against the other wall. Calmly, he closed the blinds, causing the room to darken slightly. The girl watched him a little apprehensively as he turned back to her. She jolted and jumped in her seat as she saw that his eyes were glowing vibrant red.

"Don't be afraid," he assured her gently.

He approached her and patted her on the shoulder, though his hand began to turn grey and sprout long, black claws. The girl looked a little alarmed, but the change in skin colour was soon the least alarming thing about him. He stepped back and his entire body bulged and took up most of the room. Six more limbs, all equipped with clawed hands, sprouted from his sides while his normal limbs grew to accommodate his new form. His face shot forward in a snout and horns began to just from his head as dark fur swept over his body. This time though, the demon man caught his glasses before they fell to floor.

Kagome blinked up at the man, startled as he carefully placed his glasses on a counter to his left.

"You see why I believe you?" he inquired, cocking his head and bearing his fangs in a huge smile.

The girl nodded and, though her heart was pounding with surprise, she smiled slightly at the spideresque creature before her.

"I _really_ didn't see that coming," she said.

The demon creature laughed and gently lifted her into his palm to peer into her face.

"You see, I'm not nearly as scary as I look, ne?" he said cheerfully.

Kagome nodded again and patted his furry hand.

"Good thing you can look human," Kagome said, "Though I was kinda expecting you to look more like Tsuyomaru when you said you were one of these youkai creatures."

"There are hundreds of different kinds," Nagi stated, "Personally, I'm a cross between a spider and… something else."

He looked a little embarrassed, and Kagome stood a bit groggily, her back sore, though she patted the doctor's snout gently.

The man jolted and blushed under his fur.

"You're quite fearless, aren't you?" he chuckled.

"Well, you're right: you're not scary at all," she said, smirking.

The demon laughed and set her down gently before his eyes darted towards the door.

"Your friend is coming," he stated, "Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"

"No, I don't think so," Kagome said.

She winced, trying to hold in a yawn. She failed and yawned into her closed fist, and the youkai chuckled at her.

"A little overwhelmed?" he inquired.

"Oh, just a bit," she laughed, waving her hand absently at him, "Oh… Hey…"

She looked to her hands a little embarrassedly.

"I think I'm going to go nap now," she said, "But… If Inu-Yasha asks, you can tell him anything… Or everything. Whatever."

"Technically, I'm sworn to confidentiality," the youkai said.

"It's fine if I wave that though, right?" Kagome asked.

Nagi nodded, and Kagome sleepily gave him thumbs up.

"Then I do," she said.

"I won't get you into any trouble," he assured her.

Kagome nodded and thanked him before stretching slightly and heading for the door.

_oOoOoOoO_

Inu-Yasha brushed a loose strand of hair over his shoulder as he wandered down the hall towards the room where Kagome was being therapeutically interrogated. He wondered how much longer it would take her.

After returning from his walk, he had sat in Kagome's room with the television on for a while, listening to a few boring game shows, one extremely odd one that involved octopus wrestling, and then some infomercials, and all he could really remember from them was that he definitely did _not_ want to buy a multi-purpose pasta maker, or a vacuum that cuts one's hair.

In fact, he was almost positive that he had seen that same product in a movie, advertised as a joke.

He pondered for a minute before it dawned on him.

_That American movie Wayne's World,_ he thought, snapping his fingers as the answer jumped into his head.

He was a little surprised that he hadn't realised it sooner. He had watched that movie with Kagome just a week or so ago.

Shrugging it off, he continued down the hall, brushing his hair over his shoulder again as it was blown forward by a vent. It was quite annoying.

-

Ahead of him, though, a door opened and Inu-Yasha's ears perked up happily as he scented that it was Kagome. The girl walked shakily from the room, and the hanyou could automatically tell she was exhausted. She turned away from the door, rested her back against it, and blew out a sigh.

"K… Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked a little hesitantly.

Kagome jumped a little and turned to him. Her eyes lit up and she gave him a small, but cheerful smile.

"Hey Yasha," she said, sounding a little groggy.

She yawned and ambled up to him, almost stumbling over her own feet. She hardly noticed, but Inu-Yasha swiftly darted to her and grasped her by the shoulders to steady her.

"Kagome?" he asked, "What? What's wrong? Was it too stressful?"

"No… No…" the girl mumbled dismissively before giving him a small smile, "I'm just… gonna go lie down now."

She hugged him and then wandered past him, and he turned, raising his eyebrow.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing her by the hand, "What happened?"

"Hmmm? Oh, well…" Kagome said, shrugging, "I just told Katsura-san my life's story. And I had some tea. And did you know that he's a giant spider creature?"

She looked at him innocently as his eyes grew wide with shock. She cupped her chin, and then looked a little embarrassed.

"Woops, I don't know if I was supposed to tell you that…"

"It's okay, I knew," Inu-Yasha blurted, "He _showed_ you?"

"Yeah," she said a little blankly, "How did you know?"

"Never mind," the boy sighed, and then cupped her cheek, drawing her gaze to match his, "Are you _sure_ you're all right?"

"I'm just tired again," she assured him, "I think I'm going to nap for a little while. Okay?"

"Oh… all right…." Inu-Yasha said.

His eyes traced the ground and his ears drooped despite his attempt to not look saddened as he released her, him arms handing limply at his sides. He had been looking forward to spending some time with Kagome, and it would be a lie to say that he wasn't disappointed.

In spite of Kagome's drowsiness, she picked up on Inu-Yasha's feeling of slight neglect immediately.

" Oh, Yasha!" she cooed, giving him a hug around his waist, "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," he muttered, his gaze darting away from her absently.

He didn't want her to feel guilty for not staying awake with him.

"Aw, c'mon," she insisted.

She pressed up closer and he felt his face begin to warm up shyly.

"I know that look anywhere," she insisted, "I can read you like a book. Why're you so sad?"

"I'm not _so sad_!" he grumbled indignantly.

Kagome pouted and frowned at him in annoyance.

"Bah!" she scoffed, seeing through his lie easily, but, after a moment, her frown gave way and she smiled gently at him.

She cupped his cheeks and pulled him down to her level, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. He stiffened, surprised, and he almost automatically put one arm around her.

"You nutcase," she whispered.

She drew back and, grinning, slipped out of his light embrace.

"I'll see you soon, huh?" she said, "Go talk to the doctor dude."

He nodded a bit blankly, and the girl grinned at him cheerfully as she saw his cheeks reddening.

As she walked slowly back to her room, Inu-Yasha stared after her for a few moments before he turned and edged into the room where Kagome and the doctor had been talking.

-

"Um… hello?" he inquired hesitantly.

The floor felt oddly cold on his feet in this room, and there was very little light that allowed him to distinguish between shapes more easily. He could tell, however, that the doctor's usually concealed youki was bouncing around the walls, and that there was a large, horned figure with ten limbs that took up most of the far wall.

"Oh, hello Inu-Yasha: I thought I had scented you," Nagi said.

The huge spider creature shifted forward slightly, grinning at the boy.

"Did you really have to show her?" the hanyou inquired, a little irritated.

"She asked me to," Nagi said innocently.

"Yeah, probably after you told her what you are," he scoffed, and then rubbed his head, pulling his bandana off and gripping it tightly in his claws, sighing, "Sorry, it's just…"

"You're upset because _you_ can't tell her?"

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and looked to the ground, and the doctor could easily see the answer on his face. He drew forward even further and patted the boy's shoulder with one of his large, grey-furred hands.

"It's perfectly understandable," Nagi assured him, "The more you care about someone, the more you have to lose…"

Inu-Yasha nodded, his silver ears drooping.

"She wanted me to tell you about her past," the youkai said, inclining his head, "Would you like to know?"

"Umm…" Inu-Yasha muttered, "Sure… But I also wanna know… how's she now?"

"Perfect," Nagi said.

He picked up the blue cushioned chair that she had been sitting in and pushed it behind the boy, forcing him to plop backwards onto it.

"I mean… All logic says that she should be a mentally disturbed recluse, but-"

"That bad, huh…?" Inu-Yasha asked.

He could feel fury burning in his gut.

"Did she tell you her dad cut her?"

"He did more than that…" Nagi sighed sadly, "Poor kid… She didn't deserve it…"

"Who would, at that age?" Inu-Yasha grunted, folding his arms to his chest, but a dreaded thought jerked through him and his head shot up, his eyes wide with horror, "Oh God, she wasn't _raped_, was she!?"

"Oh, no, thank God," the youkai assured him, "No. According to her, the man was repulsed by her… Like a diseased corpse or something."

"So…" the hanyou whispered, unable to help but feel overwhelmingly relieved, "He just…"

"Beat her for everything," Nagi growled, "Bastard…"

He coughed embarrassedly.

"Sorry, that wasn't very professional," he muttered, "But… umm… Bastard, indeed. Ho hum."

Inu-Yasha sighed again and rubbed his brow.

"So that's why she was so weird when I met her…" he whispered, "I mean, I'm weird too, but-"

"I'm just surprised that she let a _male_ in, if anyone," the doctor interjected, "But, I suppose that _you_ make sense… Also, the fact that it was you explains why she's so stable now."

"Me? What's so special about me?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Well, there are hundreds… thousands of occasions where people with disabilities, are elderly, or have many mental scars, are able to open up and be made more whole by a… therapy dog."

"…Wh… What?!" Inu-Yasha blurted, "Are you calling me a dog?"

"You _are_ a dog," Nagi smirked, "The perfect therapy puppy. You've healed deep, emotional wounds. You should be proud."

Inu-Yasha gawked and the man laughed loudly, cutting his eyes at the hanyou before him.

"What's wrong, doggie?" he inquired.

"Doggie…?" Inu-Yasha repeated, "Oh, for the love of-"

Nagi barked out a laugh, cutting him off.

"It's amazing… the healing effects of dogs," he insisted, "Look, if Kagome had continued down the path you had met her on, she might be in prison, or dead, all right? You've turned her around by just _being there_."

Inu-Yasha opened his mouth as if to make a snide remark, but then, his ears drooped and he sunk back into his chair, defeated.

"Yeah… I… I know…" he whispered, "She's changed since I met her… Not in a bad way but… I mean, I guess… I've… kinda changed too."

"Change can be good," Nagi said, "Anyway, not meaning to switch topics on you, my little therapeutic pooch, but sticking to the theme of change, as in changing topics-"

"I _get_ it."

"Well, would you like me to tell you about Kagome's past or not?"

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and clamped one hand down on the arm of his chair, readying himself. He knew that he was probably about to get very, very angry.

He nodded, and so Nagi began.

_oOoOoOoO_

By the time Inu-Yasha left the room, about an hour or so later, he was shaking with fury and grief on Kagome's behalf. Every incident; every bully; every injustice had sent Inu-Yasha's heart throbbing painfully against his ribs with rage. And there had been a great deal more of them than he had expected, which was _not_ good, for he had anticipated quite a few to begin with. Every other word had aggravated the boy's temper and spiked his hatred for the man who dared to call himself Kagome's father. After all, almost everything that had ever been wrong with her had stemmed from his abuse.

Despite all this though, Inu-Yasha was quite surprised that Kagome wasn't more angst-ridden; this in turn led him to thinking about all those other teens who liked to think they had it rough and would bitch about not being able to go to their favourite band's concert as if it were the end of the world. As it had after he had returned from his ordeal in one of Project Youki's facilities, it almost made him laugh.

They thought _they_ had it rough? They had no idea what _rough_ was.

-

The doctor had explained to him that one of the things that Kagome both lacked and desperately needed was positive attention, to deter her from doing dangerous things to get any attention at all. Inu-Yasha had unwittingly given her that.

-

He walked, limping, back to Kagome's room, trying to stop his body from shaking. He opened the door with trembling fingers to see Kagome, lying peacefully on her bed, one of her two pillows hugged to her chest. In fact, she was petting it, probably thinking that it was Buyo.

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and edged forward, feeling almost numb now, and sat on her bed, unaware of how much he made it bounce. Kagome barely stirred, though she did flip onto her back, which in turn made her wince. The hanyou watched her and, slowly, and a bit reluctantly, tied his bandana down over his ears. He reached out one of his shaking hands and brushed her shoulder, and then began to rub it affectionately, now also unaware of the tears of anger that had welled up and begun to burn in his eyes.

He badly wanted to hurt something…

His hand moved up from her shoulder to her head, and he trailed his fingers through her hair, his chest tightening uncomfortably.

He only noticed that he had watering eyes at all when a small drop had dribbled down his cheek and landed on Kagome's.

Shocked and embarrassed, Inu-Yasha swiftly brushed the tears from his eyes, and then rubbed at Kagome's cheek tenderly to wipe it away.

She shifted under his hand and he froze nervously.

-

To his surprise, Kagome's eyes opened a crack and she blinked up at him, confused.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked.

"Um… Yeah, hi," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "How're you?"

"Fine," Kagome said with a puzzled frown.

She cringed as pain shot up her spine when she sat up, and she gripped to her friend's shoulder to hold herself up. She looked into his eyes, and for some reason they looked a little bloodshot, as if he had been crying.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she inquired, "You okay? You don't look well."

"Me?" he asked, "What…? What about _you_?"

His entire body trembled and Kagome nearly jumped when he lurched forward and hugged her tightly to his chest. She could feel his aura around him, and when she squinted, she could see it billowing from his body, like thick tendrils of flame.

"Yasha…?" she asked.

She could feel that he was furious.

"Oh…" she mumbled, "You talked to Katsura-san, didn't you?"

He nodded weakly and nuzzled her cheek, the words "I love you" longing to burst from his throat. He didn't let them though: he was too mad.

"I… I'm so…" he said quietly, his voice shaking, "I didn't know…"

"I know," Kagome assured him.

She smiled and snuggled closer, letting him squeeze her in his panic, despite the fact that it made her back a little uncomfortable.

"Yasha, it's okay…"

"Why the hell didn't you _tell_ me?!"

"I didn't wanna whine…"

"What? _What_!? You have every right to whine!"

Kagome couldn't help a soft laugh.

"You know that's not what I'm like," she said quietly, "Plus I really didn't think it was relevant…"

"You bet your ass it was relevant!" the boy exclaimed in exasperation.

Kagome laughed at him, though was quite happy when he kissed her on the cheek and then snuggled her closer.

"Well, I know that _now_."

"And you're really not bothered by it?"

"Well, it's my life: I've lived that part all ready, and it's over with," she said, shrugging, "I was sorta surprised, but talking about it _did_ make me feel better."

Inu-Yasha drew back and let out a sigh as he locked eyes with her.

"You nutjob," he whispered, slumping to rest his forehead against hers.

"That's _my _line!" she laughed.

The hanyou smiled slightly, and he was about ready to kiss her, though before he could make a move, she had cupped his cheeks and kissed him on the tip of his nose.

He didn't know if he was blushing or not, but his posture slumped and he felt something stir up in his gut.

_I have to tell her what I am,_ he decided swiftly.

"Kagome?" he muttered, "Listen, I… There's something you really have to know."

Kagome looked back at him, puzzled, though he expression divulged many things to her. He looked ashamed, yet hopeful. She wasn't sure of what he wanted to tell her, but she could tell it was disturbing him a great deal.

"Well… Okay, but first answer _me_," she said, "Is whatever you're gonna tell me going to stress you out a lot?"

"Well, most likely, but-"

Kagome smiled at him and pressed her forefinger to his lips, shushing him.

"Then wait," she said, "Jeez, look at you! You're a wreck."

Inu-Yasha looked surprised as the girl moved her hand to pat his shoulder.

"You poor guy…" she whispered, "Whatever it is, can it wait until we get home?"

"But…" the boy said, "But Kagome, it's really important."

"I'm sure it is," she laughed, "But seriously… You don't need the stress right now. I can see it all over your face. How about you wait until we're back home and things are sorta settled?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped, but he supposed she was right. He felt close to collapse.

"Okay," he mumbled, "But you have to let me tell you tomorrow."

"Fine with me," she assured him.

She kissed his face again, and though it took most of his self-control not to scoop her into his arms and kiss her deeply, he jolted away from her, startled, as they heard a knock on the door.

Blushing, he scooted away, and she called for the person to enter.

-

It turned out that the person was another nurse that they had not met before, who had been asked to deliver some forms to them by Aoi.

Kagome looked through them curiously, and was then told that they were "release forms" that was procedure for she and Inu-Yasha to fill out.

"Oh… But Inu-Yasha's blind," Kagome said, unable to hide a tinge of sadness in her voice, "Should I fill them out for him?"

"Oh," the nurse said, surprised, "I'm sorry, I didn't know… Of course, that'd be fine."

Kagome smiled and then filled out her form, and then Inu-Yasha's, being careful to remember that his family name was now supposed to be "Takahashi", while the hanyou in question stared, silent, over her shoulder.

She returned the forms to the woman, who thanks her and left as she looked through her remaining papers. Two were doctor's notes, to be submitted to the school, while the third was a prescription for painkillers.

"Well, this is good," she said, looking over her shoulder at her friend, "We can go home any time."

"Good," Inu-Yasha agreed.

He sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder a little tiredly.

"Heh… how do you think Buyo's got on without us?" he asked, smirking.

"Oh, he's perfect, he knocked the whole fridge over, remember?" Kagome laughed, "He's probably having the time of his life."

"As soon as we walk in, he's gonna ask us about sex again," the hanyou sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh, I _know_," she grumbled.

She took one of his hands and pulled his arm around her as she leaned into him, wincing at the pain in her back.

"Sore?" the boy inquired, holding her now by his own accord.

"Yeah," she sighed, disappointed, "Yuck… I still find it sorta hard to believe that I was shot…"

Inu-Yasha nodded and cradled her in his arms caringly.

"When do you wanna leave?" he inquired.

"Hmmm…" she pondered.

She stole a glance at the clock on the table beside them. It flashed the numbers 2:43 before they flickered and changed to 2:44.

"We could leave now," she suggested.

"Yeah?" Inu-Yasha inquired a little brightly: he couldn't wait to get home.

Kagome nodded and smiled at the hanyou, reaching an arm backwards a little awkwardly, patting his side. She was a little surprised though; she felt something hard and square in his pocket.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"Huh?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

He released her with one hand and felt where she had patted, only to realize that he had completely forgotten to take his jacket off.

"Oh!" he said, startled, "I completely forgot."

He pulled the box from his pocket and handed it to her a little shyly.

"Here," he mumbled, "It's for you…"

Kagome's eyebrows rose with surprise and she traced the fuzzy box that looked strangely expensive with her fingertips. She was quite content with the fuzz.

"When did you get this?" she demanded, "And _why_?"

"While you were talking to the spider-man," Inu-Yasha said, shrugging as Kagome curiously pried the box open.

Inside, the silver chain glinted brightly as Kagome lifted the lid and the metal was exposed to the ceiling lights.

"Oh wow," she breathed, tilting the box so the chain would catch the light even more, "I would've been happy with the box…"

"You like it?" Inu-Yasha inquired, a little anxious, "I mean, I noticed that yours was gone, so-"

"You didn't have to get me a new one," Kagome interjected, though her eyes were still locked on the chain, "But… wow… thank you, it's really nice."

Inu-Yasha immediately perked and he smiled, relieved.

"Glad you like it," he said brightly.

Kagome laughed and took the chain from it's box and dangled it from her hand briefly, watching it glitter.

"Wow…" she mumbled again, "If the other one was good luck…. This one must be like… triple good luck, since it's from you."

Inu-Yasha's cheeks reddened a little and he finally released her and darted around in front of her, his ears perking as she carefully placed the object around her neck and did up the clasp.

"This better not have been expensive," she warned.

"It wasn't," the boy lied.

"Liar," Kagome laughed, "I hope you got a good deal, at least."

"Well, I thought it was reasonable, based on the quality," he admitted.

Kagome snickered and stretched, happy with her new chain. Though the weight felt a little unfamiliar, unlike her old one, though she was sure she'd grow accustomed to it. This one was a little bit heavier.

"Thanks so much," she said, "Hmmm… now I need to think of something to get you…"

"Don't bother," the hanyou laughed, "I mean, it was probably my fault you lost your first chain to begin with… And it was the least I could do to get you that, after I put you through so much crap."

"No, the least you could do is nothing," Kagome laughed.

"It's a figure of speech!" Inu-Yasha said, rolling his eyes.

Kagome began to laugh again, and, slowly, biting her lip in an attempt to quell the ache that ran through her body, pushed herself to her feet and, after glancing around, walked carefully to the chest of drawers she saw her belongings resting on. On the top of the pile were the three fangs that Tsuyomaru had somehow left her.

-

She picked them up tenderly and stared at them for a moment, trying to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. She placed them at the pile's side and then lifted her clothes, looking at them curiously.

"Hey, I thought all my stuff was ripped…" she muttered.

"They replaced our things," Inu-Yasha replied, "Except our shoes. Apparently, those weren't ruined."

"Oh, okay, good," the girl replied.

She stole a glance over her shoulder and looked back at the boy.

"I'm going to get changed now," she informed him.

"Oh, do you…? Umm… should I go?" he asked.

"Well, how much can you see?" she asked.

"Uh…"

Inu-Yasha squinted at her, though it was still hard for him to pull her outline away from that of the objects behind her. It took him a few moments, concentrating, for him to find all of her.

"Not much," he admitted, "But… I'll just…"

He turned to look at a different wall nonetheless, still feeling a little awkward. Kagome laughed quietly, and she did her best to change quickly, though her back pain hindered her slightly; the location of the wound made just about _everything_ hurt.

Quelling a sound of discomfort, she finished putting her shirt on and shoved her feet into her boots. When she looked back at Inu-Yasha, she couldn't help a small grin. He was staring intently at the floor on the other side of her bed, red staining his face. She limped to him and squatted before him, inclining her head curiously. He jolted and looked up to meet her eyes, embarrassed.

"Oh, you're done?" he asked.

"Yep," she assured him.

"That was quick," he said a little absently.

"What d'ya mean?" Kagome asked, and then cut her eyes at him, poking him on the forehead, "Were you picturing me _naked_?"

"I haven't even seen you Kagome, how could I possibly picture you naked?" Inu-Yasha demanded indignantly.

The girl laughed at him and flicked his nose playfully.

"I was joking," she said as he yelped and clapped a hand to his hand to his nose, "Or was I?"

"Were you?" the boy asked.

He rubbed his nose tenderly.

"Maybe half," she said, "C'mon, let's go home."

She offered him her hand to help him to his feet, but he ignored it and stood by himself, still rubbing his nose.

"Sure, but can you walk okay?" he asked.

"Oh, well, it hurts, but I can manage," she said with a shrug.

"Hmm… " he muttered, tapping his chin as Kagome picked up her papers, folded them carefully, and placed them in her pocket, "Well… That's no good."

He pulled his sword from the drawer where he had stashed it and Kagome looked at it, wide-eyed.

"Whoa, where'd you get that?" she demanded.

"It's mine, from home," he said and then, without warning he hefted her into his arms and took her from the room.

She laughed and insisted that she be put down, but he didn't oblige until they reached the elevator.

-

It didn't take them long to reach the front desk, though Kagome was feeling very sore, and it was becoming hard for her to walk: the pain seemed to come and go all the time. A woman at the "sign-out desk" gave Kagome her prescription medication, and arranged transportation home for the two teenagers and, before they left, Aoi caught them and hugged them both good-bye, and then secretly made Inu-Yasha promise to "invite her to the wedding", which in turn cause the boy to blush for the whole car-ride home.

_oOoOoOoO_

The sun was setting by the time Kagome and Inu-Yasha finally arrived at home. Kagome took one glance at the familiar building and automatically felt more relaxed than she had in days (other than when she had been cuddling with the hanyou boy, of course).

"Feels good to be back, doesn't it?" she inquired cheerfully.

"Hell yeah," Inu-Yasha agreed.

Kagome grinned and took his hand and was about to race him inside, though he scooped her up again before she could begin to move.

"Oh, come _on_," she whined.

"No more walking than is necessary for you!" he insisted.

"But Inu-Yasha," she whined, "What about your arm?"

"Doesn't hurt anymore," he said, shrugging.

Kagome gripped onto his neck as he climbed the stairs to the house, though she could see him cringe as he did so.

"What about your leg? And your chest?"

"Huh?" he asked a bit dumbly, "Oh. My chest is just a tiny bit sore. My leg is a little worse, but not by much… I'm fine, okay?"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and he plopped her down at the threshold. She looked confused until he jerked his head at the door.

"I don't have keys," he stated.

"Oh, right!" Kagome said.

She shoved her hands in her pockets, searching for her house keys. She found them after a moment, after her fingers had all ready passed over her wallet, her doctor's notes, and her bottle of pills.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open with her shoulder, and then walked in slowly. Inu-Yasha followed her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

-

The house was dark and quiet; as Kagome stepped past the empty table beside the door, she began to feel as if she hadn't been in the house for months. She wondered where Buyo was, and if those raccoons were still living in the attic.

She certainly couldn't hear them.

Behind her, Inu-Yasha's ears twitched. He could hear snoring. Cat snoring.

He had had Tetsusaiga attached to one of the belt loops on his pants so he didn't have to carry it; now, he placed it carefully on the small table beside them. Kagome's eyes followed his arm and she turned to him, looking puzzled.

"Yasha, where'd you get that?" she asked at a whisper.

""It's mine, from home," he explained, lowering his voice as well, "I found it in the woods."

"That's weird," Kagome said.

"Yeah," the hanyou agreed, "Hey, Kags?"

"What?"

"Why are we whispering?"

"Oh," Kagome said, raising her voice to normal levels, "Um, sorry, I'm not sure."

The hanyou laughed, amused, and he ruffled the girl's hair. He was curious about what Buyo had made of the large pile of food he had been assigned to clean up. The hanyou was a little surprised that he didn't smell anything rotting: the food, nor the cat.

Curious, he walked past Kagome and to the kitchen, A little confused, she followed him and latched onto his arm as he stood at the threshold, squinting at the space before him.

Though there were still a few smears on the floor, in general, the room was surprisingly clean. What was also surprising was Buyo, who lay, now almost spherical in shape, on his back where the pile had been.

"Oh my God, he ate the whole thing," Kagome gasped.

At her words, the cat shifted and, groggily opened his bright, yellow eyes. Upon seeing the two teenagers starting at him, however, he gawked and awkwardly flipped onto his feet.

"_Kaggy! Yasha! You're back!" _he exclaimed, and then burped.

He winced as Kagome tried not to laugh too hard at him and Inu-Yasha cringed. Buyo's ears flattened and his gaze traced Inu-Yasha and Kagome slyly.

"_You sure were gone for a while,_" he stated, _"Did you have…. Seeeeeeeeeex?"_

His tail swished and Kagome put a hand to her brow, shaking her head in disbelief. The hanyou at her side frowned and took a deliberate, heavy step forward that made Buyo recoil.

The cat laughed nervously.

"_No sex?"_ he asked innocently.

"NO!" Inu-Yasha and Kagome exclaimed as one.

The hanyou folded his arms to his chest irritably.

"You have to be the most annoying cat on the planet," he decided.

Buyo stuck his tongue out mockingly, but then couldn't help but let out another burp.

"_Oh, my stomach_," he whined.

"Did you eat all that stuff that was here yourself?" Kagome asked.

"_Almost; those raccoons helped," _he replied, _"So… did you bring groceries?_"

"Er… No…" Kagome muttered, embarrassed, "See, we kinda got attacked by some weird, secret government organization that tried to kill us-"

"Several times," Inu-Yasha added.

"Yeah," Kagome agreed, "And I met a bigass demon, and Inu-Yasha and I both got shot, and we ended up in the hospital as of yesterday morning."

The hanyou nodded his agreement wholeheartedly. Buyo looked between them blankly for a moment before his jaw dropped.

"_You're serious…"_ he whispered, and in an instant, he had hopped up into Kagome's arms and began licking her face.

"_Oh, for the love of all that is neko! Poor Kaggy!" _he whimpered, _"You're all right?"_

"I'm fine," she assured him, "It just sorta hurts to… y'know, move."

The cat gasped and jumped away from her, looking suddenly mortified.

"_Sorry!" _he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm fine too. Thanks for asking," Inu-Yasha said sarcastically.

"_I knew that, that's why I didn't say anything_," Buyo stated, rolling his eyes, _"You two were just gone so long that I was almost positive that you were… having seeeeeex…"_

Kagome sighed, irritated while the hanyou grimaced, pulled away from the girl, and gave the cat a light kick, which sent him rolling away like a cursing football. Kagome laughed at the cat, though she cringed and put a hand to her back.

"Damn, I'm sore…" she muttered.

Inu-Yasha looked back over his shoulder at her, concerned.

"Hmm… Hey, Kagome," he said as he turned to her, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Why don't you take one of your painkillers and then go to bed, huh?"

"I dunno, I've been sleeping a lot lately," she muttered.

"I know, but this'll help you get your strength back quicker, won't it?" he insisted.

Kagome stared at him blankly for an instant before she gave in and nodded.

"You're right," she said.

She pulled her bottle of pills from her pocket and, wandering towards the sink, dropped them on the counter with a clunk as she poured herself a glass of water. She then twisted off the cap and downed two of the small, white tablets with her water before she seal the container again.

"Okay," she decided, "Bed!"

She ambled towards the stairs, her socked feet shuffling across the fluffy carpet. When she reached the stairs, though, and grasped the railing, she found that it hurt too much to heave herself upwards. Annoyed, she was about to turn around and use the couch as her bed, but out of nowhere, Inu-Yasha scooped her up with surprising ease and had her plopped down on her bed before she even had time to ask him what he was doing.

"You rest, okay?" he said, looking a little concerned, "You hungry?"

"A bit," Kagome admitted.

The hanyou nodded and darted from the room, leaving Kagome sitting on top of her still messy bed, looking a bit confused.

Did _he_ intend to cook?

She had little energy to go find out though. She sighed, leaned back slightly, and pushed one sock off her foot with her other foot, and visa versa, discarding them and leaving them on the floor messily.

Cringing, she pulled her covers up around her and nestled back in them; they were thick, squishy, and warm: much better than the thin ones at the hospital.

It felt wonderful to be home.

Kagome closed her eyes and let her mind wander, though for some reason, she couldn't get to sleep, even as the pills she had taken began to numb the pain that ran through her body. She wondered how long the relief would last.

-

It didn't take Kagome very long to trace back to her conversation with the spider doctor, Katsura-san. Though she wasn't too upset about the things she had said, there was a trend she had seen, now that she thought about it, that bothered her.

In the most blunt terms, no one really liked her. Before Inu-Yasha, she had had a total of four friends, who were more of acquaintances that she just happened to sort of get along with.

This bothered her.

She had always been too weird, or too antisocial, or _something_.

But now, Inu-Yasha liked her. He had actually let her kiss him, and then, to her shock, had kissed her back. She blushed, and hid her face in her pillow.

_What's a cute guy like him doing with someone as weird as me?_ She wondered, and then couldn't help but shake her head, _No, I'm not that weird. It's just…_

She sighed to herself and tried to push the negative thoughts away, though when something like _I don't deserve someone as nice as him_ shot through her head, she nearly hit herself to make that idea go away. She scrunched her eyes closed and thought about a song, or a story she had read recently instead. She hated thinking so negatively: it made her stomach hurt.

_oOoOoOoO_

It wasn't very long until the sun had set, and Inu-Yasha had brought Kagome some cereal and milk to eat. He apologized, for it wasn't much, but it was some of the only food that was left undamaged in the house. He sat with her as she ate and cleaned up for her, and only left when she decided she was going to sleep. There seemed to be something bothering him though: he seemed incredibly worried, and the more his clouded eyes stared at her with such compassion, the more Kagome yearned to ask him _why_. She held back the question as she lay in her bed.

-

A few hours had passed and she still couldn't get to sleep. It had to be around 10 o'clock at night.

The girl was exhausted, but her mind kept wandering, and thus kept her awake. She was quite annoyed, to be honest.

She wondered what her friend was up to, and if Buyo was still as bloated as he had been. She could hear the television on downstairs for a little while, though it was soon switched off and she heard footsteps wander around the lower floor until the fridge was opened.

Her mind went blank for a little while, though when she came back into conscious thought, her back aching again, she heard her door open slowly, though she didn't open her eyes.

She knew it was Inu-Yasha.

She heard quiet feet pad to her bedside, and felt it sag slightly under his weight as the boy sat beside her. His hand slowly reached out to her injured back, and once he found it, he began to gently massage it, trying desperately to make the pain go away.

"Hey Yasha…" she said softly.

He smiled and gave a quiet laugh.

"You're awake, huh?" he said.

"Apparently," Kagome replied, "Thanks…"

His smile grew and she flipped over to face him, smirking and opening her eyes.

"How'd you know I was hurting?" she asked.

"I could hear you groaning from the hall," he said, "Is it still very sore?"

Kagome nodded and shrugged.

"A bit…"

The hanyou looked troubled and then sighed, his blind eyes darting away from Kagome in shame.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he muttered.

Kagome smiled. She would've sat up to hug him, but the pain from her back carried through most of her body, preventing her from moving very much. Instead, she reached up and took his clawed hand in hers, locking their fingers together comfortably.

"You baka," she said, "Don't be sorry. No matter what you say… This wasn't your fault."

Inu-Yasha sighed, seeming depressed, and he looked back to Kagome.

"But…" he whispered slowly, "Kagome…"

"No way," she said, her brow furrowing, "Don't start. I'm too tired to argue with you. It wasn't your fault and that's it."

Inu-Yasha gave in to a tiny smile and laid his hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair.

"Okay; you win," he chuckled, "Now shove over… I'm coming in."

"You are?" Kagome asked.

She slowly released his hand as he nodded.

"I… I need to," he mumbled, "I… need to stay. You're hurting. I need to be with you."

Kagome smiled, touched by his words, and laughed sleepily. She rolled over slightly to make room for him.

"Oh… All right…" she grumbled with feigned irritation, "Just don't kick me in your sleep. Your toenails are sharp."

"Okay," he said.

He pulled back the covers and slid underneath them with her. Then, to her surprise, he gently grabbed her around the waist and held her close, nuzzling her shoulder.

Kagome blinked with surprise, red spreading over her face. She was unable to stop herself from relaxing in his arms, his slightly woodsy smell wafting over her and calming her.

As the tension melted out of Kagome's muscles, Inu-Yasha smiled approvingly.

"That's a good girl… Just relax," he said, "You know you can trust me, right?"

Kagome nodded and smiled.

"Yeah," she whispered, "Yasha… Thank you…"

Her hand came to rest on one of his, and his smile grew, his heart throbbing with both the warmth of the love he was feeling for her, and the love he knew he was receiving, despite the fact that neither of them had said a word about their feelings yet.

_I hope she can feel mine too_, he thought, grasping her hand tightly in his own.

-

Indeed, Kagome could, but she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was right or not.

_Why would he… fall for me?_ Was all she could think about the situation.

Kagome had tried not to let the others at school warp her mind, but by being with people that had always told her she was inadequate, some of it had worn off on her.

_He shouldn't want me,_ she thought sadly, and then blew out a long sigh.

Inu-Yasha's keen ears picked up the tiniest note of depression in her exhale, and he frowned and held her closer to his chest, wishing desperately to cheer her in some way.

"Kag? You sound sad; what's wrong?" he asked.

Kagome didn't want to tell him, but the word had left her mouth before she had time to think about what she was saying.

"Why?" she whispered.

Inu-Yasha tilted his head with puzzlement.

"Uh… Why what?" he asked.

Kagome cringed. She'd have to answer now…

"Why do you like me?" she asked, "Why do you care about me so much?"

Inu-Yasha blinked at the back of her head with shock, and she shifted to face him, her eyes wide and troubled.

"Why do you care about what happens to me? Why do you act so depressed when I get hurt?" she demanded, and then her voice softened, "Why the hell did you agree to stay with me?"

Inu-Yasha stared at the girl in his arms with bafflement until a small smile took him, and he cuddled her closer.

"Why?" he repeated, "Well, it's all because I care about you... and because you're my best friend. It's easy Kagome."

"But why?" she pressed, "Why do you care? Most people couldn't care less about what happens to me, but you… Why are you so different?"

Inu-Yasha smiled. He had been saving his little secret, but he decided that now would be quite an appropriate time to say how he felt.

"Well, that's easy too," he said, drawing her closer and leaning his forehead against hers, "Easiest thing in the world. Can you guess?"

Kagome blinked into the sparkling amber eyes of her best friend and secret love, her heart suddenly pounding. The light in his eyes pulled her closer, and she itched to hear what he had to say.

It was easy to see that he could tell this, and his smile grew as he planted a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose.

"It's because I love you, you baka," he chuckled.

Kagome stared at the boy, stunned, and was about to stammer out some absurdities but was denied the chance as he tenderly covered her lips with his.

In an instant, the girl was blown away, all rational thoughts leaving her head.

Slowly, she raised one lethargic arm to lay her hand against his cheek and then desperately tried to return what he was giving her.

Tiny growls of pleasure rocked the boy's body for a moment, before he drew back slowly, blinking with heavy lids. She did the same, staring, awed, into his dimmed eyes before she managed to support a tiny smile.

"Inu-Yasha…" she breathed softly, not knowing what else to say, "Oh… Inu-Yasha…"

A smirk formed across Inu-Yasha's face, and he snickered, nuzzling his nose against hers.

"Don't," he replied, "You don't need to say anything if you can't find the words… Just… stay here with me, okay?"

Kagome stared at him, blinking, her eyes shimmering. Gently, her fingers traced his cheek, and her smile widened.

It wouldn't be fair if she couldn't say anything now… He had told her he loved her, why shouldn't she be able to do the same?

She let out a soft snicker, patting his face.

"I love you," she assured him, wrapping her arm around his neck.

The hanyou's smile turned warm and caring, and he nuzzled against her face again. After planting another kiss on her nose, he caressed her shoulder worriedly.

"You're still hurting," he said softly, "You should just lay back, okay?"

Kagome nodded slowly and sighed as Inu-Yasha lowered her into a comfortable position on the mattress and snuggled her close.

"Sorry," he whispered, "I… I probably shouldn't have-"

"No, no, I'm glad you did," she replied quietly, "Don't worry about it."

She wrapped her other arm around his neck and sighed with contentment, smiling up at him. He smiled in return, but his eyes flashed guilt as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I mean… I shouldn't have moved you; sorry," he continued.

"Nah," the girl chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

She continued to laugh sleepily for a few moments, though her eyelids were becoming heavy.

She yawned, and the hanyou smirked at her.

"Listen to you; you're friggin exhausted, ain't you?" he commented, "Why don't you just fall asleep, huh?"

"I'll… trying…" she mumbled sleepily, not even realizing that her sentence was barely coherent.

"Heh, good girl," Inu-Yasha laughed.

-

Within the minute, Kagome had drifted into a comfortable slumber. Finally.

Inu-Yasha stared through the grey that was his vision to look at her face, and he sighed contentedly.

"Don't worry Kagome," he muttered to her sleeping form, "I'll protect you forever."

He smirked, a little proud of himself, and he ran his thumb across her forehead before allowing himself to relax beside her.

Soon, he too, was asleep, his dog ears gently flicking to the normal night time sounds, and to the soft, but clear noise of a triumphant Buyo, singing a generic and off-key love song, up on the roof.

* * *

A/N: Finally, we're getting somewhere! ;D And _man_ was that chapter _way_ too long or what? Yeesh! XD My brains! And ACK! Fluff! I can't write fluff:run around in a circle: Sheesh! I'm NOT a fluff writer. I'm not very good at the fluffeh-ness, sorry everyone. 

Random notice things, there might be someone on Quizilla pretending to be me. Probably not, but it's also rather unlikely that someone came up with my same penname thing. At least, I think it is :scratches head: anyway… BLAH! I don't use Quizilla! Just in case. Yeah…

More random notes: it seems that I've been nominated for "best AU award" thing on some fanguild site for this story so… umm… thanks to whoever did that:D

And even more random notes, if you kinda wanna see what Tsuyomaru looks like, you can look me up on deviantart under the same name, TakaiWolf, and I have a kinda sorta picture of him. I mean, it's not amazing (I'm not a very good artist. I mean, I'm okay. I'd say kinda mediocre with a few pretty good ones thrown in there somewhere), and he looks a bit too goat-ish, but I think it gets the point across. :D

So, thanks for reading, all you crazy reading people! You make me happehs! Yays! …Can you tell that I'm writing this in an extremely sleep-deprived state? Oh, I wrote most of the chapter like that too, so if you see any extremely stupid typos that I might have missed, feel free to tell me. Nyuk nyuk… KNOWLEDGE IS POWAH!

* * *


	38. Revelations

* * *

Chapter 37: Revelations

* * *

The next day, as the soft glow of morning sunlight began to seep under the curtains, Inu-Yasha slowly began to wake.

Warmth took him for a moment, and then the light hit his eyelids, causing him to see dark red for an instant before he opened his eyes a crack, blinking groggily.

In his arms, he could feel Kagome, her chest gently moving up and down as she snoozed contentedly.

For the first time, no red stained the hanyou's face as he felt how close Kagome was. Joy coursed through his veins, causing a tremor to run up and down the length of his spine.

Kagome loved him.

Kagome had _said_ that she loved him, right to his face.

Pride swelled in the boy's chest and, softly, he nuzzled into the sleeping human's hair. She was going to be his mate one day, he decided. That, and, if she or her family insisted, he would marry her too. As he pondered, however, he nearly began to laugh: he found it amusing that he was all ready considering such life decisions.

x

Quietly, he rested with the girl for a few more minutes, contemplating what to do next.

Obviously, Kagome was in no shape to go to school today; she could barely walk without hurting herself: he'd have to phone in to the school. Sighing, he lingered a little longer before he, reluctantly, slid Kagome from his embrace and onto the mattress. Minding her back, he shifted her into a warm spot on the mattress before he wrapped her snugly in blankets.

x

He padded from the room, removing his bandana and rubbing tenderly at his ears. He ground his claws into his fur, slightly annoyed with both the fact that his ear felt a little cramped, and that Kagome _still_ didn't even know he had them. She had never questioned why he slept with his bandana on, and for that he was grateful, but he cursed himself for being too shy to tell her the reason.

In his mind he noted that, now that their feelings were out, he would _have _to tell her… And _soon_.

_Tonight,_ he decided, _I'll definitely tell her tonight. I just… I just need a little more time to psyche myself up._

Once more, he wished he had told Kagome of his true nature the week they had met.

Suddenly, something dawned on the hanyou.

He and Kagome hadn't even known each other for a full month, and yet…

Inu-Yasha couldn't help a smirk.

He was utterly in love Kagome. And it felt good. Inu-Yasha grinned to himself and then prowled down the stairs.

x

In the kitchen, he groped around for the phone until he realized that he didn't know the phone number of the school. After puzzling over what to do for a moment, he decided that the only way he could get the number was to wake Kagome up.

He cupped his chin. He wanted to let her sleep for a little while longer, but he also wanted to call in before classes started.

The hanyou strode to the stove, and leaned over it. He knew there was a bright digital clock there; Kagome had pointed it out to him a while ago. Squinting, he pushed his face even closer until he could finally read the numbers. They flashed the numbers 8:20 over and over again.

Inu-Yasha drew back and rubbed at his eyes as he was left in darkness again.

He knew classes started soon…

Sighing, he reluctantly decided to wake Kagome.

x

Quietly, he crept back up the stairs and then kneeled on the carpet beside Kagome's bed.

Tentatively, he stretched out a hand towards her and then rested it against her forehead.

"Kagome?" he inquired softly, "Kagome, wake up for a sec?"

The girl stirred slightly under his hand, and then, slowly, her fingers traced upwards to lock around his.

Drowsily, her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked at him through sleep-blurred vision.

"Yasha…?" she croaked, "Oh… mmm, yo. What's up?"

"Sorry, you… must still be exhausted, ne?" he inquired.

Kagome shrugged, but then cringed as pain shot up her arm.

"Ugh…" she groaned, but then gave him a smile, "No, I'm okay. Did you want something?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and patted her head.

"Uh-huh. I'm gonna phone the school to tell them that we won't be in for a little while, but I need the number," he said.

"Ohhh," Kagome said, nodding in affirmation, "Okay. Gimme some paper and I'll write it really big for you."

"Thanks," he said with a grin.

x

As the hanyou stood and darted from the room to find paper and a writing utensil, Kagome's eyes followed him curiously.

She wondered wistfully if last night had really happened.

Had she merely dreamt of Inu-Yasha saying that he loved her? Did she make up the kiss as well?

Tentatively, she raised a hand to her lips, and then winced.

She didn't know if she'd be able to stand it if none of it had been real.

x

Footsteps thudded in the hallway and, swiftly, Inu-Yasha appeared, smiling, and brandishing a napkin and a pen.

"Got stuff," he stated proudly.

Kagome smiled, and he eagerly handed her the items.

She scribbled down the school's phone number, and then placed it in his awaiting palm.

"Hey," she said softly, "Inu-Yasha?"

"Hai?" he asked.

He squatted down to her level and rested his head on his arms on top of her blankets as he peered at her closely.

"Last night…" she said slowly, "Um…"

"Um…?" Inu-Yasha repeated.

He cocked his head inquisitively, and then smirked. He had scented her confusion and longings from the other room: her question was as clear to him as if she had asked it aloud.

With a chuckle, he pushed forward, and then kissed her for a moment. Her body stiffened in utter surprise, though she relaxed quickly as the hanyou boy stroked her cheek.

_I love you …_

His heart leapt when she tentatively put a hand to his cheek and pulled him closer. Growling with pleasure, he took the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss lovingly. He crept up onto the bed beside her, sliding his arms around her waist before he slowly drew away and smiled at her as he nuzzled against her cheek.

She couldn't help but giggle and she looked into his eyes, joy plastered across her face.

"Yes, it really happened," he assured her.

"Oh thank God," she whispered.

She wrapped her arms around him, locking her fingers gently into his hair. He bared his fangs in a wide grin and held her close, patting the back of her head.

"And yes, I really love you," he continued.

Kagome let out a snicker before she contentedly cuddled against his neck.

"Good. 'Cause _I_ really love _you_," she said.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked and his grin widened.

"I could tell," he replied.

He planted a kiss on her forehead and then gently eased her back into her bed, trying to hide the concern on his face. She smiled at him and took his arms, pulling him down on top of her. His eyes grew slightly wide and she cupped his cheeks and tilted his face downwards so that she could kiss the tip of his nose. He grinned down at her and sat himself back up slightly so as not to rest any of his weight on her.

"Would you like to lie on top of me instead?" he asked.

"Um… If it's okay," Kagome replied a little shyly, hoping that she wasn't blushing: despite his lack of sight, Inu-Yasha always seemed to be able to tell when she was.

The hanyou smiled at her and scooped her into his arms. He rolled onto his back and positioned her comfortably on top of his chest. She winced for a moment, shifted, and then sighed and let her muscles relax completely.

"Feeling any better?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Yeah, actually," she said, "My leg hurts a lot less."

"Cool," the hanyou said, "And your back?"

"That's kinda sore still," she admitted, "But it's a hell of a lot better than… well, even last night, really."

"That's good," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "So, you'll be able to walk properly again in just a few days…"

"I sure hope so," Kagome laughed, though she suddenly looked disheartened and she let out a sigh, "I'm just sorry… that…. Well, you know, that you have to do all the work for now."

"I don't mind," he assured her, "I'm actually sort of looking forward to it."

He craned his neck upwards and nuzzled her cheek affectionately, but then he remembered the original reason he had woken Kagome up in the first place.

"Oh yeah," he said a little reluctantly, "I still have to phone the stupid school."

"Oh, you do, don't you?" Kagome agreed, nodding, "You go do that then."

The boy nodded and carefully guided Kagome back onto her mattress before he sat up.

"I'll be _right back_," he said.

He slid from the bed and then bounded from the room with his scribbled napkin.

x

As Inu-Yasha skidded into the kitchen once more, he scented Buyo, who greeted him with a wide, fangy grin.

"_Hello blindy," _he purred, _"Have a good night with your mate?"_

"What?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

He reached across the counter and felt around on the wooden surface until he managed to grasp the phone.

"_Oh come on!" _Buyo whined.

He jumped clumsily onto the counter and lightly headbutted the boy's arm as he ran his fingers across the numbered buttons.

"_You're telling me that you two confessed your undying affections, and then did NOT get it on?!" _ he demanded.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and flicked Buyo on the forehead. The cat let out a trilled chirp and shook his head swiftly.

"No, we did not 'get it on', you dumbass," Inu-Yasha grunted, "God, is that _all_ you think about?"

"_No," _Buyo said, trying to look inconspicuous.

He poked Inu-Yasha's hand with a soft paw, and then gave him a cheerful smirk.

"_Okay, being serious for a second,_" he assured the boy, _"I'm really happy for you guys._"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he replied, "Shut it, I need to call the school."

"_Okay, and when you're done, feed me," _Buyo said, jerking his head at his empty food dish.

"You're actually hungry?" Inu-Yasha asked, surprised, "Seriously?"

"_Mmm… Nah, I guess I'm fine_," the cat admitted.

He sat back on his haunches and licked his paw before brushing it over his ears. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, but then looked to Buyo curiously.

"Can you read our language?" he asked.

"_Yeah, most of it,_" the cat said, "_Why?"_

"Read those numbers to me, would ya?"

He jerked his head at his napkin; Buyo did as he was bid, and Inu-Yasha was soon on the phone with an automated messaging system. He quickly explained the situation to an answering machine; he didn't know why, but he was relieved that he didn't have to talk to a real person.

x

Letting out a sigh, the boy hung up and then headed back up the stairs to Kagome. She squinted up at him as he entered her room again.

"Did it work?" she asked.

Nodding, the boy approached her and cautiously sat beside her again. She grasped his hand and smiled at him sleepily.

"Phew. I'm glad you're here," she said brightly.

"Any change in your back?" he asked.

"In the two minutes since I saw you last, no," Kagome laughed.

She patted his hand again and grinned, and the boy's eyes darted away, embarrassed. He cupped her hand in between his and traced her skin gently. She watched him, intrigued, as his lids drooped slightly and he concentrated on how her hand felt. She supposed that it was his lack of vision that made him crave the physical contact, even from before they were "dating".

"Would you like to lie down?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, no, I'm alright," he replied, dropping her hand and staring blankly at it, "Sorry…"

"Don't be," she said reassuringly, "I think I understand."

The hanyou raised his gaze to her face shyly, though he couldn't think of a single thing to say to her. He took her hand again. After a few minutes, she was able to work up the strength to sit up, and she hugged onto him contentedly; more for his sake than her own. A little bashfully, he held her in return, and then kissed her head.

x

They cuddled and talked quietly for a few minutes, though it wasn't long before Kagome started feeling better, and so after much insisting, Inu-Yasha carefully carried her downstairs, to the couch by the television.

"D'you want anything to eat?" the boy asked after he had made sure that she was comfortable.

"No thanks, I'm okay," she assured him.

She groped around for the remote for the television and turned it on before she looked hopefully up at her boyfriend.

"Sit with me?" she asked.

The hanyou did as he was bid and Kagome immediately latched onto his chest contentedly.

"Thanks for picking me…" she whispered.

Inu-Yasha looked down at the girl, a tremor running through him. Hesitating for a moment, he placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Who else would I pick?" he asked a little blankly.

Kagome shrugged and muttered out a quiet, "Iunno…". Inu-Yasha couldn't help a smirk from crossing his face and he put his other arm around the girl lightly.

"You're crazy," he said.

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and laughed quietly.

"I know it sounds weird, but… uh… I'm glad you were my first kiss," she said quietly, "Though… I kinda stole it."

She looked a bit embarrassed, though the hanyou's face brightened and he held in a bark of laughter.

"Well, I… liked that you were my first too, Kags," he assured her, "I don't mind that you "stole" it."

Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha, a little surprised.

"Wait, I was your first kiss?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, "But… I thought that you had a girlfriend before."

"It was awkward," he admitted, "And I was… well… I was really shy."

"You? Shy?" the girl repeated.

She grinned slightly as the boy looked downwards bashfully.

"Yeah, okay, I guess I can see it," she chuckled, "But… you almost always seem so straightforward."

He shrugged, and then after a moment, shifted a little uncomfortably. The bandages around his torso were beginning to irritate him, and he hadn't really bathed for a couple of days. He secretly hoped that he didn't smell utterly rancid, though Kagome didn't seem to mind pressing up against him, so he supposed that he wasn't that bad.

x

Kagome frowned, puzzled, as he squirmed slightly, and she wondered if she was jabbing him with something. She drew away slightly to see, though couldn't figure out what was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing," he replied swiftly, "My bandages are making me a bit itchy… In fact…"

He straightened slightly.

"Would you mind if I just kinda… go and shower? I feel all… weird."

"Oh, no problem," the girl assured him.

She scooted away from him and he grasped the back of the couch and pushed himself up before steadying himself.

"This way?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the shower.

"Yep," Kagome said, "Towels should still be on the counter. If not, they're under the sink."

"Weird place for towels," Inu-Yasha laughed, "I'll be back in a sec."

x

Inu-Yasha wandered off and Kagome soon heard the water running in the bathroom. She also heard an extremely familiar, hollow thud, as Inu-Yasha slipped somewhere in the tub. She winced, though said nothing. Both she and Inu-Yasha knew that, for some reason, entering the tub to have a shower inevitably resulted in him slipping.

_He'll be okay_, Kagome assured herself.

x

The girl groped around the sofa, hoping that, perhaps, her MP3 player might be lying around within reach. To her glee, it was on a small end table at her end of the couch. She happily turned it on and listened contentedly to her old, American rock music.

Led Zeppelin was her favourite of that sort of music, though she couldn't fit much onto her device, considering it had been extremely cheap and only held about twenty songs. She wasn't really complaining, though.

Kagome was glad that she had one at all.

x

After playing through four different tracks, Kagome looked up to see Inu-Yasha amble into the room, looking a little dishevelled, though lacking in the shirt department. Wet, bloody, slightly torn, strips of cloth wrappings still covered most of him. He looked as if had tried to pull them away, and had failed miserably.

x

Kagome laughed as she switched off her music and placed the device aside, in a spot where it was, most likely, going to get lost in the sofa.

"Need some help?" she inquired.

"If you wouldn't mind…" the boy said a little embarrassedly.

Gripping the couch, he made certain that he knew where he was going before he hopped over the back to take a seat beside his new girlfriend.

Kagome quickly set to work, carefully finding the edges of the bandages, and peeling them away until she was able to get one long one that unravelled most of the bindings.

She was a little surprised to find blood on the sides of the cloth that had been pressed against Inu-Yasha, but there was no wound in sight.

She took a deep breath, but decided not to question it. She was almost positive that the boy would still be reluctant to give her a straight answer.

x

At the same time, Inu-Yasha stared into the distance a little blankly, trying to ignore the fact that Kagome's fingers were tickling him.

"Are you done yet?" he asked.

"Almost…" she muttered, pulling another length of cloth away, "Where'd your shirt go?"

"I lost it again," the boy said, looking a bit disheartened, "I nearly lost my other stuff too, but that would've been about a million times more embarrassing."

He sighed.

"I think it fell behind something."

"You're hopeless."

"Gomen."

"Do you want me to help you find it?"

"No, no… Don't bother, I'll go upstairs once this is done."

Kagome smiled slightly.

"Did you fall again?" she asked, "Sounded like you did."

"Almost," the boy assured her, "I caught myself, but I kinda banged my leg."

Kagome laughed quietly and pulled the last strip of cloth away. She shoved the pile onto the floor, too lazy to care about cleanliness.

"Thanks," Inu-Yasha said brightly, "Be right back."

Before Kagome could even reply with an "Okay," he was gone, and before she could wonder how long he was going to be, he was back at her side, pulling a red t-shirt on over his head.

"Speedy," she said in awe.

"Wet," he corrected, sounding a little whiny, "Oh… wait, my hair's gonna soak this thing and I'mma have to change again… Crap…"

He slumped onto the couch.

"I'm too lazy for this," he sighed.

Kagome grinned and snickered quietly and looked at him, hesitating for a moment before kissing him on the mouth. A tremor shot through him and he sagged backwards, returning the gesture briefly until she pulled away.

"Wh… What was that for?" the boy asked quietly, confused.

"I dunno, nothing," Kagome said, shrugging.

The hanyou's face went red, but he held Kagome to him, trying to stop his heart from pounding.

"I'm okay at it, right?" she asked a little uncertainly.

"Um… yes…?" Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Um… Whoo… I'm going to have to get used to that…"

Kagome began to laugh again; Inu-Yasha couldn't help but join her.

x

They stayed close, watching television for a while, though Inu-Yasha soon began to shudder, a chill running through him. It was a familiar feeling, so he wasn't exactly worried, though he did curse it for coming at such an inopportune time. It was the oh-so-familiar chill that heralded the coming of a thunderstorm, though luckily, it wasn't as big as the one that had freaked him out a few weeks back. He took a deep breath, feeling a little embarrassed; he didn't want to flip out like he had last time.

x

In his arms, Kagome tilted her head so that she could get a better look at his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "You cold?"

"Well… no… and yes," he muttered, "It's just… I feel… um… like there's a storm coming again."

Kagome blinked at him a little blankly before she recalled what had happened last time he had heard thunder. She bit her lip worriedly, and hugged him even tighter.

"Why do you get so scared?" she wondered.

Inu-Yasha frowned slightly and tried to think of a way to explain it.

"Well," he said after a minute, "You know how, when you're little, and you… I dunno, maybe you try to eat something that's way too hot and it burns your mouth…? Then you kinda always associate that food with the burning and you don't really wanna go near it again. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, yeah," Kagome said, "So… something happened when you were young and you were, like… traumatized?"

"Yeah, I guess I associate the thunder with just… bad things… It just really makes me… ugh…"

He shook his head, not sure what words to use, though Kagome seemed to understand completely. She patted his cheek gently and shifted away, awkwardly rising from the couch.

"Where're you going?" he demanded, "You shouldn't be up!"

"Don't be such a wuss," she laughed, "I'll be right back, stay there."

Inu-Yasha stared in her general direction, looking startled as she limped off surprisingly quickly.

x

The girl returned swiftly with a tub of ice cream under one arm, a bottle of Coke in the other, balancing spoons and large, plastic cups. She plopped down with the hanyou, taking his hand and shoving one of the cups into it.

"What are you doing?" he asked sceptically.

"Well, I was thinking," the girl said as she unscrewed the top of the Coke bottle, cringing against its hiss, "Maybe if we do something fun during a thunder storm, we can get rid of a little of your anxiety."

Inu-Yasha stared at her a little blankly.

"You think that'll work?" he wondered.

"I have no clue, but I think it's worth a try. What about you?"

Inu-Yasha looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before he nodded.

"Good," Kagome said brightly.

She poured some soda into his glass, and then into her own before placing both her cup and the bottle on the end table.

"'Cause I was thinking that after this, like, tonight or something, we could go out and get dinner or something," she said, "Since, you know… I think we'll be sick of cereal by then. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow."

"Are you really up for that?" the hanyou inquired, surprised.

"Yeah, I actually feel okay," Kagome said with a laugh, "I'm a bit surprised, though."

"Same here," Inu-Yasha agreed.

He took a sip of his drink and cringed against the initial tingling feeling. Kagome laughed at his odd expression, and then took a sip from her own cup.

"Okay, what can we do that's happy?" she wondered.

She handed Inu-Yasha a spoon and offered him some ice cream, and he hesitantly took some.

"I… I don't know," the boy admitted, "What do you think?"

"I was thinking, comedies, sugar, and a bit of huggy-ness," she said, "How does that sound?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged, and so Kagome got up again and knelt by the television, shuffling through a small pile of DVDs. She eventually settled on a movie that she had found particularly funny a few weeks ago, and slid it into the DVD player. After she was done setting it up to play, she looked at Inu-Yasha quizzically.

"I think I'm going to phone my brother," she decided, "How long do I have?"

"Until what?" Inu-Yasha asked, confused.

"Until the storm hits and we start getting thunder. Duh," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh… Um…" he replied slowly.

He concentrated on the feeling in his gut, and without thinking, said,

"About fourteen minutes."

"Okay, that seems like enough…" she mumbled, "I won't be long."

She walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. The dial tone buzzed at her, and she looked around for the number of the house where her brother was staying. She found it on a post-it on a corkboard on the wall, beside a picture of Buyo and a happy-face sticker.

Carefully, she dialled the number and pressed the phone to her ear as it began to ring.

x

In the other room, Inu-Yasha sighed and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the anxiety the impending thunder was causing him without Kagome by his side. He focussed all his attention on her, trying to keep his mind away from all other things.

"Hello, is Sota there?" he heard her ask, and then there was a slight pause before she said, "Yeah, I'm his sister, Kagome."

There was another pause.

"Sota? Hey, Sota, you geek, how's it going? …Cool, cool… Nah, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

There was a third pause, this time much longer than the others.

"What do you mean, has he told me…? What? You _can't_ tell me? Why the hell not? …Oh, you man-skank."

Kagome scurried into the room, her hand cupped over the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Inu-Yasha, did you have a man-to-man talk with my brother about something?" she asked, "'Cause he's claiming there's some big conspiracy thing, and I am getting extremely confused by his gamer lingo."

Inu-Yasha stared at Kagome blankly, unsure of what to say, and she rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation.

"Okay, there is obviously _no_ conspiracy Sota… No, he didn't, 'cause he just gave me an utterly brain-dead look and… He is _not,_ Sota, my God! I'm gonna kick your ass…. Okay, _fine_, I'll call you when Mom comes back."

Kagome sighed.

"Yeah… Yeah… Okay, bye, no I _don't _love you too, geek-face! Shoo, shoo!"

The girl hung up the phone and smiled at Inu-Yasha slightly.

"My brother's a moron," she said pleasantly, "But… Damn, I miss his annoyingness sometimes."

"I know how you feel," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "Um… _What_, exactly, was he saying about me?"

"I dunno, something about "Did you tell me yet," and some sort of secret werewolf thing, I have no idea."

Inu-Yasha's eye gave an involuntary twitch.

"Werewolf thing, huh…?" he muttered.

_Damn, why can't kids ever keep their mouths shut?_

Kagome, on the other hand, merely shrugged and plopped down on the couch beside the hanyou, cringing as a twinge of pain shot up her back. It wasn't even close to as bad as it had been before, though, and for that, Kagome was grateful.

Without even thinking about it, she latched onto Inu-Yasha again and began watching the movie.

x

Within five minutes, Inu-Yasha began to feel the usual twinges of fear run through him, and after another five, he was shaking almost uncontrollably, though Kagome had a firm hold on him and rubbed his back until his muscles relaxed and he slumped against her.

"Is that any better?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," Inu-Yasha said.

He gripped her and took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself.

"You know, that," he said, "is surprisingly helpful."

"Oh good," she replied brightly, "And the ice-cream?"

"Um… Tasted good; didn't help."

"Damn."

She continued to rub his back until his trembling eased, though it wasn't much of a surprise to her that every clap of thunder made him jump and, at one point, caused him to let out a surprisingly feminine squeak.

Kagome did her best not to laugh. She knew that if their rolls had been reversed, he wouldn't make fun of her for any reason. The girl kissed him on the cheek and he smiled slightly and closed his eyes.

"Arigato, Kagome," he said.

"Hey, you'd do the same for me," she said, "It's no big deal."

The hanyou gripped Kagome slightly tighter and forced himself to concentrate on the dialogue of the movie in the background in an attempt to distract himself. It didn't surprise him that it was no help whatsoever.

x

Letting out a sigh, the boy made himself straighten and pull back from Kagome slightly, though she looked at him, puzzled.

"Yasha?" she asked.

"Mrhm… Jeez, I feel like such a kid," he grumbled.

"Aww, no," she said, trying to reassure him, "It's completely understandable."

She gave the boy a kiss on the cheek. Under his bandana, his ears drooped, and he looked embarrassed.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Pfft, don't be," the girl scoffed, "It's not like you can help it."

"I know, but… It's just…" the boy grumbled, putting his hand to his brow, "I wish I could just _stop_ _shaking_ at least!"

He folded his arms to his chest and Kagome, concerned, rubbed his shoulder gently.

"There's gotta be something I can do…" she mumbled.

Inu-Yasha shook his head, and then swiftly covered his ears just before thunder crashed outside.

Kagome sighed and switched off the movie (no one was paying attention to it anyway), and took the boy into her arms again in an attempt to comfort him. He grunted and dropped his forehead onto her shoulder.

"This _sucks_," he said.

"I know," Kagome replied with a sigh.

x

Inu-Yasha tried his best not to be too clingy, but as the sound of the thunder escalated, the tighter he clenched his hands into Kagome's shirt. Kagome put up with him with incredible patience and let him hold her as if she was a security blanket.

Inu-Yasha had no idea of how to thank her properly for all that she was doing to help him, and that, in turn, led him to think about how much he wanted to see her. His heart began to ache with longing and he let out a troubled sigh.

"What? Inu-Yasha, what's wrong?" she asked immediately.

Inu-Yasha sighed again as a reply, embarrassed and reluctant to expose how he truly felt. He hadn't really complained about his lack of sight since the last storm, and he had promised himself that he wouldn't lay his burden on Kagome.

He didn't want her to know how much not being able to see her bothered him.

x

He let out a slightly forlorn groan and lifted his head from where it was nestled against the crook of Kagome's neck.

"You okay?" Kagome asked again.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded.

"My turn," he mumbled.

He carefully lifted Kagome up and held her close, coddling her like a kitten. She laughed a little and poked his shoulder lightly.

"Any sense of when the storm is gonna die down?"

"Tired of my clinging, I see?"

"No," Kagome protested, "I actually don't care at all. You cling all you want."

x

Inu-Yasha could give no prediction of the storm's leaving, though to his glee, the last, quiet rumble of thunder died after a little less than twenty minutes.

Inu-Yasha was finally able to detach himself from Kagome to stand and stretch his legs.

x

Kagome soon fell asleep again, though Inu-Yasha couldn't really blame her. She was still on painkillers, after all. He, on the other hand, needed a little air.

Though he was reluctant to leave her side, he assured himself that he wouldn't be gone long, so he slipped out of the house through the back door and jumped gracefully onto the damp roof. He took a seat near the chimney and took a deep breath of fresh air. Though he hated thunderstorms, the air always seemed _better_ after one had passed.

He stretched his arms above his head and looked up at the sky. It was still cloudy: he felt no glare on his eyes.

x

Inu-Yasha let out a sigh and scratched his ears tenderly.

_I'm telling her tonight, _he reminded himself.

Though the hanyou kept telling himself that, he had no idea how he was going to go about doing such a thing.

Should he ease into it? Or blurt that he wasn't a human? How is one generally supposed to tell someone else that one is an entirely different species?

He wished he hadn't allowed himself to grow so close to Kagome before opting to tell her of his demonic nature. If he had told her when they had met, it wouldn't have been very hard at all. It was only difficult now because he cared for her so damn much.

The boy huffed slightly and stood off the shingles, feeling a little chilled and damp. He was still at a loss.

He shifted his feet slightly and then hopped back down into the damp grass of the backyard. Upon entering the house, he wiped his feet on the carpet and walked into the living room. Kagome was still sleeping. Inu-Yasha stared at the grey blur that was his girlfriend and let out a sigh.

He wanted to see her. Badly.

His ears drooped and he sat down beside her heavily, and then winced as he felt her shift.

"Gomen," he whispered absently.

She moved slightly again, but didn't wake.

x

Inu-Yasha sat by the girl's side for quite a while, the exact amount of time being unknown to him. He felt her aura pulsing through the air with interest. It was unusual for it to be so active, and it was changing slightly. Inu-Yasha could feel a tinge of something different, wilder, like a slight sting in her energy. It was a youki, something Kagome had received from her youkai friend, most likely.

Inu-Yasha was confused, unsure of how that was possible. He also wondered why the youkai had decided to give her such a thing.

x

The boy was left alone with his thoughts for over three hours. He had an awful lot to think about.

_oOoOoOoO_

When Kagome finally woke up, and managed to get up the stairs and changed into clothes that weren't pyjamas, she insisted that they go out. Despite Inu-Yasha's protests and claims that she probably wasn't well enough to do such a thing, they had soon caught a cab and were in sitting in a diner in downtown Tokyo.

x

Kagome had ordered hamburgers for both of them, and as Inu-Yasha leaned his back against his cushioned booth seat, Kagome, sitting across the green speckled table from him, leaned forward to look him in the face.

"The smell isn't bothering you, is it?" she asked.

"Oh… no, I didn't really notice it," the boy lied.

He shifted the baseball cap that concealed his ears slightly. In fact, the scent of the food at this particular diner had hit him from down the road, though the smells were far more appetizing now than nauseating. He supposed that his nose had adapted rather quickly to the smell of the deep-fryer ever since attending Kagome's "normal" high-school, despite it making him choke on his first day.

x

Kagome looked at him and bit her lip, drumming her fingers slightly.

"Liaaar," she said in a singsong voice, "Just tell me if it bugs you, okay?"

"Okay, okay," the hanyou said embarrassedly, "It's not bothering me, I'm okay."

He inclined his head slightly.

"You're all right…?"

"You don't need to ask me every three minutes," she laughed, "I told you: I feel great."

Inu-Yasha nodded, even though he never quite believed her. Kagome grinned at him and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

"Hey Yasha," she said quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Urm…"

Inu-Yasha looked a little startled.

"Sure. You don't need to ask me if you can ask me something."

Kagome looked a little embarrassed.

"What's… What's your favourite colour?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha stared at her blankly.

"…Red, why?" he replied, confused.

"Well," the girl said timidly, "We really haven't known each other that long, you know? And… I mean, I know I love you, but I don't… Well, I don't know some of the little things, and I know you don't know them about me and… Ah… Do you get what I'm getting at?"

She inclined her head and Inu-Yasha stared at her for a few more moments before his eyes grew wide with understanding and he nodded.

"Ohhhh," he said, "You know… you're right."

He grinned slightly.

"What're _your_ favourite colours?"

"Blue and green," Kagome replied with a smile, "What's your favourite movie?"

"Oh…" the boy said slowly, "That's a hard one… I don't really have one. I like comedies and action, lots of American stuff… I don't think I have a clear favourite. You?"

"I was an X-Men freak for the longest time," Kagome laughed, "I like lots of things now, but... The Lord of the Rings all the way for me."

She snickered and Inu-Yasha couldn't help a smile.

x

The questions progressed until each knew the others preferred dessert item (which happened to be cheesecake both ways), animals, childhood television shows, and type of soup, along with many other obscurities.

By the time their slightly overcooked, deep-fried meals of hamburgers and fries were delivered, Kagome was certainly satisfied with the new knowledge she had obtained. After dinner, they spent the night wandering around downtown Tokyo at a relatively slow pace.

Though Inu-Yasha was feeling almost completely fine, Kagome was still limping slightly and would occasionally feel pain through her back, even though she kept insisting that she was entirely healthy. Inu-Yasha was still surprised that she was making such a recovery. He supposed it might've been whatever that odd demon friend had "given" her a few days prior.

The youki he had noticed before, it seemed, was certainly improving her pain tolerance. Every time she let herself relax for a moment, Inu-Yasha noticed that it would become more prominent around her, and after a few moments she would regain some of her former stamina.

x

"We should find somewhere to hang out," Kagome said cheerily as she grasped Inu-Yasha's hand, "You like the outdoors a lot, right? We should find a park."

"I dunno, you don't think we should be heading home now…?" Inu-Yasha asked tentatively.

"Why?" the girl inquired, confused.

The hanyou frowned slightly, as if the reason should have been obvious.

"Why do you think?" he said, cutting his eyes at her.

"Ahahah, I know, I know," Kagome laughed, "But I swear to you, I'm okay. You don't need to worry so much: it's not as if I'm a little kid."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and Kagome punched his shoulder lightly as she led him down a more obscure, smaller road that was sparsely treaded upon and headed back towards the residential area. She could see a street lamp illuminating a small section of clumped trees, and she knew there must be a park there. She decided to head towards it, to get away from the bustle of the city.

"You bastard," she joked, and the hanyou couldn't help but show a little fang as his lip curled in a slight grin.

"You're so annoying," he retorted.

"Meh!" Kagome said, "You're stuck with me now, baka."

Inu-Yasha's grin broadened.

"You know I wouldn't have it any other way," he snickered.

Kagome's heart swelled at his words, and she clung to him even more tightly.

"Inu-Yasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Does it feel longer to you?"

"Does what feel longer?"

The hanyou cocked his head at the girl and raised his eyebrow slightly, confused.

"Well, _this_, I mean… Being together and all this stuff," she said, "I only told you that I loved you last night, but it feels like-"

"I've known for a while…" Inu-Yasha concluded quietly, "Not to sound arrogant or anything…"

"You didn't," Kagome laughed, "That's how I feel. It's weird, isn't it?"

"I don't know," the boy admitted, "It's… ah… Kinda interesting, if you ask me."

He scratched the back of his head and Kagome grinned at him and, as they drew nearer, guided Inu-Yasha into the park. The grass was still damp from the storm that had passed, though it shone with surprising brightness under the moon. Clouds were beginning to creep across the sky again, and Kagome thought there might be more rain coming, though she was glad to see that Inu-Yasha didn't look nervous. At the edge of the park, there was a tall hill overlooking a koi pond, and Kagome gently pulled Inu-Yasha to it, watching as the bright orange and white fish swam around beneath the water and lilies on its surface.

x

Kagome sighed contentedly and hugged the hanyou's arm.

"I'm really happy," she said.

Inu-Yasha titled his head, smiling slightly.

"Yeah?" he asked, "Well… Me too… Just…"

He sighed.

_I hope you still feel that way after I tell you what I am..._

Kagome looked at him and her fingers knitted into his jacket.

"Just…?" Kagome repeated, "What? You all right?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped under his cap and whatever was left of a smile fell from his face. He tentatively gripped onto the girl in return, suddenly becoming painfully aware of how his nails overshot his fingers and dug lightly into Kagome's jacket; how if he suddenly pressed too hard, he could easily rend the cloth down to her skin and leave her bleeding. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, while Kagome slowly led them to a standstill. Pulling away from him, though careful to make sure he didn't feel like she was rejecting his contact, she turned to face him and grasped his shoulders.

"Inu-Yasha, what's wrong?" she insisted.

The hanyou opened his eyes, though his darkened gaze refused to fix on Kagome's face, preferring instead to trace the almost uninterrupted grey mass that was the ground.

"Kagome, I…" he muttered quietly, "I… urm… I'm worried about… that thing… I gotta tell you."

"Oh?" Kagome inquired, looking startled, "I almost forgot about that… Hey…"

She patted his shoulder consolingly and grinned at him.

"Whatever it is, don't worry about it at all."

Inu-Yasha bit his lip.

"I can't help it…" he whispered, "I just… I just don't… want to make you want to leave…"

"Leave?" Kagome repeated, barking out the word as if it were some strange, foreign concept, "You've gotta be kidding me. We've been officially together for just over twenty-four hours, and you're all ready scared of me leaving you?"

The hanyou didn't answer, but his fear was as clear in his eyes as if he had yelled it. Kagome's surprise turned into a look of pity, and with a soft sigh, she reached up and kissed the boy gently on the lips.

"You baka," she whispered, "You know I love you. And I'm sure I always will, and… if you'll let me, I'll be with you forever."

Inu-Yasha felt a pang of several extremely painful emotions through his chest, and he gritted his teeth. He was silent for a moment as Kagome watched him worriedly.

"You… You don't know how much that means…" he managed to mutter.

He reached out to her and took her face gently in his hands. His human was so… _fragile._ He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her on the tip of her nose. She snickered and leaned forward against him, breaking his hold on her, but hugging him lightly around the waist instead.

"You missed my mouth, you know," she joked.

"I know," he mumbled.

He trembled and his legs, weak and tired, gave out and he sank to the grass, taking Kagome with him as he wrapped his arms tentatively around her. She smiled at him, though he winced and his trembling fingers ran through the back of her hair. After a moment, he loosened his grip, though his head drooped as he rested his brow against the top of her head.

"I gotta tell you something I should've told you quite a while back," he whispered, "It's _really_ important."

"Of course," she said with a nod, "Inu-Yasha, _don't worry, _okay?"

Despite her reassurance, Inu-Yasha's stomach twisted.

"It might freak you out," he muttered, "Promise me you won't scream?"

Kagome nodded, wondering what he could possibly tell her that would make her scream, and so, slowly, Inu-Yasha moved away from her and allowed her to look up at him. His fingers traced up to the brim of his hat and, with a sigh, pulled it from his head and placed it at his side, brushing his silver hair back over his shoulders.

x

Kagome blinked up at the boy's face for a moment, puzzled. She backed away from him slightly to get a better look at him, and then, her jaw dropped.

In the moonlight, silhouetted against the night sky, Kagome could see protruding from Inu-Yasha's hair, two, white-furred, dog-ears.

She sat, stunned into statue-like stillness for a brief moment before she unconsciously shifted towards him, as if trying to convince herself that she was not hallucinating.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

Inu-Yasha cringed, as if those three words had caused him a physical pain. He wasn't sure what to tell her, though his heart began to throb painfully.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, "I… I should've told you… should've told you earlier… I'm… not human, Kagome."

Kagome's eyes became round and, slowly, she reached out a hand to his head.

He jolted slightly as she touched his temple, though she tentatively ran her fingers through his bangs and then up to the base of his right ear.

"Are… Are these real?" she inquired softly.

The hanyou nodded slowly, bowing his head with shame, though Kagome seemed not to notice and, carefully, ran a gentle finger through the fur on his ear.

A tremor ran up Inu-Yasha's spine and he managed to look up at Kagome again, hoping desperately for acceptance. She continued to trace her fingers curiously around his ears before she sighed and smiled slightly.

"…Inu-Yasha…" she muttered, "You…"

When her words trailed off into silence, Inu-Yasha gulped and let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"I'm sorry…" he said guiltily, "I'll… I'll understand if you don't… trust me anymore… And if you don't wanna… um… be with me anymore…"

It broke his heart to utter those words. To lose her trust was one of the worst things he could think of; to lose _her_ was _unthinkable_. He looked away from her, ashamed, and he let out a deep, wavering sigh.

Kagome's eyes widened and she shook her head in astonishment.

_He's so…_

Kagome stared at the boy, watched as he shuddered and ground his claws into the grass. She could see him gritting his teeth and, occasionally, gulping heavily. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn he was trying not to cry. She let out a sigh. She felt like she should have been mad; felt betrayed; shocked; frightened, but she didn't.

She felt pity. She felt _love._

She watched her hanyou shudder, upset, on the verge of breaking.

_He's so… sad… My poor Inu-Yasha…_

Hesitating for only a moment, she raised her hand to his face to cup his cheek and turned his head to face her. His vacant eyes became wide with shocked hope, though his dog-ears were drooping sadly; he drew in a breath sharply at her touch as if he hadn't expected it at all.

"Where did _that _come from? Yasha…" she whispered, "Why the hell would I leave you just because you have ears like that? Are you insane? Are you fucking _crazy_?"

His eyes widened and he gulped a little, his tongue and throat parched. He felt as if he had just eaten a mouthful of hot sand.

"Kagome…? You… You don't mind…?"

Kagome wasn't sure what to say for a moment, though after thinking about it, she really _didn't _mind. Inu-Yasha was Inu-Yasha. She slowly smiled and leaned forward, giving the boy a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course I don't, baka," she chided affectionately.

His eyes became even wider. Ignoring his surprise, she reached up and touched one of his ears again, and it twitched a little. Kagome couldn't help but smile. She was surprised at how soft his fur was: he didn't strike her as a person to _have _fur to begin with, and she certainly hadn't expected it to feel like a puppy's. She bit her lip to avoid letting out a slightly uncharacteristic giggle. Inu-Yasha's dog-like ears were almost unfathomably cute to her. She caressed the tip of the boy's ear and his head tilted to one side as he closed his eyes.

He leaned into the hand that was still on his cheek and sighed quietly, unconsciously pleading for some sort of solace. The feeling on his ear was so good: it made his whole body tingle with pleasure, though he was too frightened to let himself reel in it.

Tentatively, he leaned even closer to her and she laughed softly.

"I don't believe you," Kagome said quietly, "_Baka_, is this what you're all worried about?"

He nodded sadly and looked to the ground again, tracing circles in the grass with his claw. Kagome smiled and took his hint, and she began to gently stroke his cheek with her palm.

"Inu-Yasha," she said with a sigh, "Please… Don't look so sad. Your ears… I think they're awesome."

"Y… You do?" Inu-Yasha asked softly, the tips of the furry triangles in question perking slightly.

His eyes traced up to lock on hers, giving her a look of such utter hope that Kagome couldn't help but give him an affectionate and consoling smile.

"You bet," Kagome said, "They're so soft… and kawaii. I've always wanted to have ears just like yours. I think you're lucky."

"But… I'm not even _human,_ Kagome…" the hanyou croaked quietly.

"Do I care?" she asked with a laugh, "Yasha, I promised you that we'd be together forever, and I meant it. Nothing's changed at all, okay?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes became round with surprise.

"You mean that?" he whispered slowly.

"Oh, hell yeah," she assured him with a chuckle, "You know I need you, don't you Yasha?"

He blinked his unseeing amber eyes at her, the words slowly sinking in. He reached out to her slowly and laid his now trembling hands on her shoulders, unsuccessfully fighting the tightness in his chest.

She _needed_ him…

"Kagome?" he asked slowly, "So you… really still want to be with me?"

Kagome raised her eyebrow amusedly.

"Why wouldn't I?" she laughed, "Inu-Yasha, what you are doesn't matter. You're still _you_. As long as you're still _Inu-Yasha_, I don't care what you are. Duh."

The boy stared at her, startled, and his heart began to beat even harder.

"…Kagome…" he rasped out, and then, unable to bear a second longer without her touch, embraced her tightly.

She squeezed him in return, sliding her hands onto his back so she could gently rub consoling circles there.

_Poor guy; why's he so distraught?_ Kagome thought.

Inu-Yasha began to caress her head, running his trembling fingers though her hair, almost frantically, as if something _very_ bad would happen if he didn't. She looked up and kissed his cheek, and he squeezed her closer to his shaking body. Tentatively, he tilted her face up to his, and, after hesitating for a moment, dipped his head and covered her lips firmly with his own.

_Please… let me… stay like this for a while…_ he begged.

His urgency and fright filtered into Kagome with his every movement, and she was overwhelmed by a desire to calm him.

She took his face in her hands and deepened the kiss, trying to let every ounce of her affection show.

_Yasha, I love you: you know that._

She ran her fingers up through his hair and over his dog-like ears, trailing her nails through the fur.

The hanyou moaned, huffed, but then pulled back into a squat to suck in a shaking gulp of air as he realized his lungs had tightened uncomfortably. He was about to thank her, but before he could, she drew him back down and kissed his lips again to emphasize her silent point.

The hanyou stared at her, his eyes growing wide with awe and gratitude. He tentatively gave her cheek a nuzzle, and the girl snickered and threw her arms around his neck. He jolted and fell backwards onto his rump, but then he sighed and rested his head on Kagome's shoulder.

"Oh God…" he muttered, panting and clamping his eyes shut, "I… I thought that… I thought that you wouldn't…"

"You thought that I wouldn't what?" she asked gently.

He shook his head and pressed his cheek into her hair.

"Nothing… Never mind…"

He took a deep, steadying breath and his ears perked a little higher.

"Oh my God, Kagome, I _really_ wish I could see you right now," he told her, "I… I love you… I love you so damn much…"

Inu-Yasha felt as if his heart would burst, his newly exposed ears perking up as he heard Kagome laugh and utter the much needed,

"I love you too, Yasha."

x

He blinked his clouded eyes at the girl before him and shivered, locking his claws into the fabric of her jacket. When she began to rub his back, he pushed his nose into her hair again and he breathed in her scent, calming himself. He took a deep breath and, finally, his chest expanded, allowing him to breathe properly again.

"Feeling a bit better?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha sighed contentedly, nodded, and squeezed her tightly one more time and sat still, the two teens wrapped in each other's embrace and a deep, comforting demon-darkness for five long minutes before letting go.

x

When Inu-Yasha finally worked up the will to draw back at all, breaking the enchanted dark that he was unaware had even come into being, Kagome grinned at him and cupped his cheeks.

"I should have known," she chuckled.

She kissed him quickly and then lifted one arm up over his head to pat his right ear contentedly. The boy slumped slightly.

"You should have?" he asked curiously.

He laughed quietly and bowed his head, embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry, but… I'm glad that you… um…" he muttered, "I'm glad you like… uh…"

"Your awesomely cute ears?" the girl asked brightly.

She grinned and hugged him around his waist again, leaning contentedly against his chest, and the hanyou blushed and stroked her head.

"So… you really don't mind?" he inquired shyly.

"Not at all!" she exclaimed.

She pulled back and tweaked his nose.

"What have I been telling you for the last five minutes?" she chided affectionately, "Hey, if I didn't care that a bunch of my random friends were not human whatsoever, why would I care that you, my best friend and boyfriend, aren't either, huh?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped shyly, though his face brightened.

"So… You know what I am then?" he asked.

"Well, I'm guessing that you're a demon too, like Katsura-san and Tsuyomaru, right?" she inquired.

"Close," he said, "I'm… Well, I'm a hanyou. I'm half-demon."

"Oh yeah?" Kagome inquired, her eyes widening with surprise, "So, you're human and demon?"

He nodded.

"Human on my mom's side," he explained, "Oh… and I'm an inu-hanyou, if you… you know, couldn't tell by my name."

He looked a bit embarrassed and Kagome laughed and stroked his ears again before she drew her hand back shyly.

"Sorry, I didn't even ask you if you minded," she muttered, red staining her cheeks.

"I… I don't," he assured her.

He traced the underside of her chin with his claw tips before he drew away, looking just as shy as she had.

"I… Well, I actually… kinda…" he muttered, embarrassed.

"Like it?" Kagome inquired hopefully.

His ears drooped and he nodded, heat streaking across his face. The girl grinned, her eyes lighting up, and she began to laugh. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them.

"I'm glad," she assured him, "Because I… Well, I mean, I know it sounds weird, but I really like your fur. And I kinda wanted to give you an ear rub, if you don't mind."

Inu-Yasha's body jerked and his gaze locked with hers tentatively.

"A… An ear rub?" he asked.

"Yeah, like… You know, like, an ear rub," she insisted, "I mean… I think you'd like it."

Inu-Yasha stared at her, unsure of what to say. Blushing, he nodded, and Kagome's grin broadened and she scooted around behind him and gently scratched around the bases of his ears. She played her fingertips up in the direction the fur was growing and, grasping the tips gently, rubbed circles against the ears with her thumbs, just as she did for Buyo.

The boy's face was nearing crimson, though as Kagome stroked his fur, he began to sink back against her quite happily.

"Wow…" he mumbled, "That's… Um, surprisingly nice."

Kagome laughed pleasantly and released Inu-Yasha's ears, which promptly began to droop, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"_You_ are the cutest creature ever," she stated.

x

The hanyou voiced no complaints as Kagome slid in front of him and cupped his face, examining him. She slid her hands up the side of his head to where the human ears would have been and felt the lack of _anything_ with interest.

"Isn't it weird, not having…?" she began, and then trailed off, realizing how stupid a question she was asking, "Ah, sorry, you must not know any different."

"Actually…" Inu-Yasha said, smiling a little, "I do."

Startled, Kagome looked at him quizzically.

"As a half-demon, my active youki needs to replenish sometimes," he explained, "So, once a month, on the new moon, I become… well… human."

The girl stared at him a little blankly, not sure of what to think.

"Do you look much different?" she asked.

"Black hair, different eye colour, lack of… you know, demon-ish things," he stated simply.

Kagome inclined her head curiously.

"That's really interesting," she muttered as she drew closer to his face again.

A little hesitant at first, she quickly, but gently, pulled the corner of his lip upwards to reveal one of his fangs. He jerked, startled, and Kagome drew away, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said quickly, "It's just… I always thought your teeth looked really long and stuff… I never actually thought they'd be _fangs_."

Inu-Yasha unconsciously ran his tongue over the canines in question, and then looked embarrassed.

"So, you understand now?" he muttered.

"I think so," Kagome said, "This is where your "magic" comes from, right? And why you're being hunted. 'Cause… you're not human…"

She ran a hand over his ears again and smiled.

"I must say… this is actually a pleasant surprise."

Inu-Yasha leaned into her hand and smiled shyly.

"Yeah…? Why's that…?"

"Well, because it would be much worse if you were some criminal or something, wouldn't it? But I mean…"

Kagome smiled.

"If it's only 'cause you aren't human…"

"_Only?_" Inu-Yasha repeated, unable to stop a slightly cynical chuckle, "Oh, God, Kagome… I think you're probably the only human on this entire planet who would say that."

His ears drooped.

"I'm sorry for lying to you," he said, "…Can you ever forgive me, Kagome?"

Kagome inclined her head and smirked, patting the boy's head again.

"Of course, but as long as you don't keep any big secrets anymore," she said.

"I… I won't," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "I didn't want to. I… I was just … Fuck, I was just _really _nervous."

Kagome grinned and ran her nails through Inu-Yasha's fur, and he closed his eyes and leaned in towards her with an unwilling, but contented "hmph" sound.

"I can kinda understand," Kagome admitted, "I mean… If I had to do that… Tell you I wasn't what you thought I was, I would…. I mean, I have no clue what I'd do."

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and Kagome watched them, a little startled, before she began to laugh and latched onto the boy around his neck.

"You're so cute," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

The hanyou's cheeks flushed at her touch and he lightly held the girl by the waist.

"Thanks for not… completely rejecting me," he mumbled.

He nuzzled against her face and she grinned widely.

"I could never reject you," she assured him, "Never."

She contentedly held onto him, and he to her, until, to Inu-Yasha's chagrin, he felt a cold raindrop splat against his head.

"It's raining," he said a little disappointedly.

"More thunder?" Kagome inquired, worried.

She drew out of his embrace and reached around him with one arm until she found his cap and then placed it carefully on his head to conceal his ears. He shook his head and absently brushed some of his hair over his shoulder.

"I… don't think so, at least not yet," he assured her.

He felt the hit of another heavy drop of rain on his hat and he looked at Kagome curiously, though she quickly stood up, grasping his hands as she did and pulling him up at her side.

"Well, we'd better get home then, just in case," she said brightly.

Inu-Yasha nodded his agreement, but then swooned slightly on his feet. He suddenly felt so tired…

Kagome jolted and held him firmly by shoulder.

"You okay?" she demanded.

Inu-Yasha gulped and put a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. He felt like he could fall asleep on his feet.

"I'm suddenly _really_ tired," he admitted.

"Good thing we're going home then," Kagome joked, though her face sported a worried smile, "But… D'you think you're okay?"

The hanyou opened his eyes and blinked heavily for a moment before he nodded.

"I'll be all right," he assured her.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome guided Inu-Yasha home, her limp forgotten, the pain that was supposed to be running through her spine inexplicably absent. She watched the boy now with new awe shining in her gaze.

She had always been certain that there had been something different about him. Now, the news that he was an inu youkai suddenly _explained_ him. Kagome was almost giddy with a sort of "I knew it!" feeling jumping around inside her, though she vowed to herself that she'd force him to explain any special demony things that he might be able to do the next day.

x

Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, felt completely drained, as if the weight that had been lifted from his shoulders at his confession and Kagome's acceptance had taken most of his insides with it. Despite this, it was hard for him to think of a time when he had been happier.

As he clasped Kagome's small hand inside his, he felt no nervous tremors, no flinching; no fear from her. It made his heart swell. He noticed, too, that joy was filling the human girl as well.

x

The sky overhead was becoming grey as the clouds massed to unleash a cold fall rain just as they entered the house again, slightly damp from the slow dribble that had come beforehand. Warmth greeted them as they passed the threshold, and Kagome automatically noticed Buyo lying on a rug nearby. Happily, she scooped him up and he let out a "brrt" of surprise.

"_What…? Kaggy, why're you so happy?" _he asked, flailing.

The girl didn't answer, instead laughing and stroking his head as she cradled him against her shoulder. He waved his back feet slightly and looked to Inu-Yasha for help, though his confused and slightly pleading expression received no recognition from the blind hanyou, who merely grinned obliviously and pulled his hat away from his head.

Buyo gawked for a moment.

"_Inu-Yasha, what are you doing!?" _he demanded shrilly.

Inu-Yasha looked confused and then looked to the hat in his hand.

"Umm… I'm… taking my hat off," he said slowly, as if there may have been a trick hidden in Buyo's question.

"_But-! But! The…! Your…!"_ the cat squeaked, and Kagome pulled him forward and cradled him in the crook of her arm to look into his face, confused.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, suddenly comprehending, "Yeah, don't worry about it, she knows."

Buyo's eyes were like golf balls in his head and he stared up at Kagome with shock, though she began to frown.

"_You_ knew, and you didn't say anything?" Kagome asked, annoyed.

"Don't be mad at him," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, "I made him promise not to, I wanted to tell you myself… You know, plus… he's a cat, he could smell it…"

Kagome turned to him and looked a little startled, but then couldn't help a small chuckle.

"Okay, I understand," she said, letting Buyo back onto the rug, where he struggled to right himself from his upside-down position, "Who else knows? Sota? I think Sota knows."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, putting a hand to his brow, "He… saw me the night of the first thunderstorm. I… had that nightmare, remember? And the stress just tipped me over and I changed into a full demon…"

Kagome looked at him in confused silence and Inu-Yasha realized that she had no idea what he was talking about and laughed embarrassedly.

"Okay, you know how in the woods I told you sometimes, when I get stressed or am in danger, I… change?"

"Yeah," the girl said hesitantly.

"Okay, well, I change into a full youkai, kinda, which makes me look sort of… how to put this…?" he mused.

"_Werewolf-esque?" _Buyo suggested.

"Nah, then I'd get hairy," Inu-Yasha said.

He tapped his chin.

"Well… Like, my eyes go red and… my fangs and claws get way longer, among other things…" he said.

Kagome started at him, puzzled, though his description seemed familiar.

"I think I've seen that too," she said, frowning, "But… It was a dream…"

"No," Inu-Yasha interjected, "It wasn't."

Kagome blinked at him, startled.

"What?"

"It wasn't, that was… the night I… I changed, but you were waking up, and I wasn't ready to tell you yet, so I just… acted all weird to make you think it wasn't real," he admitted, "I'm sorry…"

The girl stared at him, shocked, and then began to blush as she recalled how he had cuddled up to her and let her pet him.

"Oh wow," she mumbled, and though Inu-Yasha looked a little downtrodden, expecting her to be upset with him, she smiled slightly and walked over to him, tweaking his nose with her finger, "I had no idea you were so cuddly!"

The boy's face went red, and he looked at Kagome shyly.

"I'm sorry, I was gonna tell you," he mumbled.

"I don't doubt you," she said, "Don't worry about it."

Inu-Yasha looked at her a little grimly.

"How… is it possible that you're so understanding?" he wondered, "So forgiving?"

"I dunno," Kagome admitted, shrugging, "I just… can't really bring myself to be mad at you. Plus, you wouldn't be upset with me, would you?"

The hanyou blinked at her, a little startled, but then shook his head.

"I… I guess I wouldn't," he muttered.

"Exactly," Kagome stated brightly.

She placed a crooked forefinger under his chin and drew him forward, kissing the tip of his nose as he blushed furiously.

"But seriously, I'm expecting the truth outta you from now on," she said with a mock-frown.

Inu-Yasha nodded swiftly, though he suddenly made an odd face, scrunching one eye shut as he drew back, gulped for a moment, and then let out a massive yawn.

"Gomen," he said after a moment, though Kagome couldn't help but snicker and smiled widely.

"You're exhausted, aren't you?" she asked.

The hanyou nodded and, finally, kicked his sandals off and stretched slightly.

"Combo of… you know, general stress, bullet wound recuperation, thunder storm stuff," he explained a little drowsily, "And…"

His ears twitched slightly and he sniffed the air.

"I think… there's another one coming, so I think I'm going to go to bed now so that I can sleep through it this time, if you don't mind."

"You think you'll be okay?" Kagome asked, suddenly sounding worried, "Last time you woke up, right?"

"Yeah, but now, I'm… kinda overkilled with exhaustion," he joked, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Aww," Kagome cooed.

She patted the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, you go to bed then, I'm just gonna stay up a little longer, and I'll come soon," she assured him.

Inu-Yasha nodded and drew forward to nuzzle against her cheek affectionately.

"Okay, just a warning," he said, "On nights like this I get… umm… clingy… So, when you come, make sure you find a good spot for your back before you let me latch onto you, all right?"

"My back?" Kagome repeated, looking confused, and tapping her chin, "Oh! Right… My back."

Inu-Yasha inclined his head puzzledly, and Kagome laughed shyly.

"It didn't hurt, so I forgot…"

"I see," the boy said, and he looked like he was about to say more, but he was cut off with a loud yawn.

Kagome laughed at him again and gave him a gentle push.

"Go on, go to bed," she insisted, "Sleep through the storm, I don't want you all stressed again."

Inu-Yasha grinned sleepily at her and nodded. He pulled away from her carefully and then, slowly, made his way to the stairs and clambered up them and to the room that he had claimed as his.

x

Upon entering, he felt his way to his dresser and, after kicking his door closed, changed into a t-shirt and shorts, his basic sleepwear. Yawning, he decided that he would soon need to get some slacks as the weather began to change again.

The hanyou flopped down on his mattress and curled comfortably in the blankets, his ears twitching as he heard Kagome switch on the television to a generic crime show. He supposed she just wasn't ready to sleep yet. He _had_ given her a shocking amount of new information, after all. He wasn't really surprised, but he _was_ surprised at how well she was taking everything. For a moment, he was a little doubtful that she was truly okay with what he had said, but the calm, contented pulsing of her heart alongside his reassured him greatly.

Inu-Yasha blinked against his pillow, a little puzzled. He had been meaning to ask Kagome if she was able to feel his emotions at all, though as soon as he attempted to sit up, he slumped back into the warmth of his sheets, reluctant to move.

Before he was fully aware of doing so, he had closed his eyes and was drifting off into an oblivious state of slumber. He was not even remotely aware of how the small scar that marked the skin above his heart began to, slowly, began to pulse with hot pain, nor of the approach of rolling thunder.

_oOoOoOoO_

Yawning widely and stretching her arms above her head, Kagome slumped against the couch in the living room, her blurring eyes fixed on the television.

It was strange: a few minutes ago she had been wide awake, though almost as soon as she had sat down on the couch, she realized how tired she was… and her back had begun to hurt a little as well. Sleepily, the girl rose from her spot and turned the television off with the remote, and then headed into the kitchen. She found her capsule of painkillers on the counter beside the sink, and then downed one of the small, white pills along with some water.

Just as she was about to put the glass down in the sink, a loud, unfamiliar noise echoed through the house overtop of a thunderclap, making her jump and drop the glass against the chrome metal. It rolled with a hollow thud and came to a halt in a small amount of water.

Kagome looked around quickly, trying to identify the source of the noise, though the house had become disturbingly silent all of a sudden. Nervously, Kagome edged her way towards the living room, though, like the roar of a dying beast, the sound came again, higher, louder, an unearthly wail like nothing Kagome could even imagine hearing.

It filled her to the brim with ice and made her tremble, engraving itself into her mind with painful, raking talons. Kagome gripped the edge of the wall for support, and the howl came again, now full of agony and rage, though it was becoming discernable as a noise that could possibly come from a living creature, and Kagome automatically knew which one.

Terrified on his behalf, Kagome ignored the fear and the pain, and bounded up the stair to Inu-Yasha's room. Bestial snarls shook the floor where she stood, and she tried to open his door, though it seemed stuck. She could feel something causing an odd amount of pressure on the wood, but she didn't think it could possibly be Inu-Yasha.

"Yasha?!" she demanded loudly, "Hey, open the door! What's happening?!"

She threw her shoulder against the door, though it didn't budge, and so she did it again and again until she ached, her heart beating as if she were fleeing for her life, all the while, unnatural, animalistic noises of pain echoed through the walls.

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears and she dropped to her knees, feeling completely helpless.

_Why can't I get in!?_ she demanded furiously, _Inu-Yasha… sounds like he's dying…_

She rested a hand against the door for support, though, to her utter shock, as soon as her palm met the paneling, there was a hot, blue flash that ricocheted against the door, blasting it open, leaving a clean, fist-shaped hole through the wood.

Kagome jumped upright almost immediately as the door slammed back on its hinges, though what greeted her in Inu-Yasha's room made her mouth run dry.

It was black. Not as if the lights were off; the entire room was black, as if it were filled with smoke. It was like staring into the night sky if there were no stars twinkling in the dark. Kagome could feel sorrow, fear, and anger swirling in the abyss before her. Barely able to comprehend what she saw, Kagome could only take a small step forward. She knew Inu-Yasha was in there. She could feel him.

A growl made the air tremble, and in the dark, Kagome stalled in her tracks as two, twin lights of red began to shine brightly, blinking at her.

Kagome gulped.

"Inu… Inu-Yasha…?" she asked at a whisper.

_oOoOoOoO_

Inu-Yasha ran through the forest at breakneck speed, trying not to let his sneakers skid in the rain-soaked grass.

He could feel the wind pass over his face, over his exposed ears, and they pressed back against his head.

Excited as he was, he was also anxious.

It was two days since his girlfriend, Kikyo, had seen that he was a hanyou for the first time.

It had been an accident, of course.

Inu-Yasha had stumbled clumsily over a rock as he had gone to meet her, and, just to his luck, his hat had tumbled from his head and his ears had been clearly exposed. For some reason, the girl seemed to know exactly what he was and at first, he had been met with shock, and then anger.

Kikyo had stormed off, and Inu-Yasha had been almost positive that their relationship was over, though the next day, she had phoned him, offering him a second chance.

Eagerly, he had accepted.

x

Emerging from the forest, he slowed to a walk, fixing a hat over his ears.

He could see Kikyo, her back to him, standing at edge of a hill near a park bench.

He watched her for a moment, a little hesitant, remembering the utter rage he had scented from her two days ago.

As he watched Kikyo's long, black hair blow gently in the summer breeze, his uncertainty was deadened.

"Kikyo?" he called a little tentatively.

The girl turned, her grey eyes locking on his, and he automatically knew that something was wrong.

"Inu-Yasha…" she said, her voice a mere whisper.

Inu-Yasha couldn't understand what was wrong. She had called him there, hadn't she?

_If you still want to be with me, Inu-Yasha, come to the park at ten. We can talk then. _

That was what she had said, wasn't it?

Inu-Yasha could feel his instincts screaming inside him, urging him to run. Something was strange…

For the time being, he ignored them.

"Kikyo, are… are you okay?" he asked, "You look kinda sick."

The girl nodded and shrugged, and Inu-Yasha cautiously approached her.

"I'm… a little ill, I guess," she admitted, averting her gaze from his.

The hanyou cocked his head, taking another step towards her.

His ear involuntarily twitched to a rustle in the leaves behind him, though his sense of caution was muted.

His focus was on Kikyo.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, worry sparking in his voice.

The sudden, pungent stench of anger hit his nose and Kikyo looked up to meet his gaze, her grey eyes blazing with a rage so intense that Inu-Yasha stalled in his tracks, his heart pounding.

"I'm nauseous to even _think_ that I actually wanted to be with a _monster_ like you!" she spat venomously.

Inu-Yasha took a moment to comprehend these words, though as he did, he could almost feel his heart tear in half.

His jaw dropped and he stuttered for a moment, taking a shocked step backwards.

"Wh… What…?" he gasped.

"What, can you not _hear_ with those freakish… _things_ on the top of your head?" she demanded, taking a step towards him, clenching her fists, "I hate you, you stupid son of a bitch!"

The hanyou's entire body trembled and he stumbled backwards another step.

He was baffled: he knew she was mad, but… but this…?

"B… But Kikyo, after… after all we've…" he muttered, his voice shaking.

"Don't even start," she hissed, "I. Hope. You. Die."

Inu-Yasha could almost feel his heart sink and his face begin to flush angrily.

He wanted to cry… Oh God, did he want to cry.

"If… you didn't want to see me anymore… you could've just said," he whispered, his voice hoarse, "You… You didn't have to call me out like this…"

He stared into her eyes, his own amber orbs shimmering with unshed tears.

"I'm… I'm sorry you feel that way about me," he continued, "But it's not like I can help it…"

He gulped and jerked his gaze away from her icy eyes.

"You won't see me again," he assured her.

To his surprise, Kikyo merely let out a cold, cynical laugh that chilled Inu-Yasha to the bone.

"Oh, I don't count on ever seeing you again," she growled, "I'm going to kill you, dog-boy."

Her words rung out in the air for a moment before Inu-Yasha could properly catch and comprehend them. His body stiffened and his eyes grew large and round in the dark.

"Wh… What…?" he gasped.

His eyes darted, following Kikyo's hands as they reached towards the bench at her side. Calmly, she lifted something up, and at first, Inu-Yasha thought it was a gun. The moonlight glinting of triangular, metal tips proved him wrong though: he quickly realized that what Kikyo brandished was a bow and arrows, all stashed inside a dark-coloured quiver.

"You know how accurate my aim is," she stated loudly, sliding the bow out of the quiver, "You'd better start running."

Inu-Yasha was sorely tempted to do just that, but he knew that Kikyo had spiritual powers rushing through her veins: she would find him quicker than a wolf among lambs.

"What if I don't?" he asked quietly, and then raised his voice, "What if I stay?"

"Then I'll be happy to look you right in those big, golden eyes of yours as you die," the girl purred venomously, "And the best part is… you won't fight back, will you? You'll just stand there. Because _you still love me_."

Her words jerked at his heart, and Kikyo could clearly see how much her statement had bothered him. She grinned, seeming to have more fang in her mouth than Inu-Yasha did.

"Are you ready, hanyou?" she inquired, pulling an arrow from the quiver and knocking it into the bowstring.

Inu-Yasha's eyes narrowed, his vision beginning to blur with rage and sorrow.

"You're going to have to catch me first, bitch," he growled, and then, trying to choke back a small whine, turned and sprinted in a blur back to the woods.

_oOoOoOoO_

The red in the abyss locked firmly on the human girl, freezing her in her tracks. It drew closer slightly, cautious, and Kagome tentatively reached out a hand towards it.

"Inu-Yasha, it's you, isn't it…?" she whispered, "Hey… What's wrong, huh?"

The red slowly began moving towards her, and once it had drawn surprisingly close, her hand came to rest on what seemed to be a shoulder. The darkness gave off a pulse of energy, and then changed to crimson before dissolving, making Kagome's heart jump. The room was lighter now, the window allowing what little light was still available outside into the room. As well, the light in the hall now penetrated the darkness, exposing the desk, bed, and, most importantly, Inu-Yasha.

The boy stood before Kagome, now slouched over, his shoulders shaking, huffing in deep, growling breaths, as if he were in pain. His eyes, squinting, were blank and glazed red, and his mouth was slightly agape as he panted and to allow room for fangs that had almost tripled in length.

Kagome gulped as a shaking, clawed hand rose to grasp to hers tightly, and she noticed a purple stripe on his skin, mirroring ones that ran along his cheeks.

The girl stared at him, teary-eyed, as he crushed her hand in desperation, pain wracking his body. Kagome watched him pityingly, unsure of what to do to help him. When she reached out to cup his cheek, she saw his entire body jump and he darted backwards, breaking his grip on her hand, though his fingers had left deep, red marks on her skin. Part of his shirt was shredded in long gashes and she could see red lines streaming blood on his skin through the tear. She could see the spot rested above his heart.

"Oh God…" Kagome whispered, "Yasha?"

The boy's ears perked up slightly, and he finally raised his eyes to look upon her face. He began to shake again, though his head snapped sideways towards the window. Kagome followed his gaze hesitantly. After a moment of staring, a bright, white flash crackled in the sky, illuminating the room for a moment. It was followed by the roar of thunder, though Kagome caught the sound of Inu-Yasha's growl above it, though when she turned to look at him, he was gone.

_oOoOoOoO_

As Inu-Yasha ran, he could clearly feel the heat of Kikyo's miko powers searing into him as she tracked him, pinpointing his aura as if it bore a giant bull's-eye. All the while, the same word pulsed in the back of Inu-Yasha's mind as he desperately sucked in air, his throat tight and clogged.

Why?

He could hear the pounding of other feet all around him. There was more than just the crazed Kikyo after him in the woods tonight.

Why? Why? Why?

He could feel his body becoming suddenly lethargic, as if he had been sealed and drugged inside a warm container.

Why? Why…?

He could hear Kikyo's laughter and suddenly, pain seared through his chest and he was swiftly forced backwards and into a tree trunk. He gasped, the pain like flames through his body as spiritual energy began to zap him of his strength. His eyes traced to what he could barely make out as the shaft of an arrow protruding from his chest, a thick smear of blood slowly beginning to run through his shirt and down to his leg. Darkness began to creep into his vision, and, for the first time in years, he shed one tear that dribbled, unnoticed, down his ashen cheek.

"Damn it…" he whispered, "Kikyo… I thought… ugh…"

Too dazed to form any more words, he could see Kikyo approaching him from the dark, a grim smirk on her lips. She was joined suddenly by two shadowy figures, one emerging from either side of her.

"What now, Miss?" a deep, male voice inquired.

"I don't care," Kikyo scoffed, waving her hand absently, "Take him. Dissect him for all I care."

She walked away and, his heart jerking with utter betrayal, Inu-Yasha slumped, the cold dark taking him.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome stared, stunned, at Inu-Yasha's absence for a moment before she rushed from the room in an attempt to follow him. She looked around the hallway before the railing and flight of stairs quickly, and then called his name worriedly. She was almost relieved when she received a pained howl as an answer. Swiftly, she rushed down the stairs, following the sound of his cry to the living room. When she entered, at first she didn't see him, but his moan of pain swiftly urged her to look around the sofa to the floor.

As she had suspected, there he sat, curled, his shoulders heaving, his fingers knotted into his hair, blood staining the fingers of his right hand. Worried, she knelt to him, inclining her head as she drew forward.

"Inu-Yasha?" she whispered.

His head jerked upwards at the sound of her voice, and to her surprise, he looked almost normal, save for his glowing red eyes. His fangs had shrunk and the purple stripes on his skin had faded away. To her surprise though, the boy's demonic eyes were filled with tears of agony, and she watched them dribble down his cheeks, horror and pity wrenching in her gut.

Though in normal circumstances, she might have been worried for her safety, though without even a thought towards fear or injury, Kagome cupped the boy's cheeks with both hands, kissing his nose gently. His eyelids drooped and he made a small sound of pain before leaning forward, raising shaking hands to rest upon hers.

x

Inu-Yasha couldn't recall ever feeling like this before. His body felt like something inside was ripping him apart. His eyes, especially, pained him, as if some clawed creature was raking their backs and burning them from the inside. He couldn't have stopped the tears that dribbled down his face even if he had wanted to. His eyes were on fire and they, at least, gave him some sort of relief.

_What's… happening to me?_

It was the first conscious thought he had had in over ten minutes, since he had fallen asleep. His mind spun, unable to understand anything. He could feel Kagome's hands on his face, and though they were a comfort, they felt so hot against his skin that it felt cold and numb. He leaned towards her, attempting to utter her name, but the only sound that passed his lips sounded to him like a groan and a growl.

Closing his eyes, he slumped against her, her hands slipping down to his shoulders, and rested his face against her cheek, trying to wipe the wetness away.

She kissed his forehead, though her lips burned, and Inu-Yasha gripped onto her shirt desperately. He held her, trembling, as his fangs began to lengthen again. A deep, involuntary growl pushed up his throat and he cringed, his ears pressing back against his skull.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked him.

Inu-Yasha could barely respond. He felt numb, dazed, and his flesh burned. He wanted to run. It was too cramped here. Too hot. But he didn't want to let the girl go. She made him feel better, but… he wanted to run. He wanted the wind, the rain…

A tremor ran through his body and he winced, his eyes suddenly felt dry and hot, and he felt them starting to water once more. He broke away from Kagome, panting.

It was too hot!

He stumbled backwards and before he realized what he was doing, he managed to force the back door open. He skidded into the back yard and tilted his face up into the cold rain, trying instinctively to get the burning away from his eyes.

x

Kagome, incredibly concerned, followed the boy outside and watched in confusion as lightning streaked across the sky, setting her boyfriend's red eyes aglow. They flickered to amber and back as she drew closer. She flinched as thunder boomed overhead, though to her surprise, Inu-Yasha didn't jolt as he usually would have.

Tentatively, Kagome edged even closer to him, and the colour of his eyes began to change more rapidly. His body began to shake as it had before, and, wanting to help him, Kagome edged even closer, reaching out and taking his hand carefully in hers.

He slowly curled his fingers around hers, his extended claws pricking her gently. His eyelids drooped closed and he let out a wavering sigh.

He felt much better now… _Much _better…

The girl's touch suddenly cooled him, like a fall breeze flowing over into the heat of summer, instead of the strange pain he had felt before.

He frowned slightly, wondering what had come over him; what had prompted his change; and why he had blindly dashed into the center of a thunderstorm. He _hated_ thunder. What a strange thing for him to do.

He squeezed Kagome's hand a little and then, slowly, he opened his eyes. He felt an odd pulse of heat run through his body, and his fangs began to shrink back to their original size. He could feel his claws changing as well.

He turned to Kagome, a little embarrassed, and he was about to say something to her, but for a reason he couldn't even begin to fathom, the wind was completely knocked out of him and he dropped to all fours, breathing heavily.

x

Kagome let out a yelp and knelt at his side, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you all right?" she demanded.

The hanyou's chest heaved as he struggled to regain his breath and he felt another pulse of heat run through his veins. He wasn't bowled over this time, and for that he was grateful, but when Kagome saw that he obviously couldn't sit up properly, she moved closer to him in the muddy grass and hugged him close, propping him up against her body. He sagged on her shoulder and she rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Poor thing…" she whispered.

His ears drooped, but he barely registered her words as the rain pelted his head and he felt another pulse run through him. He clamped his eyes shut and, getting a hold of himself, grasped to Kagome tightly, begging silently for the cooling sensation to return.

"I don't… feel so good…" he managed to mumble.

Kagome was a little startled since that had been the most coherent thing he had been able to get out of his mouth since he had woken up, and she was unable to stop a weak laugh from escaping her.

"Aww, Yasha… It's okay," she cooed.

She stroked his cold, wet ears and he sagged even further, letting out a deep, shuddering sigh. Heat rushed through him once more and he almost felt like he was going to wretch. Finally, he felt Kagome's body pulse along with his and the cool tendrils of her aura reach out to him, calming him, submerging the fire that raged in his blood. When the heat subsided, Inu-Yasha let out a deep, relieved sigh, and he allowed himself to open his eyes.

x

What he saw before him nearly made his heart stop.

Grass. Inu-Yasha could see the grass.

Thousands of blades of dark green, soaking wet, some trampled into the mud, most likely by him, with rain splattering over them in thick droplets, giving everything an unusual shine under the dark, cloudy sky. It wasn't the best sight in the world, but the fact that the hanyou could _see_ it took his breath away once more.

He blinked swiftly and raised one hand away from Kagome to rub his eyes, trying to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

Why…? What…? Oh my God…

He tentatively reached out a hand and plucked a blade of grass. He raised it to his face, and then eyed it with utter shock. He then looked at his hand. It was odd to see it, because he hadn't been able to for such a long time. He blinked at it, wide-eyed, and watched as an odd, purple demon stripe's vibrancy faded deep into his own, normal skin tone.

Inu-Yasha was in awe.

x

Slowly, lethargically, he pulled backwards to get a look at what was around him, though he almost instantly found himself to be gazing directly at the girl he knew to be Kagome. He took one look at her face and then stared, stunned, into her eyes. She was so… _familiar_…

He took her in cautiously: the way her sopping hair framed her face, the slightly puzzled, but caring smile on her lips, and most captivating, her bright, glimmering hazel eyes that stared back at him affectionately.

_This is… Kagome…? _He thought.

His mind was having trouble processing it.

Damn, she's… so… pretty…

He cupped her cheek with one hand, and she laughed at him quietly.

"What's up with you?" she asked with mock-cynicism in her voice, "Most overused line ever, but… You look like you've seen a ghost."

Inu-Yasha looked at her blankly for a moment before shaking his head.

"No," he whispered, "I… see _you_."

Kagome was taken aback, and her heart leapt in her chest. She returned his blank stare.

"Wh… What?" she asked slowly.

Inu-Yasha shook his head again, baffled, and he drew slightly closer to Kagome, taking her face in both hands.

"Oh my God," he muttered, "You… You're…"

He wanted to kiss her. _Damn_, did he want to kiss her, though he held back: kissing her now would mean he couldn't _look _at her.

And he wanted to see her more than anything.

x

After a moment of stunned silence, Kagome slowly raised her hands to his, her fingers tracing his claws. She felt her chest tighten slightly and her eyes began to water for a second time that night.

"How…?" she whispered.

He shook his head, flabbergasted, though didn't take his eyes off her for a second; he was afraid the if he looked away, or even blinked for too long, he would be left in the dark again. He stroked her face, brushing her sopping strands of hair away from her cheeks.

What could he say? The lights had been inexplicably turned on.

Unable to resist any longer, slowly, he bent forward. His lips brushed hers and a tremor ran through her, and, slowly, cautiously, he pressed his mouth to hers in a tentative kiss. She was drawn in close, gripping him tightly as her heart began to throb. Each relished their small spot of warmth amongst the downpour in utter contentment, and the boy stroked Kagome's face with the backs of his claws gently before drawing back, breathing a little more heavily than normal.

"K…K'gome…" he muttered.

He had intended to say something to her, perhaps something unusually romantic, though he was denied the chance as Kagome, still a little tearful, laughed quietly and stroked his drooping, waterlogged ears before giving him another quick, gentle kiss. The words left him like smoke on the wind.

"Are you okay?" she asked him quietly.

He nodded and smiled bashfully, and with a shaking hand, he brushed some of the warm, bitter water away from her bright eyes.

"Are… Are you crying?" he wondered.

"A bit," she chuckled, "I'm happy; I couldn't help it."

She let out a laugh and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he automatically held her close, his body quivering.

"Wow, two… _amazing_ things, in one night…" the girl whispered with a grin, "Inu-Yasha, I'm _so_ glad for you."

The hanyou smiled slightly and tilted his head, looking at her hair. He found each strand to be fabulous. He stroked his fingers through, and felt utterly blissful. He would have been content to sit with her in the rain for an eternity, though she pulled away from him and looked into his eyes lovingly.

"Hey, you all right?" she whispered, "You know you mauled yourself and you just… seemed to be in so much pain before. I was so worried. Do you know what happened?"

Inu-Yasha stared at her blankly. He vaguely remembered a burning pain, but as for what he did or what triggered it, he couldn't say. He shook his head, though as he stared at Kagome, again, he was entranced by her eyes. It took him a moment to pull away, and, finally, he got to his feet, pulling her upright with him.

"We should definitely go inside," he decided.

He put a hand on her head and ruffled her waterlogged hair affectionately, and when she gave him an embarrassed smile in return, his heart swelled.

"Damn, you're… perfect…"

Kagome bit her lip and looked down shyly, her damp cheeks going red. Inu-Yasha grinned widely at her. Finally yanking his eyes away from her, he looked at the house behind her curiously. The two story, white house looked bland against the darkened sky behind it. Inu-Yasha was glad to see it, finally. He could see a tall, dead tree reaching up towards the sky, its branches like dark, skeletal fingers creeping upwards to the clouds and tapping against the house. Even this was a reassuring sight.

x

Kagome watched his roaming eyes with interest, a grin blooming on her face.

"I know it's not great, but it's what we have at the moment," she said, "Wanna see the inside?"

"I'd love to," the boy said, though he seemed a little distant as his gaze turned back to her.

He stared for another few moments before shaking his head and smiling embarrassedly.

"Sorry, sorry…"

"Don't be."

Kagome stretched to kiss him on the cheek, and the boy's ears drooped shyly.

x

As if they had both suddenly become aware of the rain again, they scurried inside to the warmth and dryness of the house. After wiping her bare feet on the carpet, Kagome grabbed Inu-Yasha by his damp shirt and led him around the house, giving him his second tour.

The hanyou absorbed everything gladly, including the new hole in his door, and the rounded form of Buyo who had, miraculously, managed to stay asleep atop the refrigerator despite the demonic noises that had echoed from Inu-Yasha's room less than ten minutes before.

x

After seeing the bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, and living room, Inu-Yasha decided that being wet was rather uncomfortable, and Kagome agreed, so as she went to change her clothes and find them some towels, Inu-Yasha headed into his room to change as well.

x

In the room, he took a long look around him before he headed towards the wooden dresser and fished out some new garments. Just before he pulled off his shirt, though, he noticed the long tear in the front. Startled, he stared at it, eyeing the blood seeping through the shreds of white material.

His eyes traced to the raw skin underneath, and though the rain had cleaned away some of the blood, the skin over his heart was red and marred by four long claw marks that he automatically knew were from his own fingers. Slightly alarmed and rather confused, Inu-Yasha pulled his shirt off over his head quickly and tenderly touched the self-inflicted wound on his chest. He couldn't recall when he had done such a thing, or why. Cringing, he licked his thumb and ran it over the wound carefully, trying to get at least a little of his bacteria-killing saliva into the open cuts.

"What a stupid thing…" he muttered at himself.

He quickly chose another shirt, this time a red one with long sleeves because the damp had chilled him, and then changed it, and his pants, quickly, though he still only had boxer shorts.

Tentatively, he edged from his room and down the hall to Kagome's, where the door was ajar.

"Kagome?" he called.

"Yeah?" she answered.

She sounded like she was downstairs.

"Do you have any slacks or anything I could wear?"

"Umm… yep, in my drawer."

Inu-Yasha walked through Kagome's door and rifled around inside her cabinet for a moment before finding some dark grey slacks that were abnormally large for a girl of her stature to have. He took them and put them on quickly. He left Kagome's room and headed downstairs, were she met him with a towel. He accepted it gratefully and rubbed his head with it, minding his ears.

"So you're feeling… okay now, right?" Kagome inquired.

She had all ready changed.

"Yeah, I'm all right. I just noticed I was bleeding," he said absently.

Kagome nodded readily, and laid her hand against his side gently.

"Did you do that to yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah, but… I can't for the life of me figure out why," he laughed embarrassedly.

"Maybe your scar was hurting?" she wondered.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and headed for the living room, where he saw that the sofa was still piled high with blankets from before. He edged towards them, and, after Kagome gave him a nod, he sat down and pulled them over himself with a slight shiver. The girl grinned at him and joined him, wrapping herself snugly in the blankets.

"How's your back now?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Started hurting a little again, but it's fine," Kagome said with a nod, "I took pills right before you started howling."

"Was I howling?" the boy asked, confused, and Kagome nodded.

"It was… ah… terrifying," she said half-jokingly.

She scooted closer to him and pressed against his side for warmth.

"If we both get sick now, I blame you," she laughed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but stare; you know that."

He looked at her shyly and, using a claw, brushed a stray strand of hair over her shoulder.

"I wasn't expecting to be able to see all of a sudden," he mumbled, "Though… I gotta say… totally worth it."

He grinned at the girl, and she felt her face beginning to heat up again.

"I'm really happy," she said quietly.

She leaned a little closer, and the hanyou gently wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"No school again tomorrow, I think…" she mumbled.

"You are gonna be _so_ far behind," Inu-Yasha said.

"I know, I know… You can catch me up, right?"

"Probably."

"Then we're fine."

The girl yawned, but then looked a little annoyed.

"Gah!" she exclaimed, "I don't wanna fall asleep, especially now that you can suddenly see again!"

Inu-Yasha smiled, touched, and he cuddled the human close.

"It's fine, seriously… You got shot only three days ago. You disserve some rest."

"This all seems to be happening so fast, but… three days ago feels like a year ago to me," Kagome muttered.

"I know what you mean," Inu-Yasha agreed, "But, seriously. Go ahead and sleep. I'll just sit here and watch you all creepy-like."

Kagome began to laugh, though was interrupted by a yawn again.

"Aw crap, fine, I'll close my eyes for a bit," she decided.

She elbowed him slightly as if she were fluffing a pillow and then slumped against him, latching onto his shirt and letting her eyelids droop closed.

x

It took Kagome a little while to drift off into slumber, though Inu-Yasha was in no mood for sleep. With his free arm, he groped around the sofa for the television remote, and once he had found it, he hurled it at the light switch across the room.

There was a click, and the lights flickered out. Satisfied, Inu-Yasha took Kagome into his arms and leaned back in the blankets comfortably, watching his human breathe and listening to the rain. He could still hear rolling thunder in the distance, though for a reason Inu-Yasha couldn't even begin to fathom, he no longer began to shake at its presence, though it still made him anxious inside.

He wondered what else had happened to him as he slumbered; he wondered why he was suddenly able to see. He wondered what had triggered his transformation, and what had made him want to tear into his own chest. No matter what the reason was, however, one thing he knew for certain was, the scar that marked where, years ago, an arrow had entered him and pierced his heart, was now gone.

x

Though Inu-Yasha had no recollection of his dream, nor his need to rend his own flesh, at the time, there had been method in his feral madness. His scar, imbued with the rage and hate of a miko, had been set aflame. In desperation, to free himself from the miko curse, the scar that had plagued him so for years, he had torn it off.

His feral mind had done what his conscious self could not. He had severed the tie that gave the girl he had once loved power to cause him pain when even the thought of her crossed his mind, or when his scar was touched. He now had a new miko: one whose powers were strikingly different and could soothe, not burn, despite the demonic blood that coursed through his veins.

He was now tethered to another.

x

As Kagome's hand reached up to him in her sleep and came to rest on his wound, Inu-Yasha could feel a new energy entering him, and though there had been an inexplicable lack of pain from his wound, it now felt all but pleasant.

He smiled slightly and stroked her head, watching her body rise and fall with breath, her presence consoling. Though Inu-Yasha didn't know what had happened to him, he knew that, whatever it was, it was worth it to be able to see Kagome. There was something very special about the human he had unwittingly picked as his mate. Inu-Yasha would get no sleep that night, though now, he didn't care.

He was at peace.

* * *

A/N: If I ever take that long to update again, someone _please_ come track me down and slap me in the face a few times...(also, I'm having some formatting issues with like... ALL my other chapters everywhere. It shall be fixed soon :D )

* * *


	39. Wolves and Dragons Part I

* * *

Chapter 38: Wolves and Dragons

(part 1)

* * *

It was just past nine in the morning. Inu-Yasha had been awake since eight the previous day. An hour ago, he had been able to tear himself away from Kagome: he had been up, simply gazing at her, all night. Now, he sat at the kitchen table, a phone clasped in his hand, drumming his fingers against the plastic in utter boredom. He had been there for about forty minutes. During the night, Inu-Yasha had become incredibly puzzled as to why he had suddenly regained his vision, and, when he had finally managed to work up the will power to draw away from his human, he had decided to call the one person he thought might be able to come up with an explanation for him: the doctor and spider youkai, Katsura Nagi. After Inu-Yasha had explained what had happened over the phone, the doctor had hurried away, claiming that he would be back with answers soon.

-

Sleepily, Inu-Yasha knocked his head against the wooden table beneath him.

_So… bored…_

He vaguely considered hanging the phone up and calling back, hoping that the ringing might remind the doctor that he was still sitting on the line. The hanyou let out a yawn, and was about to put the phone down to get some food, when he heard a sudden shuffling on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Hello? Are you still there, Inu-Yasha?"

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched and he raised the phone towards his head, holding in another yawn.

"Took you long enough," Inu-Yasha sighed, "Got anything for me?"

"Indeed I do," the doctor replied, "Sorry about that… But I think I may have some answers for you."

Inu-Yasha's ears perked up anxiously.

"Yeah?" he asked, "What?"

"Okay, here we go," Nagi said.

Inu-Yasha could hear papers being flipped.

"What appears to have happened seems to have lot to do with your immune system," the youkai explained, "In the period in which you lost your vision, your body was being put under a lot of stress due to several factors, but because you had someone to help you, your body felt it was necessary to concentrate on other aspects of your well being to keep you going instead of your vision, because… well, it just wasn't necessary at the time. Do you understand?"

"I… I think so," Inu-Yasha said slowly.

"Good. Well, as you've told me, revealing your species to Kagome-chan alleviated enough of your stress to allow your body to work on fixing your eyes," Nagi said.

Inu-Yasha could hear him tap his fingers against the phone.

"Coincidentally, you had the issue with the thunder storm the same night that, most likely, gave you an intense night-terror that probably triggered the transformation you described."

"And the change helped?" Inu-Yasha inquired curiously.

"I believe it did," the doctor said, "Especially if you changed several times within a short amount of time."

"I think I may have changed at least twice," the boy said a little weakly.

"I see, I see," Nagi said quietly, and there was the sound of a pen scratching on paper, "Fascinating. So, when you changed, and became "full youkai", as you said, I think that in this state, your body most likely was able to correct your vision problem."

"But… But I've changed before," Inu-Yasha mumbled, "Could that really be all there was to it?"

"Yes, but you're forgetting the stress factor," Nagi insisted, "You weren't under the same amount of stress last night. And previously, didn't you notice any improvements in your sight?"

"Well, yeah but…."

Inu-Yasha trailed off and he felt a jolt of realization shake him. He _did _remember improvements in his vision. He remembered how, during his first long change, the night Kagome had allowed him into her room during the first thunderstorm he had experienced with her, he _had_ been able to see better. Even after his short escapade scuffling with a bar of soap and a shampoo bottle on his second day there, after the change he had noticed a lightening of the blackness around him, but he had thought nothing of it.

"Oh God…" he muttered, "I… I think you're right…"

"See?" the doctor said smugly, "Wait, of course you do."

He laughed at his slightly pathetic joke, and Inu-Yasha couldn't help a weak grin.

"That was _terrible_."

"I know," Nagi laughed, "Oh, and I was meaning to ask. How's Kagome-chan doing?"

"She's okay. I think her back's still bothering her," Inu-Yasha explained, "But she hasn't said anything about her leg… I'm worried about her though… She was really upset about that demon guy she met getting killed, but she hasn't mentioned anything about it since the hospital."

"She might be trying to repress it," Nagi said thoughtfully, "You should try to get her to talk about it later. Repressing the issue isn't healthy."

"I see," Inu-Yasha said quietly, "All right. I'll try."

"Good," the man replied approvingly, "Now… I have to go, there seems to be an immense amount of paperwork being delivered to me for some reason, but feel free to call me back if you have any more questions."

"All right, thanks," the hanyou said, "Bye."

He pressed the "off" button on the phone and it disconnected with a digital _beep_.

-

Inu-Yasha couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He used to be terrified beyond reason of changing, of losing himself to the wilds of his youkai blood. How strange that it was to be the thing to cure him.

Pushing himself up and out of his seat, the hanyou wandered to the counter and slid the phone back into its stand. He also picked up a small notepad and pen and jotted down what the doctor had told him: Kagome would probably want to know what had happened, though he thought that reading it would probably make more sense. When he was done, he absently tossed the pen back onto the counter and then placed the pad on the kitchen table so that he was less likely to forget about it.

After a few minutes of standing absently in the kitchen, Inu-Yasha turned back to the phone and, once he found the scribble-covered napkin he had used the day before, he dialled the number of Kagome's school. He used the same excuse of "flu-like symptoms" as he had previously as the reason for his girlfriend's absence. He placed the phone back in its charging stand and walked around the kitchen slowly again. He ran his hand along the upper cupboards as he went, his eyes tracing along the creases between the doors and walls.

He was still a little stunned. While being left in the dark for weeks, he hadn't realized quite how much he had missed being able to see.

-

He drew away from the cupboards just as his stomach made a very odd sound. Wincing, Inu-Yasha decided that making breakfast might be a good plan. He wandered to the fridge and opened it, leaning down to look into it. Because of Buyo's clumsiness, there was little left, except some eggs and milk at the very back, a bag of raw carrots, and some bacon and cheese in a small storage drawer. Tilting his head, Inu-Yasha thought for a moment, and then took the eggs and cheese from the fridge. He reached for the bacon, but then stalled, and shook his head; Kagome could speak to animals now, and he assumed that she would probably be uncomfortable eating something she could communicate with.

-

The hanyou scrounged around the kitchen, looking inside cupboards until he found a saucepan, and to his excitement, old pancake mix, and then began to make a slightly boring omelette and pancakes, pushing them around and mixing them in the pan with some chopsticks he found elsewhere in the room. He couldn't help but think that he would have to go grocery shopping later, preferably at a different store than the one he had nearly been abducted at. Bland omelettes and cereal were starting to get tedious.

-

As he cooked, the boy's ear tweaked towards the sound of eight paws, and he tilted his head over his shoulder to see Buyo and a skinny raccoon wander into the room behind him. The raccoon sat up on his haunches and licked his lips, and the cat looked at Inu-Yasha hopefully.

"_Good morning," _he said pleasantly, "_We were just wondering if-"_

"Yes, you can have some food," the boy said, rolling his eyes, "How many of you are there?"

"_Just Ku and myself_," Buyo assured him.

Inu-Yasha nodded and turned back to look at the food, and Buyo waddled along the floor, his tail erect, and then hopped onto the counter beside him.

"_Are you sure you should be doing that in your condition?_" the cat asked with concern.

"Condition?" Inu-Yasha repeated.

He looked at Buyo with confusion.

"Umm… Oh! Yeah, about that," he said, turning back to the pan, "I'm not blind anymore."

"_What?!" _Buyo chirped loudly, shocked, _"Oh! Wow, how did that happen?"_

Behind them, the raccoon let out a high growl, and scrambled up onto the table.

"_Ku says congrats," _Buyo said, and Inu-Yasha smiled slightly, and then nodded at the notepad beside the raccoon.

"Doctor's details on the note," he explained.

Ku, the raccoon, turned on his haunches and looked down at the note curiously. Buyo leapt to his side and looked down at the note, and after a brief fit of rambling chirps from the raccoon, the cat quietly began to read it aloud. Inu-Yasha absently listened to the cat, though his mind was on Kagome. He vaguely wondered how she was feeling, and if her back was all right. He also wondered what she was going to do about school. He knew there were more important things, but even though school meant nothing to him, Kagome still had her whole future ahead of her. He let out a sigh, and flipped the omelette in the frying pan. Behind him, Buyo let out a loud yawn as he finished reading.

"_That was interesting,_" the cat said, "_So… It was all the fault of stress."_

"Pretty much," Inu-Yasha said with a nod.

Buyo smiled at him sympathetically. Ku gently poked his side and pointed to the door.

"_Oh, okay… Yasha, we're going outside. Can you save some of that for us?_"

"Sure," the hanyou said.

He twirled the chopsticks in between two fingers as he wandered across the room, looking through the cabinets for plates. He found them and pulled out three and placed them beside the stove, and then turned his attention back to the frying pan.

_oOoOoOoO_

In the living room, oblivious to the world, Kagome continued to sleep, wrapping her arms around a bunched section of blankets. Caught in the vague realm between sleep and consciousness, Kagome watched a strange scene play out in her mind. She stood a little puzzledly in a grassy field, looking ahead at a wolf, watching as he gazed back at her, his mouth agape in a playful pant and his brush of a tail swaying back and forth. This wolf was larger than one would have expected, and his colouration was strange. He was a tawny brown, though black streaks ran from his brow and down his back, and flowed down his sides to his flanks. Kagome inclined her head as she watched him, and he looked back at her with vibrant blue eyes. Kagome offered her hand to the wolf, and, with a grin on his fangs, he trotted to her. He stood up on his back legs and his front paws drooped over her shoulders in a loose, canine hug. Kagome heard herself laugh and she patted the wolf's back affectionately. She heard herself call him "brother" before the dream faded and she unwillingly became more aware of what was happening in the real world.

She could smell something cooking, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself slumped on the sofa, covered in thick, warm blankets. Groggily, she sat up, wondering where Inu-Yasha had gone. She winced, putting a hand a little awkwardly to the sore spot on her back. Carefully, she rose and decided that the kitchen would be a good destination: her painkillers were there, and perhaps her hanyou was as well.

-

With a yawn, the girl walked, a slight limp in her gate, into the other room as, as she had vaguely suspected, found Inu-Yasha hovering over the stove and a frying pan, chopsticks in hand as he pushed eggs and pancakes around. His ear twitched towards her and he titled his head over his shoulder and shot her a grin.

"Hey, good morning," he said brightly, "How're you doing?"

Kagome shrugged and gave him a smile.

"I'm a bit sore but… How're _you_ doing? Are your eyes still okay?"

He nodded as she headed towards the sink and took her bottle of painkillers into her hands, rolling it between her palms.

"I can see perfectly," Inu-Yasha stated proudly, "Oh… Plus, I called Katsura-san to ask him about it and stuff."

"Oh?" Kagome asked, surprised.

She poured two pills into her hand and downed them without water, making a strange face in the process, as if she had just eaten something sour.

"Did he know what happened to you?"

"He had some ideas," the boy said.

He turned and pointed the chopsticks at the scribbled notes he had left on the kitchen table.

"I wrote it down in case you were curious," he explained.

"Ooh, thanks," Kagome said.

She smiled at him and walked to his side, standing a little taller to kiss his cheek gently. She saw his face flush and his ears droop, and she snickered and reached up the side of his head, stroking his closest ear delicately.

"You're so cute," she cooed.

The boy looked down at the foodstuffs in the frying pan shyly. He wasn't used to being called "cute". He leaned his head against hers briefly, and she grinned, kissed him again, and then looked to the pad of paper left on the table.

"Are those the notes?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said with a nod.

Kagome's eyes brightened and she slid into the chair delicately, picking up the notepad and looking at it with obvious curiosity. The kitchen was silent save for the hissing of food in the frying pan for several minutes as Kagome read, drumming her fingernails all but silently against the paper.

"Does it make sense?" Inu-Yasha asked, breaking the hush.

"Kinda," Kagome agreed, nodding, "Though all this metabolism stuff is a little confusing…"

"Have you taken biology in school yet?" the hanyou inquired.

"No."

"You should. Interesting stuff."

Kagome turned in the chair and looked at Inu-Yasha, a question straining in the back of her throat. After a moment of trying to find the words, she opened her mouth.

"Was it strange for you?" she inquired, "You know… learning… biology, when you're-"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied with a laugh, "Really strange. With the teacher rambling on about how "our bodies work", but… I knew that it would never be quite right with me. Kinda made me feel left out, in a weird way."

"Aww," Kagome cooed sympathetically, though the hanyou merely laughed again.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, "…Health class was a bit of a bitch too."

"I can imagine," Kagome said with a small smile.

Taking the notepad carefully, she placed it back on the counter and walked up to the boy to watch him curiously. Her gaze roamed up to his ears, and she watched them with quiet fascination as they twitched back and forth, analysing every sound carefully. She tilted her head slowly from side to side and smiled at the boy, interest clear in her gaze.

-

After another half a minute, Inu-Yasha took the pan off the heat and divided the food amongst the three plates. He turned off the stove, took another pair of chopsticks from a drawer, and the put one of the plates in front of Kagome.

"Thanks," she said as he handed her the utensils.

"No problem," he replied.

He took the chair across from her as she slowly began to eat, though she was cautious: she was still feeling a little ill. Inu-Yasha watched her, inclining his head curiously.

"You all right?" he inquired, and the girl nodded.

"Still feeling a little iffy, but I'm okay," she assured him, and then smiled, "Good omelette."

"It'd be better if we had more stuff in the fridge," he said, shrugging, "I'm planning on going to the store today."

"Oh?" Kagome replied, "By yourself?"

"Yeah, just because… you know, your back…" he said, concern becoming clear on his face.

The girl smiled embarrassedly.

"It's not _that _bad," she replied, "Won't you need help carrying things?"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't come," the hanyou laughed, "Carrying? Gimme a break. Besides…"

He took a bite of pancake that seemed a bit too large and gulped it down noisily.

"As long as I don't buy bulky stuff, I shouldn't need any help."

"What if it's heavy?" Kagome inquired, tilting her head.

"Don't worry," Inu-Yasha said, grinning, "It won't be."

Kagome looked puzzled and Inu-Yasha began to laugh again.

"Oh right! You don't know, do you…?" he inquired, "Kagome, I can lift… well, I could lift this house if I tried. Seriously. Groceries are _never_ heavy."

Kagome stared at the boy with shock and leaned towards him, her eyes wide.

"Serious?" she demanded, "Demons are _that_ strong?"

"I'm sure there are stronger than me," he admitted, shrugging, "But… yeah, we're stronger than we appear."

"Holy _crap_," Kagome gasped, "And then so the whole aura thing-"

"Almost all youkai can do some variation on that," Inu-Yasha explained with a shrug, "You know that sword I brought back here? I can also kinda… "channel" through that and do quite a lot of ass kicking if need be."

Kagome leaned back heavily against her chair, staring wide-eyed at the hanyou across from her.

"That's _nuts_," she whispered, "So, let me get this straight."

She held up her hand slightly.

"You not only have magic demon powers, but you are also ridiculously strong? Like, not even ridiculously. Like, _impossibly._ Like, ridiculously, impossibly, unbelievably strong."

-

She stared at him intently and he bowed his head slightly, his face flushing. Kagome seemed not to notice his embarrassment and she shifted her chair closer to him a little awkwardly, dipping her head to she could continue to keep eye contact with him.

"And I bet that's not all," she continued, "What else is there?"

Inu-Yasha sighed and met her gaze a little reluctantly.

"Um… I can… run," he admitted, "I'm pretty fast…"

"I bet," Kagome said, and Inu-Yasha was surprised when she began to grin widely.

"What?" he inquired.

"You're so _cool_," she breathed.

Inu-Yasha blushed, though before he could reply, Kagome grasped him in a quick, tight hug. He grunted with surprise and slowly, shyly, put his arms around her shoulders as she began to half-sit on his lap. His heart began to pound and he sat in awe of his situation briefly. He had never imagined himself in this sort of position with anyone, and for a moment, he was at a loss for what to do. Hesitantly, he put one arm around the girl's waist and the other under her knees as he held her steady, and he was almost surprised when she began to laugh and cuddled closer happily.

"This… All this stuff… doesn't bug you at all?" he asked a bit hesitantly.

Kagome smiled.

"Do I _look_ like it bugs me?"

"Not… Not really."

"Well, there you go."

A small smile crossed the boy's face and he felt slightly reassured.

"Arigato, Kagome…"

The girl laughed again and pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"You don't need to thank me!" she giggled, but then looked embarrassed, "Ack, I'm going all silly-like…"

"It's just that…" he muttered, "Ummm…"

Kagome peered at him curiously and he stared at her embarrassedly as he almost unconsciously began to take her in, as he had the night before.

"Well?" she asked.

The boy blinked suddenly and jerked as if she had splashed water in his face, though he gave her a shy smile and shook his head.

"Nothing," he lied.

Kagome frowned at him and rolled her eyes before planting a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Bakaface," she chided, "Take me to the sofa."

"The sofa? Why?"

"It's more comfy, stupid," she laughed.

"So, I've officially gone from cool to stupid in less than sixty seconds," he joked, "Nice, nice…"

Kagome smiled widely at him and he rolled his eyes and stood, carrying her effortlessly to the couch and plopping down, leaning back comfortably against the cushions.

"Is this better?" he inquired.

Kagome nodded vigorously and then sat up slightly taller to rub his ears gently. He sighed and his posture sagged slightly. After a moment, Kagome looked at the boy questioningly.

"Question," she said, "What is the best way to do this?"

"Do… what…?" the boy replied slowly.

"Rub the ears," she said, "Best way is… what?"

"Ummm… I dunno, no one's really ever rubbed them before…"

Kagome gasped and looked horrified as if he had uttered some blasphemy.

"Aww, why not?" she demanded.

"Because I usually don't trust people to touch my head," he explained.

Kagome drew back and inclined her head, frowning.

"But…" she muttered, "God damn… Okay, I guess I'll just have to test it, then."

"Test it?" Inu-Yasha repeated, confused, "What the hell d'you mean by that?"

"Don't worry, it's all good," she assured him with a smile.

The girl squirmed from his lap and clambered onto the back of the sofa to gain easy access to the top of the boy's head. Still puzzled, the hanyou leaned his head back and Kagome reached out to his ears, which folded backwards slightly towards the sound of her intake of breath. The girl began to beam and reached out, touching his fur. He shivered, as did she. She laughed and he smiled slightly, his face tinted with red.

-

After a few minutes of trying different ways of massaging Inu-Yasha's dog-ears, Kagome had determined that almost any contact with them made him quite content. His favourite spot was, in fact, the base of his ear at the front, as it often made his leg unwittingly begin to jerk.

-

Kagome was absolutely fascinated by the hanyou. As she stroked his head, feeling his fur, she couldn't help but think how blind she had been. She couldn't believe that nothing about him had tipped her off, not even his clearly visible, vertically slit pupil. Kagome supposed it was probably because she had lived a world that was supposedly "devoid" of the supernatural. Even if she _had_ noticed, she supposed she might have been in denial.

-

Sliding down from the back of the couch and grasping the boy's arm, Kagome looked to him inquisitively.

"Hey Inu-Yasha," Kagome said, her voice raising slightly with a questioning inclination, "I'm all curious now."

She shifted on the couch beside the boy, bouncing up and down on her knees.

"Since demons are real, does that mean dragons are real?" she asked.

A little absently, Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Yeah, dragons are real," he said.

Kagome's eyes brightened and she looked excited, the fantasy-loving child within her finally getting the answers it had always yearned for.

"And… And ghosts too?"

"Yeah, ghosts too."

"How about vampires?"

"Mmmh… Yeah."

"Werewolves?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome continued her bouncing exuberantly, but all of a sudden, her face fell and she shuddered.

"…Zombies?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, zombies too, unfortunately," Inu-Yasha said with a smile, "But… I mean, it's not like they prance around randomly. They've gotta be summoned by someone, and that's a whole other thing."

The girl raised her eyebrows.

"Zombies don't prance," she said cynically.

"The one I saw pranced," the hanyou said defensively.

"You _saw_ one?"

Kagome gawked at her boyfriend while he shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I punched it in the face," he said, "Fuckin' annoying thing."

"_You_ punched a _zombie_ in the face?" Kagome demanded, "How did… What…?"

The girl stumbled over her words for a moment and Inu-Yasha began to laugh.

He turned to her and ruffled her hair with a grin.

"Long story short, some of the youkai sent forward to this era aren't all good, or innocent victims. My brother and I kinda took it upon ourselves to get rid of some of the more dangerous ones, as part of my training when I was younger."

"And one summoned _zombies_?" Kagome asked, gawking as Inu-Yasha nodded, "That's nasty!"

"Just a bit," the hanyou laughed.

Kagome smiled a little sheepishly and he couldn't help but give her a large, fangy grin.

"I kinda turned your world upside down, didn't I?" he asked, "You didn't even know we existed until a few days ago, eh?"

The girl shrugged and nodded, but she smiled widely and stretched upwards to kiss Inu-Yasha on the cheek.

"You wouldn't believe how glad I am that you _do_ exist," she snickered.

-

Inu-Yasha looked at her with growing affection in his expression. He sighed and gave into a sudden, overwhelming urge to hold her, picking her up easily under her arms and lifting her to sit on his lap again as he hugged her close. She let out a yelp of surprise, though almost immediately began to laugh as she threw her arms around his shoulders and snuggled against him. As the girl's laughter died away, they sat in contented, lazy silence as Inu-Yasha rubbed her back. Though she didn't notice, the hanyou's ears began to fold backwards and he held in a concerned sigh, his eyelids drooping slightly as he unwittingly pushed his face against the crook of her neck. When he finally let the sigh escape him, Kagome immediately pulled backwards, cupping his face and peering at him with concern.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," the boy lied, though Kagome merely rolled her eyes and knocked her fist against the side of his head in irritation.

"Baka, baka, baka," she chided, "You're all like-"

She mimicked his sigh in an exaggerated fashion and then frowned at him as he looked back at her embarrassedly.

"Are you guilt tripping yourself for some random-ass reason again?" she asked.

"It's… not _that_ random," he muttered, though Kagome merely let out an exasperated groan and then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again.

"Stop it," she ordered, "Whatever it is, if it has to do with me, I forgive you."

Inu-Yasha smiled slightly.

"I just… wish I hadn't brought you into this fight is all," he admitted.

"Oh, _whatever,_" Kagome laughed, "Is that all? Seriously?"

Inu-Yasha nodded slightly and the girl laughed again and, sitting up taller, kissed him in an attempt to console him. He drew in a startled breath before kissing her in return, though he had slumped back weakly against the back of the couch. Kagome snickered at him when she pulled away and he let out a sigh.

"I still need to get used to that," he breathed.

"You seemed fine yesterday," the girl replied, an innocent smile on her face.

"Yeah, but… I mean… I started a bunch of those, didn't I?" he mused, "It wasn't as much of a surprise… And… I mean…"

"You come in slow anyway," she laughed, "Your eyes give away your intensions."

"You read me too easy…"

"That's 'cause you're easy to read."

"Everyone else says I'm almost impossible."

"That's cause "everyone else" hasn't made the commitment to try to understand you."

Kagome grinned at him as he began to laugh quietly.

"I guess not," he said, nodding.

He blew out a tired-sounding sigh and rubbed a hand down the girl's back again. He felt a little satisfied when her body didn't jolt when his hand reached the spot of the bullet's impact.

"Your back's feeling okay for now?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied, nodding, "It kinda gets sore on and off."

She tilted her head.

"You're changing the topic. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No," Inu-Yasha laughed, "I was legitimately worried about your back."

The girl smiled at him, satisfied with his reply, and she patted his shoulder.

"And… you're okay too, right?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Youkai and hanyou… we heal very quickly, so don't worry about me, okay?"

-

Kagome frowned slightly and looked at her boyfriend, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"So…" she said slowly, "All those injuries, and treatments and stuff… You really _didn't_ need it, did you?"

Inu-Yasha's eyes darted away shyly and his cheeks began to flush.

"Well, I mean… um…" he mumbled, and then, looking a little flustered, said, "Well, if I hadn't let you look at them and stuff, you would've known something was up with me a long time ago! And… and besides…"

He looked away for a moment, the red across his face becoming darker.

"It… was always nice to know you cared, you know?" the boy mumbled quietly.

The girl's frown softened and she smiled at the hanyou with amusement.

"You should've just told me," she said jokingly.

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped slightly and he nodded.

"I know, I just wasn't ready," he said.

"Oh well, maybe it's all for the best, eh?" she inquired, "Plus, you know, the reveal you chose _did_ lead to lots of cuddling."

"Unintentional, I assure you," Inu-Yasha replied with a weak laugh, "Though, to be honest, I don't think I could have asked for a better reaction from you."

"What were you expecting?" she asked curiously.

"I was expecting at least _some_ hostility," he admitted, "I mean, seriously…"

He shook his head as Kagome let out a loud "hah!" and ruffled his hair.

"Aw man, Inu-Yasha! And you were so worried? About nothing! You poor thing."

She stroked the sides of his face reassuringly.

"Pfft, "hostility"… As if you need more of _that_ from _me_…"

Inu-Yasha let out a slightly amused –sounding "hmm" and patted the girl's back briefly before he shifted a little as if preparing to move.

"As much as I enjoy just kinda loafing around with you, I should probably get the grocery shopping done now," he joked, "You know, once I find another place to shop…"

"There's a place in that mall we went to when we bought your clothes," she suggested, "You could go there."

"Good plan," Inu-Yasha replied with a nod, "All right… Lemme up."

-

Awkwardly, Kagome twisted until she dropped off Inu-Yasha's lap and onto the sofa. The hanyou stood a little reluctantly, though Kagome swiftly beckoned him back.

"Have you ever been to that mall while you could see?" she asked, and when he shook his head, she smiled slightly, "Didn't think so. I'll draw you a map, okay?"

"Thanks, that'd actually be helpful," the boy agreed with a nod.

He turned and walked back into the kitchen and, after staring briefly at Buyo and his raccoon friend gorging themselves on breakfast foods, before taking a piece of scrap paper and a pencil from a container near the phone. He quickly gave the items to Kagome and she carefully drew him a scratchy map, labelling the streets and explaining the path he would have to take as she went. When she finished, he nodded and then dashed from the room. Looking up in confusion, Kagome stared blankly at the lack of her hanyou, only to have him reappear a few moments later wearing jeans and a t-shirt as opposed to his pyjamas. He took the map from her and folded it before sliding it into his pocket.

"Okay," he said, "I'm going to head out, I'll be back… ah… soon, I guess."

"You have money?" Kagome inquired.

"Yeah, new credit card from my brother. It's all good."

Kagome nodded and stood up slowly and kissed the boy on his cheek.

"I'll leave the door unlocked for you," she assured him.

"If you didn't, I'd come in through the window," he laughed.

He nudged his face against hers briefly and then walked to the front door and, after sliding on his sandals and placing a baseball cap over his ears, opened the door and bounded out. Kagome watched him leave, startled to see him take a few steps, leap, and then vanish in a blur only to reappear on a roof down the road. She saw him turn briefly to give her a quick, two-fingered wave. Kagome smirked and waved back timidly, and she vaguely saw the boy grin before he turned and then all but vanished.

-

"Damn, he _is_ fast," Kagome said to herself with a smile.

She backed up slightly and closed the front door, slumping back against it tiredly, putting her face in her hands briefly to rub her eyes and forehead. She had a large amount of new information to process. She leaned forward and awkwardly stepped away from the door. She paced from the kitchen to the living room and back slowly, replaying the recent info she had acquired concerning youkai over the last few days slowly in her head in a steady loop. It was like having an entirely new world exposed to her. She supposed people might have felt similar upon realising that the earth was not flat.

It all seemed ludicrous to her, and yet not. It was a strange sensation. Wandering back into the kitchen, Kagome took another pill from her bottle of painkillers, yawned, and then walked up the stairs towards her room, grasping the banister tightly. As she passed Inu-Yasha's door, her eyes wandered to the hole near its base and she paused, staring at it with confusion. To come to grips with the fact that youkai existed and had supernatural abilities was one thing, but to think that _she_ had caused that miniature explosion… _that_ was a little much for her. But of course, she knew there had to be _something _odd about herself: she could speak fluently to most animals, and she was almost positive she had created some sort of shield or barrier while in the forest.

Kagome rubbed her head again and, holding in a yawn, entered her own room.

-

The floor was covered with her scattered clothes and her bed was devoid of blankets: she had brought most of them downstairs where they now sat in a heap on the couch. Kagome kicked her old clothes into a pile near her bed and then walked to her dresser while vaguely thinking about how much laundry she would soon have to do. On the top of the dresser, placed side by side, were Tsuyomaru's three fangs: she distantly remembered laying them there sometime after returning from the hospital. Kagome ran her hands over them forlornly and bit her lip slightly. She turned away and paced her room, an inexplicable anxiety filling her. She grimaced: she wished Inu-Yasha were there.

-

Kagome paced again for a few more seconds before she plopped down onto her bed and put her head in her hands, thinking.

_If Inu-Yasha's a demon_, she mused, _I wonder if anyone else I know is one too…_

She fell back lazily onto her back and put her arms behind her head.

Maybe I can see the auras of other people too? Hmmm…

She took a deep breath and stretched her legs slightly, only looking up slightly when she heard pawsteps on her carpet.

"Buyo?" she inquired, only to be greeted by the face of the plump cat smiling down into hers as he leapt upwards and onto her chest.

"_Hi Kaggy, good morning,_" he said, rubbing his back happily against her hand as she raised it towards him.

Kagome smiled at him as he purred loudly and lay down, stretching, on top of her arm. She lifted her other one and stroked his head.

"Hey, cat," Kagome said slowly, "Do you know anything about youkai?"

"_A bit," _Buyo said with a slight nod, _"Why do you ask?"_

"Curiosity," she replied with a shrug, "So… you've met some before."

"_Yeah,"_ he said, nodding again, _"Some random ones around… you know…"_

He yawned widely and licked his lips while Kagome watched him fondly.

"How old are you now?" she asked, "Same as me, right? A little younger?"

"_Yeah, fifteen and a bit, I suppose,_" he replied.

"Sorry if I ever dressed you up as anything when I was young and stupid."

Buyo laughed and stuck his tongue out at her.

"_Nah, you didn't. Sota did though."_

"Sota did?"

"Yes, as a mini dragon or some whatnot. It was rather annoying but hey, whatcha gonna do?"

Kagome smiled apologetically.

"Gomen, I should have rescued you," she replied.

Again, Buyo chuckled and he titled his head back to look at her smugly.

"_Don't you worry about it Kaggy, I got him back_," he assured her.

Kagome laughed and stroked her cat's ears.

-

After a moment of contented silence, Kagome turned her head to look at Buyo a little more clearly.

"Buyo," she began slowly, "What do you know about… like… powers that mikos get. Do you know anything?"

"_A bit_," he replied, _"Why?"_

"Do you think I have any?"

"_I know you do," _the cat said, smiling, _"You and I are talking, aren't we? Speaking through species is something many people with spiritual energies can do_."

"I see…" Kagome said slowly, "Do you think I can make shockwaves?"

"_Shockwaves?"_ Buyo repeated, looking puzzled, _"What do you mean?"_

"Well, I _think_ I blasted a hole through Inu-Yasha's door last night," she explained.

Frowning slightly, Buyo rolled upright and looked down into Kagome's face with confusion.

"_Well, that is a bit strange," _he replied, _"Mikos aren't really supposed to be able to do that unless they're very well trained and powerful… and using their powers against a demon."_

Kagome blinked up at the cat, startled.

"Well, I'm definitely not… well trained, and I wasn't using anything against a demon… I was trying to help one… I don't get it."

"_Neither do I,"_ the cat replied with a sympathetic smile, _"But I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not fully educated about this stuff, so it's probably perfectly normal."_

"Yeah," Kagome agreed half-heartedly, giving him a small nod.

Buyo smiled and nudged her face reassuringly.

"_Don't worry too much_," he insisted.

Kagome nodded again. She patted the cat's back and smiled slightly.

"Buyo," she said questioningly, "Also… Do you know anything about this talking to animals thing?"

"_A bit, why?" _he asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know what I can and can't talk to now, would you?"

"_Ummmm… Most mammals you should be able to understand, except… Probably not mice, moles… cows, that kinda thing."_

"Since when do mice, moles, and cows fall into the same grouping?" Kagome laughed.

"_They're all relatively dumb_," the cat said with a shrug, "_And most small birds… You probably won't be able to converse with them either… but of course, they all still trust you."_

"Weird…" Kagome mumbled, "So, no more pork for me then."

"_Why?"_ Buyo inquired.

"Well, 'cause I can probably talk to pigs now, can't I?"

"That's never stopped me…"

"That's 'cause you're terrible," Kagome joked, ruffling the cat's ears, "No, I'd just feel uncomfortable eating something I could talk to…"

"_Fair enough_," Buyo said with a nod, _"Do you have any more questions?"_

"Mmmh… Yes, actually," Kagome admitted, "What Inu-Yasha said-"

"What did he say?"

"About… you know, demon strength and speed and stuff," she said, "That's true, right?"

"_Oh, yes, I sort of heard him_," Buyo said, _"I actually think he was probably being modest."_

"Really?" Kagome asked, her eyes widening with surprise, "Holy _crap_."

"_He probably didn't want to freak you out_," the cat said.

He stood and leaned back slightly, his rump in the air, his front limbs stretched out, flexing his claws into Kagome's blanket. Kagome, on the other hand, sat up swiftly, looking puzzled and frowning with worry.

"Why would he think I'd be freaked out?" she asked.

"_You're not?"_ the cat inquired through a yawn, _"I mean… To know that you're involved with a boy with unimaginable strength, speed… super-human senses… an immortal, as well. You're not freaked out?"_

Kagome's jaw dropped and she stared at her cat as he straightened and yawned again, his slightly yellowed fangs glinting.

"He… never told me he was immortal," she muttered, "And, the senses… Well… Jeez, I guess that makes sense. No wonder he got around so easily. And with those ears… Not that hard to imagine."

She smiled slightly and couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"How the hell did he humour me for so long? I sure wouldn't have been able to do that."

Buyo smiled sympathetically.

"_Gomen, Kaggy, maybe I should've waited for him to tell you he was immortal," _he apologized.

Kagome waved her hand absently, though she bit her lip as she felt a knot building in her stomach.

If he's immortal, then…how're we gonna stay…?

She shook her head.

_No, we'll figure something out. It'll be okay._

Again, Kagome felt slightly overwhelmed. She stood suddenly, causing Buyo to jump with surprise. Before he could ask her what was wrong, she turned to him with a smile.

"I think I'm going to go back downstairs," she said, "See if I can… I dunno, bake or something."

"_Kaggy-" _Buyo began, but the girl had all ready limped from the room before he could decide what to say to her.

He frowned with concern. The last time Kagome had baked was the day she had heard that she would have to stay with her father when her mother and grandfather traveled. Buyo sat back on his haunches heavily, his ears folding backwards. He shook his head.

"_Shouldn't have said anything,_" he muttered.

oOoOoOoO

As Inu-Yasha bounded over the rooftops of a Tokyo suburb, heading towards a more industrialized area of the city, he felt a certain freedom that he had been lacking for some time. The sky overhead was still grey with a blanket of cloud from the night's rain, but the autumn air was cool and refreshing. He was almost tempted to slow in order to merely enjoy his trip a little more, but he continued on quickly. He knew that he _did_ slow down the chances of him being seen were much greater. He let out a sigh, contented nonetheless.

It was almost like being able to fly.

_I'll have to take Kagome with me soon_, he thought.

He wondered if she'd enjoy the rush of the wind as much as he did.

-

He leapt high over a gap between two buildings, his ears pressing back as the wind whistled by, his hair billowing behind him. It made his heart race.

Yes… He'd take Kagome next time. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet five roofs down the road but he stopped abruptly. He felt a sudden anxiety and worry deep in his chest that stemmed from nothing around him. The worry was Kagome's. Puzzled, the hanyou frowned.

_Why…? What's she worried about?_ He wondered.

He clenched his fist tightly and spun on his heel, looking back in the direction he had come. Unsure if he should return home or not, he braced his feet against the ground, only to feel the worry diminish slightly. The boy's frown deepened.

Kagome was clearly all right, but something was bothering her. However, she didn't seem to be in any danger. A little reluctantly, Inu-Yasha turned back the way he was originally headed. He couldn't shake his own concern for Kagome, but he supposed he should get his errands done. He reached into his pocket and fished out the folded map, grasping it delicately between his claws. He unfolded the paper to reread the street names carefully and tilted his head slightly to look over the edge of the building. Unable to see a street sign from where he stood (it was blocked by the back of an unloading truck filled with large, brown boxes), he leapt to the next roof and up onto the top of its raised chimney. Crouching, using one hand as extra support, the other held in front of him slightly, still grasping the map, he leaned forward, spying the sign above the hood of the vehicle. He double-checked the street name and was pleased to find that he was going the right way. He bounded from the chimney, spun right in the air as the directions on the map indicated, and continued towards the mall.

-

It didn't take the hanyou long to arrive at his destination. Upon his arrival on the roof of the mall's underground-indoor parking facility, he skidded to a halt abruptly and he could almost feel his shoes tear. He winced and lifted up one foot to see that the sole of his shoe was blackened and worn down all ready. He smiled slightly. This was one of the reasons he usually didn't run with shoes on. He supposed he'd have to buy some new ones while he was out. Putting that aside, the boy peered over the building with interest. The mall itself was quite large; not as large as some of the other ones he had briefly visited. It's name, Shiro Mall, was obviously derived from the pale brick used on the outside of the building, as well a huge, white bird that it used as its logo. Apart from the parking garage, the mall was ringed with clean sidewalks, more parking areas, and drop off zones. There were also quite a few trees planted in small, rectangular gardens. Near each of these was a line of bike racks, ones that had high, horizontal metal bars. There were several people wandering around outside, mostly adults, though the scent of a girl in a grey raincoat caught his attention. It was suspiciously familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Curiously, he walked forward slightly, but then crouched to make himself less visible and leaned forward. The girl in the grey raincoat was chaining a blue bike to the metal rack. Her scent reminded him of his friend, Sango, from school. He was a little puzzled though. It was a weekday. Why would she be at the mall?

Curious, Inu-Yasha edged even closer.

The boy's eyes grew round as he realized that the girl below him was, indeed, his friend Sango. His face brightening, he looked around cautiously, and after making sure that no one was looking in his direction, he leapt from the roof and landed silently on the top bar of the bike rack. When Sango didn't look up from tightening the chain around her tire, Inu-Yasha crouched down, tilted his head, and grinned at her.

-

"Hi Sango," he said brightly, "Why the hell aren't you in school?"

Inu-Yasha's grin widened as the girl jumped, turning towards him, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth agape.

"Inu-Yasha?" she gasped.

She stared at him in shock as he stepped from the metal bar to the ground as if there were little distance between them.

"You're… you're okay?" she whispered, sounding stunned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a nod, "I was just kinda around, so, you know… I thought I'd say hi."

The girl continued to stare silently as the hanyou tilted his head in confusion.

"Sango?" he inquired.

Before he could ask her what was wrong, Sango let out a short, anxious laugh and lunged forward, hugging the boy tightly around the shoulders, pinning his arms awkwardly to his sides. He stumbled slightly with surprise.

"S-Sango?" he stammered.

He felt the girl slump against him and she heaved out a huge sigh before beginning to laugh loudly, relief clear in her voice.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my _God_!" she exclaimed hurriedly, "You're back! I mean… You're all right! You're all right…"

She sighed again, seeming contented now. Inu-Yasha stared down at her with wide eyes.

She… She really missed me?

He couldn't help but feel touched.

I… didn't know she cared so much…

The shock in his gaze softened to gratitude and, slowly, he freed one arm from the girl's tight embrace and patted her shoulder gently.

"I'm fine," he said reassuringly, "Sango, uh…"

He couldn't stop his body from quivering, and though he _did_ feel like he should at least hug the girl a little in return, he felt too awkward to do so. He continued to stare at her until she pulled back, smiling shyly, her eyes bright and her face a little flushed.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it."

Inu-Yasha gave her a slightly timid grin. She looked surprised.

"I thought you didn't like physical contact…"

"I'm getting better," the boy assured her, his smile growing.

Sango smiled as well.

"I missed you," she said, "I didn't think I'd see you so soon."

"Same here," the boy agreed, nodding, "I just came here to do some grocery shopping."

"Oh?" Sango inquired, "But your house is so far from here, isn't it?"

"Not for my house, for my… _girlfriend's_," Inu-Yasha replied, the word "girlfriend" still seeming awkward on his tongue.

-

Again, Sango looked taken aback.

"You have a girlfriend?" she demanded, her eyes widening, "Why wasn't I informed?"

"It was as of, literally, two days ago," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

The human smiled widely and clapped her hands together.

"I'm so proud of you, Yasha!" she exclaimed, but then bit her lip and looked at him timidly, "I… _can_ call you that, ne?"

Inu-Yasha nodded, a little puzzled.

"Was I… really that standoffish with you guys?" he mused softly.

"No, no! It's not that," Sango assured him swiftly, "It was just… you know, after _that_ summer, you just seemed…"

"Weird?"

"That's not what I was going to say."

"I know. That's what I said. I _was_ weird. Gomen."

Sango smiled sadly.

"Don't apologize for that," the girl said, shaking her head, "It's not your fault."

The hanyou smirked.

"So you agree that I was weird?" he inquired.

Sango blinked with surprise and her face flushed.

"Th… That's not what I meant," she said hurriedly, though she was surprised to find that the boy began to laugh.

"It's all good, Sango. Don't worry."

She blushed shyly and then looked into his golden eyes a little apprehensively.

"They look normal…" she whispered to herself.

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched to her words and he put a hand to his face.

"What looks normal now?" he asked.

"Oh!" Sango said loudly, looking embarrassed, "Sorry… I mean, your eyes… Are you okay…?"

"Oh, that!" the boy replied, sounding as if he had just remembered something significant, "They're fine. I got my sight back last night. Something to do with stress and changing into a full y…"

Inu-Yasha abruptly shut his mouth and raised his eyes to the sky as Sango looked at him with wide eyes once more.

"Shouldn't have said that," he chided at himself.

Sango blinked with surprise, but her gaze quickly softened and she patted the boy's shoulder gently.

"It's okay. I know that you're… um… yeah… Miroku told you, right?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it," Inu-Yasha said with a slightly exasperated sigh, "Look, umm… Gomen… I meant to tell you sometime."

"I trust you," Sango assured him with a smile.

The hanyou gave her a relieved grin.

"I'm kinda glad you sorta figured it by yourself," he admitted.

"But… But you can see again," she said swiftly, changing the topic, "That's great! I felt so bad for you when you told me you couldn't…"

Again, Inu-Yasha felt surprised, his heart beating slightly harder.

"You… You did?" he replied quietly.

"Yeah, I even got all teary-eyed," the girl said absently.

"You _did_?" the boy repeated.

His eyes were wide and round. Under his hat, his ears drooped, but then he brightened slightly. It was surprisingly reassuring to know that there was someone out there other than his brother and Kagome who cared about him. He hadn't expected Sango's reaction to him to be so affectionate.

-

She smiled at him and bounced slightly on her toes.

"So, you're here for groceries?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Come to think of it…" he said slowly, "Why are _you_ here? It's a week day, ain't it?"

"Oh… Yes, I was supposed to have pipe cleaners and modeling clay for my last period class, but I didn't have time to get it last night," she explained, "And… I mean, there _is_ a closer mall, but it's so much more expensive and everything. But, anyway! We should hang out while we're here! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"It has been a while," the boy agreed with a nod, "Yeah, okay. I don't really want to be too long though. I just… kinda don't wanna leave my girlfriend alone for too long."

Again, the word "girlfriend" came out a little awkwardly; Sango began to laugh quietly.

"Not used to it, huh?" she asked.

He shook his head swiftly.

"Not at _all_," he admitted with a laugh, "And to think I might be introduced as her boyfriend… It just seems so odd."

"I know, I know!" Sango agreed.

She edged closer and lowered her voice as she muttered,

"You going to ask her to be your mate?"

Inu-Yasha blinked in surprise and frowned puzzledly.

"How the hell do you and Miroku know so much about this junk?" he asked.

"We're from the same place you were from," she said, whispering now, "I thought you knew."

"I do," he replied, "But all the… you know… _demon_ stuff."

"My family were… My dad… You know, he knew _a lot_," she admitted, "He taught me…. But, anyway… You gonna ask her?"

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and he felt his face heat up. He nodded slightly.

"Eventually," he admitted, "Not now though. Things have been pretty hectic recently."

"I can imagine," Sango said.

Inu-Yasha smirked a little sadly.

"You don't know the half of it," he stated.

Before Sango could ask what he meant, he jerked his head at the building to their side.

"Should we go in?" he asked.

"Oh! Yeah. Yeah, let's do that," she agreed.

Sango stole a glance at her bike, knelt to check the lock she had placed on it, and after she was sure it was secure, she shoved her hands into her coat pockets and followed Inu-Yasha inside.

_OOoOoOoO_

"_Kagome, you know, I think that's too much… Okay, okay, don't listen, just don't come crying to me when your muffins are ten feet tall, 'kay? 'Cause I won't be able to help you by then… This is fucking ridiculous…"_

Buyo sat on the kitchen counter, squinting against a floating haze of flour as Kagome dumped baking soda liberally into a large bowl of partially mixed baking ingredients. The girl was still in her pyjamas, though they were now marred with white splotches. She stared almost vacantly at what she was doing, inadvertently ignoring the cat. It was almost as if she were in a trance. As she reached for assorted items and placed them in the bowl, Buyo did his best to try to dissuade her.

"_Kagome, no… That doesn't go in muffins… Okay… Fine, but don't put that thing there in-… Oh… Um, well… Okay, no, seriously that's just gonna make it squishy-… God damn it, Kaggy, you've just completely lost it, haven't you, sweetie?"_

It was rare that Buyo called Kagome by affectionate "pet-names", though he almost couldn't help it when she was like this. It mattered very little, however: it was almost as if she couldn't even hear him to begin with. After a few more minutes, Kagome had emptied was left of the fruit in the fridge into her "muffins", as well as almost an entire jar of peanut butter and a bag of chocolate chips into the bowl, along several other things that Buyo couldn't even discern from the rest of the batter. Only then did she look at him.

"Hmmm? Did you say something?" she said blankly.

"_Ah… nothing…"_ Buyo muttered, shaking his head, _"Just be careful with the stove, okay?" _

Kagome nodded, looking confused by his comment.

"Okay," she replied as she began to awkwardly pour the batter into several large muffin trays.

She licked some batter off her finger as it spilled, and Buyo sighed, sitting back and watching as she shoved the pans into the oven and wiped her forehead on the back of her hand.

"_Can I ask you something?_" Buyo said.

Kagome nodded and the cat's ears drooped.

"_Do you know why you do this when you have a freak out?"_

"I'm not having a freak out," Kagome replied defensively.

Buyo's eyes narrowed and after a brief silence, Kagome sighed and wiped her palms on her pants.

"It's… I dunno, it's mind-numbing for me," she said, "It just kinda gets my thoughts to… elsewhere."

"_I see…"_ he mumbled, _"Look… Kaggy, I'm sorry for bringing up the immor-"_

"It's fine," Kagome interjected with a forced smile, "It's all good, cat, don't worry."

Buyo frowned at her and then rolled his eyes.

"_You're so odd…"_ he muttered.

"Me? You're a cat who rolls his eyes. C'mon, I think that's kinda odd," she retorted.

Buyo's lips pulled back slightly in a smile.

"_Picked it up from you once I understood what it meant,"_ he said.

"Ah."

Kagome stretched her arms out above her head and winced as she heard her elbow crack. She then turned and walked from the kitchen.

-

Buyo inclined his head and followed her as she wandered into the living room, looked around, and then picked up the discarded cloth bandages from the floor. She held them in her hands for a while, staring at them in quiet contemplation. She looked at the blood on them and she couldn't help her chest from tightening. She cringed and she turned and walked back to the kitchen. She carefully threw the bandages out in the trashcan under the sink and then headed back to the living room to plop down tiredly on the couch. Buyo hopped up beside her and slumped against her leg.

"_So… what'cha gonna do?_" he inquired.

Kagome shrugged and sat relatively still for a moment before she stood again and walked shakily up the stairs. She returned a moment later with a hardcover copy of the second book of _The Lord of the Rings_ tucked under her arm. She sat beside Buyo and he looked at her curiously.

"_Still reading that?" _he asked, _"It looks long…"_

"It is," Kagome replied.

"_How is it?"_

"A little tedious, but… you know, since it's been made into those huge movies, I thought I should read all the books at least once. And they're okay."

Buyo smiled slightly.

"_I see," _he said.

He yawned and stretched, and then rested his head on Kagome's knee.

"_It's all gonna be okay, Kagome_," he said after a few moments.

Kagome nodded a little absently. She picked up her book and flipped it open to a page that was marked by a folded scrap of lined paper with a crossed-out phone number on it. She placed it by her side, not noticing when it slipped into the gap between cushions, and began to read.

_oOoOoOoO_

Carrying a huge, newly purchased backpack stuffed full of groceries easily over one shoulder, Inu-Yasha prowled through the crowded corridors of Shiro Mall alongside Sango. They were getting several strange looks from some of the older humans who were shopping as well; no doubt some of them were wondering why such young people were not in school. Others were probably contemplating what sort of shenanigans they might be up to. Inu-Yasha kept quite a large birth between himself and any exceedingly elderly people: the last encounter with one in a mall had lead to a bruised face, a smashed bullet wound, and quite a bit of cursing, and the hanyou was certainly not eager to repeat it.

-

Sango was oblivious to Inu-Yasha's avoidance and she cheerfully told him stories about what he had missed in school, and when prompted by him, how things between her and their friend, Miroku, were. Sango was almost gleeful upon retelling to him of their "official" three-month anniversary, and how they had purchased each other gifts and he had taken her to dinner. This set Inu-Yasha worrying slightly. He wondered if Kagome would expect something like that from him. He made a mental note: she probably would; he'd have to do something when they had legitimately been together for a month.

"So, all the stand up comedians are right," Inu-Yasha joked, "Girls really do like that cr… err, stuff."

Sango laughed loudly and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"I don't expect guys to understand," she assured him, "It's just… you know, makes us feel appreciated and all that stuff."

"I see," Inu-Yasha said, nodding in contemplation, "I mean… I guess I _sorta_ get it."

"Well good!" Sango said brightly, "That makes you five points ahead of Miroku on the "guys with a semi-brain" scale."

"How the hell d'you get a semi-brain?"

The girl laughed again and shook her head.

"It's all good, it's _all_ good."

She grinned at him.

"Maybe you should get her something now, while we're here," she suggested, "You know, before you forget."

"I won't forget," the hanyou said indignantly.

"Right, whatever," Sango said, waving a hand at him absently, "Now, what does she like?"

"Ummm… I dunno, food?"

"Be romantic, numbnuts."

"…Numbnuts? Who still says numbnuts?"

"Stop changing the subject, numbnuts!"

Inu-Yasha smirked slightly and nudged Sango gently with his shoulder, though the action still held enough force to make her stumble. She huffed indignantly.

"I'm just saying, don't forget that kind of thing," she insisted, "I know guys do all the time."

"She doesn't like me buying her stuff," Inu-Yasha admitted, and when Sango looked at him cynically, he rolled his eyes, "I do _anyway_, but she rants at me for about half an hour."

"Good boy!" Sango said with a huge grin, "That's _very_ good. I'm impressed."

The hanyou sighed and put a hand to his brow.

"I need… new shoes…" he muttered.

"Random?" Sango said with a small chuckle.

Inu-Yasha looked at her embarrassedly.

"I kinda wore them out running here," he explained.

"_Oh_," she said understandingly.

She nodded.

"I see. Okay, let's get you new shoes."

She grabbed his arm and, after glancing around, hauled him into the nearest clothing store. Before she could even attempt to push the boy into looking through the different types of shoes, he was all ready at the counter, purchasing a plain pair of sandals.

-

The girl dashed to his side, looking confused.

"How'd you choose so fast?" she demanded, "That was like, twenty seconds!"

"They're just sandals," the boy replied, looking confused as he pulled out his wallet.

"But you didn't even try them on!" Sango insisted.

"I know how big my feet are, Sango," he said.

The girl blinked at him in surprise, thinking how he had _completely_ missed the point of shoe shopping. He paid the woman behind the counter and turned to head from the store. Sango couldn't help but flail slightly in exasperation.

"Guys are fail at this," she whined, trailing behind him.

"Well _sorry_," the boy replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Don't you care about how your feet look?" Sango insisted.

"Not…. really, no," Inu-Yasha said, " I mean… I'd actually rather go with _no_ shoes, I just wear them because-"

He lowered his voice.

"-you humans insist on it in public."

"It's called hygiene," Sango laughed.

"No, it's called wimpy," Inu-Yasha said with a smirk, "Bet you can't even walk on gravel."

The girl pouted and shoved him lightly. He smiled at her and shifted his backpack to a more comfortable position against his shoulder.

"Hey," she said suddenly, "We should go get coffee."

Inu-Yasha's ears perked. He loved coffee, though he hadn't had it often. Though his brother adored the stuff, he hadn't been allowed to touch it because, when he was younger, it made him ridiculously hyper. His first recent experience with it had been with Kagome a few weeks prior, and he had found it quite enjoyable. He nodded quickly, and Sango's face brightened.

"Awesome," she said.

She stopped walking and looked around; Inu-Yasha overshot her and then doubled back. She then turned, stood up on her tiptoes, and then pointed in the direction opposite to the way they had been rather aimlessly wandering.

"Coffee place is back that way," she said.

The hanyou nodded and followed her as she began to lead the way. She turned her head to look at him and her eyes traced upwards to the top of his head. She was silent for a moment, looked slightly embarrassed, and then cleared her throat.

"Hey, not to be nosey," she said shyly, "But I've always kinda wondered… why do you always wear something on your head? I mean, I've kinda got an idea but…"

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, unable to help a slight chuckle, "I forgot you didn't know."

He stalled, and this time the girl overshot him. She turned and watched him look around. There was a small hallway to their left with plastic trees in pots lining the walls that lead to a pair of bathrooms and water fountains. He jerked his head towards it and walked into the corridor. Sango followed. Inu-Yasha placed his bag on the ground and quickly switched his old sandals for the new ones, leaving the old ones in the closest pot as Sango watched him curiously. He pressed back against the wall to be sure he wasn't seen by the general public and then glanced around suspiciously one last time.

"Okay," he said, hushed, "Quickly."

Sango nodded and the boy swiftly pulled his hat off and rubbed his head. Sango stared at him, her eyes hitting his perked, canine ears, and she couldn't help but let out a high-pitched yelp before she cupped her hands over her mouth for a moment

"My god," she gasped, "Those are-"

"My ears," the boy said with a shrug.

"Oh _man_," Sango breathed.

She began to grin slightly and edged closer.

"I was expecting horns," she mumbled, "Wow."

The girl inclined her head and stepped a little closer.

"Wow, they're… surprisingly cute," she said, her eyes wide, "Can… Can I touch them…?"

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said a little awkwardly, "I guess? …No tugging."

Sango nodded hurriedly and, reaching out a hand, lightly poked his left ear. It quivered and her hand mimicked it. Again, gently, she touched it, this time carefully feeling the fur before she drew back.

"That's gotta be the coolest, yet weirdest thing I've ever seen," she said.

"Hah, thanks," Inu-Yasha replied.

He placed the hat back over his ears and Sango beamed at him.

"Thanks for trusting me enough to show me," she said.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I've showed two people on purpose now," he said, picking up his back and shouldering it again, "It's getting a bit easier, I must admit. "

"That's good," Sango said, "Sorry for the shriek, it's just-"

"Don't worry about it," the boy assured her.

"I was surprised," she said, smirking, "Seriously, I was expecting horns."

"I'm a dog, stupid," he laughed, "Dogs don't have horns."

"Touché."

_oOoOoOoO_

Lying back lazily on the couch, her thick book hanging from her hand over the front, Kagome yawned and put her other arm behind her head. She sighed. She wanted her muffins to be done. She tilted her head to look at her feet where Buyo was sleeping, slumping, his paw clinging to her pant leg. She smiled at him slightly. He sure was a cute old cat. She sat up slowly and, gently, slid him off her legs and onto the cushion beneath him.

-

After a few more minutes, the oven began to let out a loud ding. Buyo shifted and Kagome automatically stood and walked to the kitchen. She opened the oven door and reached in, only to realize she would burn her fingers if she touched the muffin trays. She pulled back and glanced around the room until she spied a dishtowel. She grabbed it and used it to pick up the muffin trays, placing them on the stovetop. She regarded her creations with pride, though they looked more like slightly purple cylinders of batter than muffins. She paced the kitchen, waiting for them to cool, and once they had she pried them from the tray with a fork and plopped them onto three separate plates. She poked one tentatively with her finger and frowned; they were still too hot to eat. Slightly annoyed, Kagome began to pace again, this time leaving the kitchen and glancing a little absently out the windows looking out from the front of the house. She was a little surprised when she saw a man she recognized walking up the street slowly, garbed in a suit and looking slightly tired. She paused and mulled over who he was for a moment before realizing that he was the oddly concerned, slightly superstitious Christian man from a week or so ago who had come to the house, insisting that Inu-Yasha was a demon. Kagome uttered a small laughed and couldn't help a smile. The man had been completely correct. How ironic that she had so valiantly argued that her new boyfriend _wasn't_ a demon. The girl felt a little bad that they had laughed at him.

-

Swiftly, Kagome turned and went into the kitchen and grabbed a plate of "muffins". She then scurried to the front door and opened it, padding outside quickly as the man walked by her door.

"Hey! Hey you!" she called after him.

He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes wide with surprise, and Kagome scooted across the lawn to him and shoved the plate of food at him.

"Apology muffins!" she exclaimed brightly.

The man stared at her, blinking awkwardly as he almost unconsciously accepted the plate.

"A… Apology muffins?" he repeated, befuddled.

"Yeah," Kagome said with a nod, "About last time. I felt bad me and my friend kinda made fun of you, so, therefore, apology muffins."

"Oh!" the man said suddenly, as if a past memory had suddenly come back to him, "There's no need. I can understand why my views would seem completely outrageous to some."

"No, not completely," Kagome assured him, "My friend wasn't possessed, but he is… ummm… a bit supernatural. So you were only kinda wrong. Still. Apology muffins."

The man looked startled and Kagome smiled and turned to head back to the house.

"Erm, wait!" the man called after her.

She turned and looked puzzled, and he asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Oh," Kagome said, "I… shouldn't really say. He's… not supposed to be here."

The man nodded slightly, looking concerned, and he looked down at the plate of food and awkwardly righted the toppled muffin.

"Sorry for intruding," he muttered.

"Sorry for making fun," Kagome said again, and pointed at the plate, "Apology muffins."

"Yes," the man said with a smile, "Thank you."

Kagome nodded, grinned, and then turned towards the house again and limped to the door. She heard the man begin to walk after a moment, muttering something to himself. She thought she caught the words "fallen angel" from him, but then again, she couldn't be sure.

_Maybe one day Inu-Yasha won't have to hide_, she thought as she walked back into the house and closed the door behind her, _Maybe then it'll be more open. I can tell that guy he was pretty much right. That'll be funny_.

She smiled to herself, and her anxiety lessened. She walked to the kitchen and snatched up one of her muffins before she decided to go to her room. She took a tentative bite as she walked up the stairs; it was strange and very fruity, but she decided that it wasn't bad.

-

Kagome flopped onto her bed upon entering her room and stared up at her plain ceiling blankly. She wished her hanyou would return, but she knew his trip was a necessary one. She sighed.

_I need a hug._

_oOoOoOoO_

It had begun to rain slightly by the time Inu-Yasha and Sango left the mall. They had quickly had a coffee and Sango had talked some more about the hanyou buying his girlfriend a gift until he caved and purchased a silver ring with a curving, maned dragon carved into it.

He had originally been leaning towards food, but Sango wouldn't leave him alone until he let her drag him to a jewellery store. He hadn't been able to find much that he thought Kagome would have liked, but he _did_ remember that she liked dragons. After all, they had been the first things she had asked him about the existence of; she had seemed so happy when he told her that they were real.

Sango had also managed to purchase her school project supplies, though she decided they should probably leave because it would take her a while to bike back to school.

-

Outside, the girl pulled an elastic from her hair that kept her ponytail up and then slid the hood of her raincoat up and over her head.

"You gonna be okay in this?" Inu-Yasha asked, squinting and looking into the clouds.

"I'll be fine, I always bike in the rain," she assured him.

The hanyou nodded.

"It was really good to see you," she said with a smile, "We should get together… You and your girlfriend and me and Miroku. Go see a movie or something, you know?"

She grinned as she noticed the boy begin to look slightly embarrassed.

"I want to meet her," she stated, "So… not to be nosey, but do you know when you're gonna ask her to be your mate?"

Inu-Yasha felt his insides jerk, but, after a shy moment of silence, he nodded.

"Eventually," he said, "I mean… I'm not intending to anytime soon. It's been pretty stressful around our place recently."

"I can imagine," Sango said sympathetically.

She looked up at the clouds as Inu-Yasha had and sighed.

"Guess I should get going," she grumbled as she wiped some rainwater from her face.

Inu-Yasha nodded and the girl turned to unlock her bike.

"See you later?" she asked.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied with a smile, "I should go too. Gotta act all inconspicuous-like."

The girl laughed and gave him a one handed wave.

"See ya," she said.

"Uh-huh," the boy replied.

He turned away from her and, as she pulled her bike away from the metal bars, he headed away down the sidewalk, passing surprisingly seamlessly into the crowds of humans bustling towards the building or their cars in an attempt to get out of the rain.

-

Inu-Yasha headed down the road for a few blocks until he spotted an inconspicuous alleyway in between a diner and a store that sold predominantly pet food. He darted into the shadows quickly and, after glancing around to be sure no one was looking at him, he leapt to the rooftop and began to run towards home.

-

He was quick to arrive and eagerly entered the house, discarded his hat and kicked off his new sandals. They all ready looked a little worn on the bottom. Quietly, the hanyou cursed at himself: he should have remembered to take them off.

-

* * *

A/N: This chapter was having issues and had to be posted in two parts. Sorry about that. XX

* * *


	40. Wolves and Dragons Part II

* * *

Chapter 38: Wolves and Dragons

Part 2

* * *

-

The house was warm and smelled of baking. Curious, the boy poked his head into the kitchen and placed his bag of groceries on the floor. He noted some bizarre purplish cylinders of batter on plates, though his nose told him that they were just strangely full of fruit. They looked a little sticky. Inu-Yasha backed out of the room and looked into the living room. He hoped to find Kagome on the couch, but instead he found a sleeping Buyo. Inu-Yasha frowned. Was she upstairs? He wanted to talk to her about that anxiety she had been feeling.

-

Quietly, the boy slipped up the stairs and peered into Kagome's room. He found her in her room as he had expected. She was sitting up on her bed, her back to him, rolling one of the three dragon fangs in between her palms.

"Hey Kagome," he said.

The girl jumped and turned swiftly, her eyes wide.

"Oh!" she said, sliding to her feet, "I didn't hear you come back!"

She beamed at him and, after placing the fang back on her dresser, she darted to his side and hugged him affectionately around the waist.

"Glad you're back," she said happily.

Inu-Yasha stared at her in puzzlement and he rested his hand on her head.

"Yeah, I'm… happy to be back too," he said, "Kagome… what's wrong?"

Kagome looked up at him, feigning confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

She twirled away from him and smiled.

"Nothing's wrong."

She seemed a little bit _too_ cheerful. The boy frowned at her and took her by the shoulders, tilting his head and staring into her eyes as if trying to somehow read her thoughts.

"Wh-What?" she said a little shakily.

"What the hell is wrong, Kagome?" he demanded.

"I said _nothing's wrong_," she insisted.

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped slightly but he continued to hold her still, his glare softening with worry.

"I _know_ something's up," he insisted, "I could feel you being all anxious. Just tell me what's wrong."

Kagome looked startled. The hanyou could feel her shock inside himself and he let out a sigh.

"You could feel it?" she repeated a little shakily, "How…?"

"I'm not sure how," he admitted swiftly, trying to answer quickly so as not to go too off topic: he still needed his answer, "I've been able to for weeks."

"Why didn't you say anything? …Wait, stupid question, never mind."

The girl laughed at herself quietly though the hanyou continued to frown at her.

"Seriously, Kagome… I _know_ you suddenly got all worried about something. Now tell me what's wrong."

Kagome's smile faltered and she looked embarrassed.

"Well, I mean… It's no big deal or anything-"

"_Kagome_…"

Kagome sighed and looked at the boy with uncertainty shimmering in her eyes, but she felt a little more confident when his frown softened slightly.

"It's just…" she mumbled, "Buyo told me… demons are immortal. Like… That you'll live forever."

She was a little surprised to see Inu-Yasha's eyes widen. He turned his head, baring his fangs slightly.

"Fuck," he grumbled.

Kagome jolted slightly, but when he turned back to face the girl, though, he looked more embarrassed than angry.

"I was going to tell you," he said shyly, "A little bit before we… um…"

He sighed and Kagome noticed red starting to creep across his cheeks.

"What?" she asked curiously, "Before we what?"

She leaned towards him slightly and she noticed the red become brighter. The hanyou bit his lip.

"Before we… umm… Before I…" he muttered, stumbling over his words, "Before we become… erm… 'mates'."

"Mates?" Kagome repeated, confused, "You mean, mates, like-"

"Like 'youkai-married'," the boy admitted timidly, his eyes shifting away from the girl, his heart beating faster, "I mean, if you're willing to, I don't just wanna spring stuff on you or anything… I mean-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Kagome said swiftly, "Did you just ask me to… be your mate?"

"Uh…" Inu-Yasha said slowly, "Well, I… guess… I mean, I know… it's kinda sudden and all, and it wouldn't be for now or anything… Later, I mean… I mean…"

The hanyou sighed, putting a hand to his brow.

"Stupid Buyo… I wasn't ready for this," he grumbled, and then, looking back to Kagome, said, "Look, I was gonna tell you when asked you to be my mate because… as soon as the ritual thing is over, you'd… be immortal too."

Kagome felt as if someone had hit her. She jerked backwards and stared, wide-eyed at Inu-Yasha.

"So… you mean, I'd… live forever with you?" she said at a whispered, awed.

The hanyou nodded.

"Yeah, it's… strange, apparently the ritual binds your energy to mine since you're human so we can… you know, be together for-"

"Forever," Kagome interjected, her eyes glimmering, "So, you're… _seriously_ asking me to be your mate?"

"Well, I was going to wait a while," he mumbled, "But… now that it's out, I guess I am. Yeah."

He nodded timidly. Kagome gawked at the hanyou for a moment, her legs shaking slightly. She stepped towards him and swiftly took his hands in hers, staring into his face steadily.

"You mean it? You really mean it?" she whispered excitedly.

Inu-Yasha looked down at Kagome, startled, hesitantly grasping her hands in return.

"You don't think it's too soon?" he inquired.

"Well, not to decide," she said hurriedly, "I mean… I can make the decision now and we don't _need _to do the ritual thingy now, right?"

"Right. I mean… of course, I wouldn't expect now. I wouldn't even have brought it up if you hadn't asked about the whole immortality thing. Was that really what you were so worried about?"

Kagome looked embarrassed and she looked to the floor, her gaze a little saddened.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, "I thought… maybe you'd just stay like you are while I got older and… I dunno, I just thought it would be _so hard_ to-"

"_That's_ what you thought?" Inu-Yasha demanded, cutting her off, "_That's _what had you so fuckin' freaked out?"

Shyly, Kagome nodded and Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and, after dropping her hands, pulled her into a consoling embrace.

"Idiot…" he mumbled, "You think I'd let that happen? I wouldn't be able to go on without you, stupid…"

-

Kagome blinked against the boy's shoulder, her heart swelling. She latched onto him appreciatively.

"Yeah?" she asked softly.

The hanyou unconsciously squeezed her a little closer, his claws digging lightly into her shirt.

"No shit," he muttered, but then couldn't help but shoot her a smirk, "Us youkai, we're pretty pathetic without our mates."

His cheeks flushed slightly, though Kagome began to laugh quietly.

"All right…" she mumbled, "Yeah, it's fast but… You know what? Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll be your mate."

"You had a choice?"

He smirked at her and she frowned playfully.

"Ass," she laughed, and his grin widened.

"Hah!" he exclaimed, "Well, you said yes, so you're stuck with me now, girl."

A wide grin spread over Kagome's face and she tightened the grip she held on her hanyou, moving forward slightly and causing him to stumble.

"Hey, watch it!" he yelped.

"Pfft, relax, the bed's behind you anyway," she scoffed.

"If I fall, I blame-"

He was cut off in mid sentence as Kagome nudged him hard against the side of the bed, setting him off balance and toppling him backward.

"-…you… God damn it Kagome."

Kagome let out a loud laugh and held him tightly.

"I know. Sorry. I had to."

"Pfft, had to my ass."

"I had to your ass? That makes _no_ sense."

"…God damn."

The boy rolled his eyes. Kagome snickered, though she released him and rolled to his side, sitting up on her knees and looking down at him fondly. His ears twitched as his eyes went to her face curiously. She had to hold in a coo: she couldn't believe how cute she thought his ears were. They were almost addictive.

"What?" he asked.

Slowly, Kagome's hand reached out to his head and she lightly grasped his closest ear and began rubbing it gently. Again, Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.

"You're going to do this every time you see me, ain't you?" he asked.

"Most likely," Kagome stated, "It's just… I can't help it. You're friggin' adorable, okay?"

The boy huffed out a slightly irritated "keh!, though both he and Kagome had come to realize that ear massages practically made him melt.

-

He let her stroke his fur for a little while, watching her eyes light up every time he moved his ear. After a few minutes he sat up and Kagome automatically latched onto him. He couldn't help a fond smile from playing across his face.

"Hey," he said quietly, "I just need to go put the groceries away, okay? I'll be right back."

"Oh, okay," Kagome said with a nod.

She released the boy a little reluctantly and kissed his cheek before he could leave.

"Coming back?" she asked.

"Obviously," the hanyou replied with a grin.

-

He headed downstairs and upon entering the kitchen, he emptied the large bag he had left there and then quickly placed each food item into what he felt was an appropriate spot. He had purchased quite a lot of items that were full of sugar and general unhealthiness, along with soup. He had been told that people who were not feeling well often ate soup.

-

Inu-Yasha soon returned to Kagome's side, and aside from the hanyou cooking them some meals, they hardly strayed from the room for the remainder of the day. By night they slept cuddled together on Kagome's bed and the next day found them sleeping in until noon. Kagome was feeling much better, though still refused to go to school on the basis of that it was too late in the day. Inu-Yasha agreed, though he was beginning to worry about her falling behind.

-

At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, after loafing for the majority of the day, Inu-Yasha paced along the back of the couch, a little bored. Now that he could see again, he wished he had his car. It would be convenient for traveling without attracting attention. He looked down at Kagome, who was sitting on the sofa below him and absently watching T.V. She looked just as bored as he felt.

_Maybe_, he thought, _since I'm going to live with her, maybe I should go home and get my stuff? Maybe that would be a good plan._

He suddenly felt a little more awake.

_Yeah_, he thought, becoming a little excited, _I can call my brother… Tell him we're coming by, run there… drive back here. Yeah, that could be a good idea_.

He stopped pacing and hopped down onto the sofa beside Kagome. She started and looked at him, seeming a bit surprised, but then she smiled and latched onto him contentedly. The boy couldn't help a laugh. He held Kagome in return and looked at her inquisitively.

"Hey, Kags," he said, "I was thinking… Since we have nothing better to do, I was wondering if you'd… like to come with me to my house to pick some of my junk up?"

"Your house?" Kagome repeated, "Ooh, okay. That sounds fun. How're we going to get there?"

"I was thinking of running," the boy said with a shrug.

Kagome looked surprised.

"But… I can't run that fast Yasha…"

"I'd carry you, stupid."

He grinned at her and her eyes widened.

"Really?" she asked.

"Duh," the hanyou replied, rolling his eyes, "Plus, while we're there, you can meet my brother. He's… a grumpy asshole a lot of the time, but… you know."

"He's your brother," Kagome said, nodding understandingly.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "Plus, you can meet our… 'pet', I think you'd like her a lot."

"You have a pet?" she asked, "You never told me."

"I never could," Inu-Yasha laughed, "She's a demon too."

"Demons keep other demons as pets?" Kagome inquired, puzzled.

"There are demons that are more… animal-ish, and some that are more human-ish, if you get what I mean," Inu-Yasha tried to explain, "Though, I mean, we're not really that much like humans, we just kinda look like them and stuff… You know, to blend in and whatever."

"Whatever works," Kagome agreed, "Yeah, okay, I think that makes sense."

She smiled.

"I'd be happy to go with you," she assured him, "Just let me… shower and get changed."

-

The hanyou nodded. Kagome released him and slipped from his embrace to hurry up the stairs. Inu-Yasha could hear her as she pulled her clothes out of several drawers. She then dashed back down the stairs and hurried to the washroom. Inu-Yasha heard water running, and a few minutes later, Kagome emerged, rubbing her wet hair with a towel, wearing a clean t-shirt and jeans, and carrying her pajamas under her arm.

"I gotta do the laundry soon," she announced as she walked by and into a small room near the relatively unused stairs to the basement and placed the clothes in a laundry basket near the washing machine.

When she returned, Inu-Yasha was at the front door, the thought to call his brother completely slipping from his mind, looking at her expectantly.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Kagome nodded and followed him as he opened the door and walked outside. The sky had finally brightened after several days of rain, though the air was starting to become chilly as October drew closer.

-

Kagome closed the door behind them and hurriedly locked it. When she turned back to Inu-Yasha, she saw him looking up at the roof curiously. He inclined his head thoughtfully and then, swiftly, hopped and was suddenly completely out of the girl's view. She let out an involuntary yelp of surprise and stumbled forward before spinning and looking up at the roof as Inu-Yasha had. She saw him peering down at her, his amber eyes glinting with mirth.

"Oh!" She said in surprise, and the boy began to laugh.

He reached his hand down to her.

"C'mon, I'll help you up," he said.

Kagome nodded, though she was a little confused, and stretched to grasp his hand tightly. Effortlessly, the boy lifted her straight up and onto the roof, where she was placed easily in a sitting position beside him. She blinked in surprise, barely having time to feel the rush of the air past her face before she found herself still again. She stared at Inu-Yasha, a timid smile blooming on her face as she took his other hand in hers as well.

"Wow," she said softly, "Impressive."

Inu-Yasha smiled proudly as he stood, pulling her up with him.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Um, sure," Kagome said, "But, uh…"

She looked at him a little hesitantly, though he gave her a reassuring grin before he knelt before her.

"You'll have to grab my shoulders," he instructed.

Kagome nodded and squatted behind him, taking what she felt was a tight grip on his shoulders.

"There you go," he said approvingly.

He stood, grasping her in a piggyback fashion. She yelped, feeling her stomach lurch, and she leaned against him, wrapping both arms tightly around his shoulders rather than merely trying to cling to him. He snickered and tilted his head slightly to look at her.

"You okay?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Fine," Kagome said with a shaky nod.

"Just tell me if you want me to slow down," the hanyou said.

The girl nodded.

"I'm ready," she assured him.

Inu-Yasha grinned brightly.

"Let's go then!"

-

Before the girl was fully aware of what was happening, she was in the air, the wind rushing by her face at a speed that, she felt, was faster than she had ever traveled before. She could feel Inu-Yasha's light footsteps on the rooftop beneath them and suddenly, they vanished. She felt his muscles tense briefly and they were whisked into the sky once more. The girl's stomach dropped as she, gawking, turned her head and saw a gliding bird not too far from her head. The whistling air buffeted her face and she clung desperately to her hanyou, her heart racing.

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!" she rambled through the wind.

She could hear Inu-Yasha laugh as they plummeted, stray strands of his silver hair streaming behind him, his ears pressed back.

"I've got you, don't worry!" he called.

Kagome nodded and squeezed herself close against his back, scrunching her eyes shut. Her stomach leapt and fell with the boy for a few more leaps, but, slowly, she was beginning to pick up the rhythm. It was almost like being on a roller coaster, but… comfier.

Her heart was racing, though, finally, as she opened her eyes, she gaped in awe at grey rooftop speeding away below them, and then, tentatively, looked to the side, blinking as her hair blew into her face. She could see that they were out of a residential area and overtop of stores. People bustling on the streets below looked like a multicoloured blur. Her head spun and she squinted to keep herself from getting dizzy.

"Aren't you worried about someone seeing you?" Kagome inquired.

"Nope. I'm not in one spot long enough," he assured her, tilting his head to grin at her, "Don't worry about it."

The girl nodded slightly, but couldn't help but tighten her grip. There was little need, however, because the hanyou held her firmly.

-

Soon, Kagome was able to look up again, ignoring a faint feeling nausea. The initial shock was finally wearing off and the wind brushing her face was refreshing. She couldn't help a slightly goofy grin. This sensation was becoming quite enjoyable.

-

Against his back, Inu-Yasha felt Kagome finally begin to relax. He smiled.

"Feeling better?" he called.

"Yeah!" Kagome said, "Yeah, this is… This is actually kinda fun!"

The boy laughed and, as he ran, sprung off the edge of a building effortlessly, enjoying the feeling of the breeze whooshing past his ears.

-

At the speed they were traveling, it didn't take long before Inu-Yasha and Kagome cleared the basic city limits and were into an area where there were much larger houses on properties that were filled with trees. Inu-Yasha eagerly took advantage of this, leaping at the taller trees and propelling himself off their branches.

"We're nearly there," the boy assured her.

-

Soon the foliage began to thicken, but through it, Kagome could see the top of a large, dark roof.

"Is that it?" she asked, and she saw Inu-Yasha bob his head affirmatively.

The hanyou was beginning to feel a little excited. He was nearly there! Nearly…

He hadn't realized how much he had missed this place.

After a minute, the small forest began to thin again to expose the vast, grassy plane that was the house's front and back yard. A long, gravel driveway snaked up from the side of a slightly obscured road to the garage of the house. The area along the road was penned off by a wrought iron fence and a gate that prevented free access to the property.

-

Kagome was surprised by the house's size; it obviously had two stories and it covered quite a lot of area. It had to be larger than four of her father's house put together. It was mostly white, with black trim, and contained a mixture of what looked like modern architecture and something from an oriental palace. It also had a smaller, one story building of the same basic design to the back of it.

"Nice house," Kagome muttered.

Inu-Yasha's ears twitched to her words.

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty nice," he said with a smile.

He was beginning to slow slightly, and, gracefully, he grasped onto a high branch of a tree at the edge of the "yard" and swung himself to the ground. He landed on his toes with almost no shudder of impact passing through him.

Kagome's eyes widened and she leaned forward to look at the boy, startled, her heart finally beginning to slow. Inu-Yasha gently let her down onto the grass. She stumbled on weak legs before sinking to the ground on her knees, brushing her hair from her face.

"Oh my _God_," she said, "I thought I was… Whoa, I'm dizzy."

The hanyou laughed and squatted in front of her, tilting his head curiously as he observed her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Kagome said, taking in a deep breath before grinning at him, "That was _awesome_. I just need to get used to it is all."

Inu-Yasha's face brightened.

"I'm glad you liked it," he said cheerfully, "Though we'll be taking a car on the way back."

"Aw," Kagome said, pouting briefly before she stood up.

Inu-Yasha stood with her, edging closer so that she could she could use his shoulder to steady herself if need be. She gripped him gratefully and leaned closer to him, kissing him gently on the lips.

"Thanks Yasha," she said.

He blushed and smiled a little sheepishly at her before he tilted his head towards the door.

"Going in or what?" he asked, and readily, she nodded.

-

Inu-Yasha headed for the door and Kagome latched onto his hand happily, both for comfort and because she was still feeling a tad unsteady. They walked up to the door across the grass and Inu-Yasha knocked loudly on its wooden surface three times before pushing it open.

-

The interior was shadowy: most of the lights were off, and the front hallway was spacious. Vast rugs with strange patterns covered the floor, and again, Kagome noticed a sort of ancient Japanese style to the walls and windows. The house also smelled faintly of coffee.

"Nice," she muttered.

"My brother will be here in a minute," the hanyou said swiftly, "Look, don't… Don't take anything he says too seriously. He doesn't really like humans."

"Oh!" Kagome said, "Well, after we've been such assholes to you, I can totally understand that."

She nodded and the hanyou smiled a little forlornly. He was about to say something to her, though he completely lost his train of thought as he heard an inquisitive growl from the hallway to their right. He barely bothered to look up at the initial noise; he recognized the scent of their two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, quite clearly. He turned his head to smile at her as he saw her two set of gleaming golden eyes sparking towards him in the shadows. He saw them widen and, turning and releasing Kagome's hand, he grinned at the other youkai.

"Hey, I'm home," he said cheerfully.

-

An instant before Kagome could ask Inu-Yasha whom he was talking to, a huge, olive-brown blur barrelled into him, ploughing him to the carpet. Kagome involuntarily leapt back, her eyes large and round. It took her a moment to decipher the creature that had pounced on her boyfriend. It had to be the size of a small horse, though it was wider and covered in scales. It had a long, dark-ringed tail that was thrashing happily, clawed, lizard-like limbs, and to Kagome's utter surprise, two long necks and reptilian heads, each crowned with short, horse-like ears and thick black manes.

The creature had Inu-Yasha pinned and was taking turns licking his face with each of its heads. The hanyou was laughing and attempting to pet both of the faces equally.

"_We are… sssso glad to sssee you again, dear whelp!"_ Kagome heard the creature growl contentedly.

The girl's heart stalled and she stared, statuesque, as the hanyou squirmed upright into a sitting position.

"Okay, okay!" he insisted, "Jeez, Ah-Un, calm down."

He grinned as the youkai nuzzled him and he looked at Kagome, his eyes brightening. He barked out a laugh at her expression and Ah-Un followed his gaze, looking curiously at the shocked human.

"Kagome, this is Ah-Un," he said brightly, and then he turned to Ah-Un, grasping her left snout and stroking it, "Ah-Un, this is my girlfriend, Higurashi Kagome. Be nice, huh?"

The youkai walked forward and leaned towards Kagome, sniffing her cautiously. Kagome drew in a slight gasp and reached out a hand towards the creature.

"A… A dragon…" she said at a stunned whisper, "You're a… You're a dragon…"

"_Why yessss,_" one of the heads said, smiling slightly.

The other head sniffed Kagome's face. Kagome stared into the set of eyes and she cautiously stroked the youkai's snout. The scales were slightly pebbly and smooth. The girl was in awe. She swiftly turned her head to look at Inu-Yasha.

"You live with a dragon?!" she said shrilly, "Oh my _GOD!_"

"I knew you'd like her," he said brightly.

Kagome nodded and continued stroking Ah-Un's snout before moving to her other head.

"You're so pretty," she whispered.

"_Why thank you-"_

"_Little ningen,"_ the dragon said, her right head finishing the sentence of her left.

Kagome blushed slightly and ran her fingers through the youkai's mane. Ah-Un seemed quite content and, after a moment of petting, her tail wagging, she pounced Kagome as she had Inu-Yasha, gently play-wrestling with her. The girl began to beam and laugh, eagerly playing along with the dragon. Inu-Yasha watched, a grin on his face. It was only then, however, that he noticed the tall, and slightly surprised seeming form of his brother. Sessho-Maru was garbed in a plain grey shirt and slacks, with a blue bathrobe overtop to help avert the eye from his missing limb. He looked as if he had woken up quite recently.

-

Inu-Yasha blinked with shock as the man's amber eyes locked on him.

Above Kagome's laughter and Ah-Un's playful growls, he heard his brother state,

"You didn't call."

The hanyou looked embarrassed and he edged around the youkai and his girlfriend to approach his brother.

"I know, I'm sorry," he said, "I was going to... I kinda forgot."

He looked a little embarrassed and fell silent until his brother, a tiny smile crossing his face, put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's good to see you, whelp," he said.

The hanyou's ears perked up and he felt happiness welling up within him, though he said nothing; Sessho-Maru often made fun of him if he said something affectionate. The older youkai's eyes darted to the playing dragon and human and he squinted slightly.

"That's…"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said fondly.

As soon as she heard the talking, Ah-Un perked up, looking over at the two inu youkai, and then she gently helped Kagome up, who then stood and brushed herself off. Upon seeing Sessho-Maru, however, she blinked, startled, though Inu-Yasha smiled at her and walked back to her.

"Kags, this is my brother, Sessho-Maru," he said, "He… probably just woke up. Heheh… Sessho, this is my… _girlfriend, _Higurashi Kagome."

Kagome looked from Inu-Yasha to his brother, automatically noting the man's silver hair, cold amber eyes, the markings on his face and a white-furred tail that she glimpsed behind him. She gulped. Even untrained as she was, she could tell he was immensely powerful without even willing to attempt to read his aura, though she couldn't help but think about how…_pretty_ he was. Something about him made her suddenly feel so small, and as their eyes locked, it was hard for her to keep his gaze. She held on, though, and she managed a smile.

"So, _you're_ Sessho-Maru," she said brightly.

She extended a hand for him to shake, though he seemed frozen, staring at her intently. Kagome felt a twinge of embarrassment and she drew her hand back, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ah… Nice to meet you."

Inu-Yasha bit his lip and looked between his girlfriend and brother: Sessho-Maru was silent and still held her gaze.

"Quite," he said flatly.

He turned around and waved absently over his shoulder.

"Feel free to… do whatever it is you children do," he said as he headed into the kitchen and disappeared behind a refrigerator door.

-

Inu-Yasha grimaced and Kagome looked to him uncertainly. Ah-Un's four ears drooped and she nudged Kagome reassuringly with her right snout.

"Sorry about him," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "He…"

"Doesn't like humans, I get it," Kagome said with a small smile, "It's okay."

"No… No it's not," the boy growled, shaking his head.

Sooner than Kagome could reassure him further, Inu-Yasha strode after his brother and into their large, stone-tiled kitchen. Sessho-Maru was now in the process of making coffee.

"Hey," the hanyou said, his ears folding backwards in annoyance, "Don't you want to know about Kagome? I'm living with her, you know. You don't want to talk to her at all?"

Sessho-Maru looked at him with a glare, though he turned away from view when Kagome, with Ah-Un trailing behind, entered the room.

"Inu-Yasha, you don't need to push-" she began, though she quietened when she heard Sessho-Maru grunt slightly.

"Very well," he said, rolling his eyes, "Higurashi, how old are you?"

"Uh… Fifteen…?" Kagome replied, a little confused.

"I see. So you are still in school?"

"Yes…?"

"I see. Very informative. Thank you."

He proceeded to take a mug out of a cupboard near his head and then poured himself a cup of coffee. He prowled in front of the human, eyeing her carefully for a moment, before he turned around again.

"You both may have some coffee, if you like," he said.

He left the room silently. When Kagome looked to Inu-Yasha, she almost laughed to see the frustration on his face. She approached him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey… Seriously, it's okay," she insisted.

The boy merely shook his head.

"I'm sorry, he… I mean, he doesn't like humans, but he's not usually this rude…" he grumbled, "I should go talk to him…"

"Yasha, it's _okay_, I understand."

"I know you do, it's just…"

He put his hand to his brow and sighed, and then looked to Ah-Un.

"Hey, do you think you could show Kagome around a little bit, I'm going to go yell at that guy."

Ah-Un nodded both heads and looked to the human.

"_Would you like to ssssee the backyard?" _She inquired.

"_It isssss quite nicccce."_

"Sure," Kagome said.

She nodded at Ah-Un, who began to prowl from the room, though she then looked to Inu-Yasha, who was clearly disheartened. This introduction was clearly not going how he hoped it would. In fact, in Inu-Yasha's mind, the only thing that _was_ going well was the fact that his brother's rather disgruntled servant, Jaken, was surprisingly absent. He sighed. The girl looked at him, pity in her gaze. Gently, Kagome hugged him and gave him a kiss. She felt him jolt slightly, but he grasped her shoulders in return and kissed her back.

"Thanks," he whispered.

Kagome smiled at him brightly.

"Don't worry about it too much," she insisted.

She turned away and followed Ah-Un from the room. The hanyou's eyes followed her until she turned the corner with the dragon and headed out the back door. The boy let out a sigh. He supposed that Kagome could understand Ah-Un. He envied her for that. He could hear Kagome's side of the conversation rather clearly, though on Ah-Un's he could only hear growls. Maybe, somehow, he could learn to understand her.

-

With a sigh, Inu-Yasha put his mind to the task at hand and shoved his hands into his pockets. He started to walk into the next room, following Sessho-Maru, only to have the man stride hurriedly by him to pour himself another mug of coffee.

"Hey," Inu-Yasha said, his brow furrowing, though his brother ignored him and dumped more of the sloshing brown liquid into his cup.

"_Hey_," the hanyou repeated, though his brother still ignored him and turned to leave the room the way he had come.

Inu-Yasha glowered at his older brother, grabbing him by the sleeve as he attempted to shoulder by him.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" the hanyou snapped.

Sessho-Maru raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked, though his voice was tainted with sarcasm.

"She's trying to be nice to you, and you act like you've got an icicle up your ass," Inu-Yasha growled.

Sessho-Maru couldn't help a cynical smirk.

"Harsh words."

"Whatever."

Inu-Yasha hesitantly released his brother's sleeve, his hand going to his brow.

"You just couldn't… Agh… You _know_ this girl means a lot to me, Sessho-Maru!"

The boy frowned slightly and then tilted his head, peering into his older brother's eyes.

"It's because she's a human, isn't it?" he asked.

The older youkai's expression didn't falter, though Inu-Yasha saw, from the corner of his eye, the fur on his brother's tail beginning to bristle. He set his mug of coffee on the counter.

"Inu-Yasha, you can't tell me you've forgotten what they did to you," he said, his voice quiet, and although he didn't look it, Inu-Yasha could tell that his brother was seething, "I don't want to see you hurt like that again, am I clear?"

Inu-Yasha frowned.

"Kagome's _different-_!"

"And what makes you think that?"

Sessho-Maru's voice was louder now, and Inu-Yasha was taken aback. Sessho-Maru rarely raised his voice.

"What makes you think she won't turn on you? What makes you think she won't be another Kikyo?"

Inu-Yasha's heart panged at the name, and his frown deepened for an instant before his face pacified and he laughed quietly, his hand running through his bangs in mild exasperation.

"_What_?" Sessho-Maru demanded.

Inu-Yasha was silent for a while.

"Do you know what she did?" he inquired quietly, "When she… When she first saw what I am…?"

Sessho-Maru was a little startled by the question. His mind automatically said, _screamed, threw things, etcetera, _but he kept his mouth shut and, slowly, he shook his head. His younger brother gave him a smile, though his eyes were sad and puzzled.

"She… She let me hold her… And she kissed me, and said… when she promised we'd be together forever, she meant it," he said at a whisper, and he let out a quiet chuckle, "I… have no idea… why she would do those things… Say what she did, but she…she _did._"

He paused and let out a wavering sigh as his brother stared at him, unreadable.

"I never thought I could trust humans after… you know," he admitted, "But… I don't… I _can't_ see her as one of them. Because she's not like anyone I've ever met in my life… And I… I think, if you'd stop being such a douche and give her a chance, you'd see it too."

Inu-Yasha sighed and turned away from his brother, though after taking a step away from him, he felt the youkai's hand clasp tightly onto his shoulder.

"You really think she's different, Inu-Yasha?" he inquired slowly.

The hanyou turned to his brother, his face hard and certain.

"I _know_ she is," he stated confidently.

Sessho-Maru inclined his head slightly, and, after a long moment of silence, his lip curled upwards in a small, reluctant smile.

"You really are an idiot, little brother," he said, "But… I'll give this girl a chance… Only because you asked so incredibly _kindly_."

Inu-Yasha tried to keep his face straight, though his eyes lit up and his ears perked. He nodded and held in the urge to grin widely.

"Thanks… Nii-san," he said with a nod, "And…"

He couldn't resist any longer, and a wide, fangy grin spread on his face.

"Hey, you know what?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked as if he were contemplating what to say next, and his smile widened.

"At least having a human girl infatuated with you is better than having a toad!"

He darted from the room swiftly, laughing, as his brother scowled at the empty space where he had been.

"You little bastard," he growled, but there was amusement hidden in his words.

How he had missed this…

Sessho-Maru let out a sigh, and slowly followed the scent trail his brother had left, and quickly found that he had run out the back door. Curious, the youkai strode towards a window overlooking their grassy field of a backyard in time to see the fleeing Inu-Yasha bowl into his returning girlfriend and send them both sprawling awkwardly to the ground. The hanyou boy automatically helped her up, though she suddenly seemed incredibly concerned with something on his face. She cupped his cheeks, and Sessho-Maru heard him begin to laugh and he pulled the girl into a quick hug while he nuzzled her neck affectionately.

Sessho-Maru was a little puzzled.

_Why… does that human let him do that?_ He wondered, _This… This can't be real, can it? _

The youkai didn't often second-guess himself, but in this case, he couldn't help but feel the slap of reality. Kagome was Inu-Yasha's second pick, and if she was not destined to be his soul mate, then the boy had no other half. And they _did_ truly seem happy together…

Sessho-Maru clenched his teeth slightly. His mistrust still lingered, though he vowed that he would attempt to give the human a chance, if only for his brother's sake. He also vowed, however, if she were to break him as Kikyo had, he would ensure that the rest of her life was incredibly short and painful.

-

As he watched the two teenagers, however, the thought of rending the girl to pieces began to seem painful to consider: he saw her kiss his brother, and he had never seen Inu-Yasha as utterly blissful as he seemed within that moment. Sessho-Maru looked away, unable to stop himself from huffing out a sigh. Maybe it would be wise for him to get to know the girl. If Inu-Yasha was insistent on being with her, he supposed he'd probably be seeing more of her. The youkai watched through the window as Ah-Un trotted up to Inu-Yasha and Kagome, and then guided them to the back door. Sessho-Maru heard it open and heard the hurried and excited talking of the human girl. She seemed very impressed with the backyard. Inu-Yasha volunteered to show her around some more, and Sessho-Maru heard her ask him how something went. Inu-Yasha replied by telling her that "it" was not quite how he wanted it, but he supposed he would need to give it time.

-

It took Sessho-Maru a moment before he realized that "it" was, in fact, him. He frowned.

_Why does he care about what I think so much? _The youkai wondered, frowning, _Strange child…_

He paced back to the kitchen and picked up his mug of coffee, taking a quiet swig. His slight… _apprehension_ at Kagome's presence had prevented him from expressing himself more clearly to his younger brother, but he _was_ truly grateful to see him home and safe. Silently, the youkai mulled over what he should do. After a moment, he reluctantly decided that he would try to talk to the human today, while she was here. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge.

_oOoOoOoO_

On the second floor of the house, Kagome sat on Inu-Yasha's bed, bouncing up and down happily on the mattress. The hanyou was leaning against the wall near the door, watching her with amusement as Ah-Un crawled up onto the mattress beside her and wagged her tail happily.

"I love your room," Kagome said, "It's so big! And you have your own computer and everything."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and looked a bit embarrassed.

"I guess it's nice," he admitted, "But I do really like your house."

"You like my _real_ house more," she insisted, "At the shrine. It's way nicer."

"Yeah?" the boy asked.

He strode across the room and joined her on the bed. Kagome nodded readily.

"_Way_ nicer," she repeated, "We get to go there once my mom comes back."

"Where _is_ your mom, anyway?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

"Wish I knew," the girl admitted, "She does this a lot… Traveling with my grandpa. They've been gone for months and… Well, she promised she'd explain this time."

"Well, that's good," the hanyou said.

He stood again and stretched.

"I guess I should get my stuff together," he said.

"Want some help?" Kagome inquired.

"No, I'll be okay," the hanyou assured her.

"Maybe I'll go try to talk to your brother again, then?"

Inu-Yasha stalled slightly and looked to his girlfriend with worry.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, and then grinned, stood, and headed for the door, "I need to ask him what shampoo he uses."

The hanyou stared blankly at Kagome as she left, uttering a barely heard,

"Umm… what?"

-

The girl left Inu-Yasha's red-coloured room and walked carefully down the long hallway outside to the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she heard the hanyou call,

"Sessho-Maru, I'm taking my car!"

There was no reply, but since he was a demon, Kagome assumed that Sessho-Maru had heard his brother. As the girl wandered around the main floor, she began to become a little hesitant. She wasn't quite sure how to begin a conversation with the youkai. After a small exploration, she found a room that contained a fireplace, two large, dark blue couches, and an armchair of a similar colour. It also had a window the looked out onto the building in the backyard: Kagome had been told by Ah-Un that it was, in fact, her sable. Trying to gain some composure, Kagome sat down on the closest couch, taking a deep breath, only to draw it back in as a small gasp as Sessho-Maru rounded the corner and peered at her with an unnerving indifference in his gaze.

-

They looked at each other in silence for a long while. The girl tried not to shift in her seat. She tried her best not to show that she was uncomfortable as the demon looked at her with unreadable eyes. He prowled around in front of her, sitting gracefully in the armchair opposite her. His eyes, like ice, never left her face, and Kagome could feel a chill run up her spine. Both sat, unmoving. After a minute, taking a quiet gulp of air, Kagome steadied herself and tentatively opened her mouth.

"So," she said, inclining her head slightly, "I take it you're not too happy about me being human, am I right?"

Sessho-Maru said nothing, his face remaining devoid of emotion. The girl frowned slightly, and she pushed herself forward on the couch to look at the man more closely.

"Look," she said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" the inu youkai repeated, his words nearly a scoff, though _her_ words puzzled him.

He tilted his head back and eyed the girl with half-forced cynicism, and Kagome nodded, looking a little disheartened.

"I'm sorry that I'm not what you hoped I'd be," she said with a weak shrug, "I can imagine how much you hate humans… After all we've done to _him_."

The girl winced.

"But I want you to know, I'd die for him," she whispered.

She locked eyes with the stoic youkai, trying to keep his gaze. His indecipherable expression bothered her slightly. After a few moments of silence, the man stood up and, to Kagome's surprise, sat beside her, taking her by the shoulder with one disturbingly strong hand. She bit her lip as he leaned in towards her, baring his fangs slightly as he sniffed her, analysing her more closely than he had before. She watched his long tail flick back and forth in an irritated sort of way for a moment until, slowly, it began to sway in a slightly more relaxed manor.

"…Are you honest?" the man growled questioningly.

Kagome nodded without hesitation.

"Of course I am," she assured him, and then couldn't help but give him a playful smirk, "What kind of idiot would lie about something so important? Especially right to the face of the hanyou in question's badass brother?"

Sessho-Maru snorted and drew backwards, releasing the human, though Kagome could have sworn that she saw the brief makings of a grin on his lips before he leaned back, away from her, and observed her thoughtfully. The girl sat with him in silence, trying to seem relaxed, but she was unable to drive away the gnawing notion in the back of her mind that she was sitting beside an immortal. The weight of his presence so close to her was almost suffocating; she imagined that it would feel very similar to be sitting beside some sort of demi-god. Her obvious unease made him smirk slightly.

"What is it, girl?" he inquired, "Unused to being so near to one of my kind?"

"N…No, that's not it," Kagome stammered, "You're just… ridiculously powerful. I think I can feel it."

"Well yes, even the most dim witted of humans should be able to feel it," the youkai replied.

Kagome wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

"I don't think you realize how easily I could end you," he continued calmly.

Kagome tilted her head to look at him, trying not to let the jolt of fear that sprung up in her gut show, but it died almost instantly as she recognized a glint of amusement in the man's eyes.

_He's toying with me_, she thought, _Testing me, maybe?_

She held in a grin.

"I do," she replied, "But, there is one thing I'm confused about."

Sessho-Maru eyed her with hidden curiosity.

"And what is that?"

"Well," Kagome said slowly.

Her eyes traced to his tail, and after quickly reassuring herself that he wouldn't dare hurt her for his brother's sake, she seized the swaying thing and began to stroke the fur intentionally a little too hard. It was softer than she thought it would be, and she saw the man go ridged at her touch. She smiled innocently.

"_How_ on earth do you get your fur so nice?" she asked, "I mean… When I came in and saw you, I just thought you were _so_ pretty. What do you do with your hair?"

Sessho-Maru stared at her, his eyes becoming slightly wide. He didn't answer, unsure of how to react. The child he was planning to adopt very soon touched his tail. Inu-Yasha did, but rarely. Never anyone else. He was startled by the human's nerve. He saw her grinning at him and, surprising both her and himself, he let out a very small, quiet chuckle.

"I see," he muttered, "You are, in fact, completely insane."

"Maybe just a bit," Kagome admitted.

She began stroking the youkai's fur properly.

"C'mon, I can't be _that_ bad," she said, smiling timidly.

Sessho-Maru was silent for a moment as they heard Inu-Yasha rush up and down the stairs and out the front door several times and, slowly, he slid his tail from her grip. He tilted his head back slightly.

"It's not personal," the youkai sighed.

"I understand," Kagome said with a nod, "Though… Seriously, I did mean it. You have very nice fur."

Sessho-Maru said nothing and he stood again, wandering back to his chair.

_Yes, I suppose you aren't as bad as anticipated_, he thought, _And yet…._

He still didn't trust her. Not yet.

-

The youkai sat down lightly and was quiet again. Kagome watched him and, somehow, his presence wasn't as heavy as it had been before. She smiled slightly and was about to ask the youkai a question, but the words completely slipped from her mind when Inu-Yasha strode into the room.

"Hey," he said in greetings, looking a little surprised, "Whoa, you're… sitting in the same room."

"We have spoken, briefly," Sessho-Maru said.

Kagome nodded, and the hanyou looked shocked. He then began to grin.

"Great! That's great!"

He looked to his brother with a sense of pride in his face, and the older youkai almost looked embarrassed. Kagome smirked and looked at Inu-Yasha.

"Are you nearly done?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just gotta move, like… two more things and-"

"YOU!"

A high, strangely raspy voice cut Inu-Yasha off in mid-sentence, making Kagome jump and Sessho-Maru raise his eyebrow. The boy turned to see the short, green and toadlike form of his brother's servant Jaken waddle into the room, looking disgruntled, his yellowed eyes bulging. He pointed a stubby finger at the hanyou accusingly.

"You ungrateful little whelp!" he screeched, "How dare you barge back into this house without even a call, how dare you leave Lord Sessho-Maru here without a word! You-!"

"Jaken…" Sessho-Maru interrupted, seeming annoyed, though the short demon continued to ramble.

Inu-Yasha stared at him with utter confusion, unsure of what had provoked the outburst. Jaken had never really liked him, but this random yelling with even Sessho-Maru present was completely beyond him. Kagome looked just as confused, if not more so than he did. After the small youkai had began to curse, Sessho-Maru stood and made as if he were about to strike the creature, but to both his and his younger brother's surprise, Kagome beat him to it.

"Back off, you whiny bastard!" Kagome yelled as she drew back her foot and kicked the toad demon in his side.

He was surprisingly light, and with shrill and shocked scream, he flew into the air and crashed through the window nearby, shattering most of the glass as he tumbled and rolled onto the ground, flailing his stubby limbs indignantly. Inu-Yasha gawked at his girlfriend and even Sessho-Maru turned to her with a surprised look on his face. Kagome blinked blankly at the window for a moment. She put a hand to her mouth swiftly.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said swiftly, "I didn't mean to-!"

"It's easily remedied," Sessho-Maru assured her swiftly.

He seemed amused and he left the room. Inu-Yasha headed to the window and, minding the broken glass, peered out as Jaken struggled to right himself. He heard the back door open and after a moment he saw Ah-Un approach him and kick him over. The hanyou laughed and whirled on Kagome, grinning at her.

"Nice kick," he said, "You didn't need to do that though."

"Pfft, I know that," she said, "But he was pissing everyone off. Who was that anyway?"

"My brother's servant," Inu-Yasha explained, "Toad youkai, Jaken. We saved him from some animal control guys and he sorta promised to serve my brother. He still hates me though."

"Why?" Kagome asked, puzzled.

"I'm not really sure," the hanyou said with a shrug, "Might be because I'm half."

"Seriously?" Kagome asked, confused, "Demons are kinda racist like that too?"

"Only some of them," the boy admitted, "I haven't really had that problem other than with him."

He jerked his head at the window, sighed, and then walked to the other side of the room.

"I'll just grab the rest of my stuff," he said, "I'll be back."

He slid into the hallway and back up the stairs, and Kagome headed for the door.

-

A moment later, Inu-Yasha bounded down the flight of steps with a large, awkwardly bulging bag slung over his shoulder.

"My computer," he explained when he saw Kagome looking at the bag curiously.

"Cool," she replied.

She carefully opened the front door. The hanyou nodded his thanks and pushed past her before turning and calling,

"Sessh, we're leaving! See you later!"

Kagome followed the boy out, but as she turned to close the door behind them, Sessho-Maru appeared in the hallway. He tilted his head to look at Inu-Yasha.

"The papers for Rin's adoption are finalizing," he said, "I'll be calling you when they do, in a few days. I may need your help to keep up the human façade."

"Right," Inu-Yasha said with a nod.

The older youkai smiled slightly and then pulled something from the pocket of his robe and tossed it at Kagome. She caught it a little awkwardly in both hands, and then looked at it with wide eyes. It was a bottle of shampoo. She looked up at Sessho-Maru with surprise written across her face.

"You asked," he said simply.

He turned and headed back down the hall and disappeared into the kitchen where the smell of coffee was most prominent.

-

Kagome was startled and stood, stunned, for a moment while Inu-Yasha looked at her in confusion.

"Erm… Thanks!" Kagome called back into the house, "Nice meeting you!"

There was no reply, so Kagome closed the door and looked to Inu-Yasha with an embarrassed smile.

"What did he throw?" the boy asked.

Kagome held up the bottle and then shrugged. Inu-Yasha stared at it for a moment and then began to laugh.

"I see," he said, though he sounded a little confused.

He jerked his head at the silver car in the driveway. The girl was a little puzzled: it hadn't been there before.

"Leaving?" he asked.

"Leaving," Kagome agreed.

They walked up to the car and, vaguely, behind the house, she could see Ah-Un.

"Hey, Ah-Un, see you later!" she called.

"_Goodbye ningen, goodbye Inu-Yasha!"_

Despite not being able to understand dragon, Inu-Yasha waved to Ah-Un, as did Kagome before she got into the passenger's seat of the car. Inu-Yasha put his bag in the back seat amongst several others and then slid into the driver's seat.

-

The hanyou started the car and turned it around swiftly and headed for the gate.

"Thank God for tinted windows," he muttered, "I completely forgot a hat today."

Kagome snickered slightly and, as he slowed to wait for the gate to open, she reached over and stroked his closest ear. A tremor rushed through his body, but he smiled. As they approached, the metal gate slid open and Inu-Yasha turned onto the road. Kagome turned in her seat to watch it close behind them.

"I like your house," she said again as she faced forward again, "And… your brother wasn't all that bad."

"What did you do to him, by the way?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I petted his tail," she snickered.

"No way!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, "Seriously?"

"Hells yes," Kagome laughed, "I mean… I'm pretty sure he was trying to weird me out, so then I thought maybe I should weird him out too."

"Brave," the hanyou laughed.

_oOoOoOoO_

The drive home was long, but pleasant. Upon arriving back at the house, Inu-Yasha began to unpack his things; most of his possessions were clothes and DVDs, along with his computer, which he set up on the small desk in his room. It wouldn't get Internet yet, but now, at least they had one in the house. He had also taken a cell phone, in case of emergencies.

_oOoOoOoO_

Two days passed in relative quiet. Kagome's back was now feeling almost completely normal thanks to whatever power the now deceased Tsuyomaru had given her. Kagome called her brother to check up on him briefly, and she was glad to hear that he was still doing well at his friend's house. On the Thursday of that week, she finally forced herself to go into the school briefly to pick up her homework. Her math class had given a little homework ever day, and there was a basic poetry assignment due for the next Monday. Kagome was considerably relieved that she hadn't fallen too far behind, and she was also grateful for Inu-Yasha's help with the math. She couldn't help but think that he didn't _look_ like someone who would be good at scholarly things, but, as he had said, he picked up things rather quickly.

_oOoOoOoO_

The end of Friday arrived and Kagome, as she finally began to work on her poetry assignment for English class, realised that she was supposed to have read a book and was to be copying the style. Sitting on her couch, she rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead with her notebook.

"This is bullshit," she grumbled to herself.

"What's bullshit?" Inu-Yasha asked from the kitchen.

"I need to go buy a book and read it," she sighed, "Stupid school."

"Want me to-?" the hanyou began, though, abruptly, the phone began to ring.

"Better get that," Kagome said.

Nodding to himself, Inu-Yasha picked up the phone, holding it slightly away from his head, his right ear twitching towards it.

"Helllo?" he asked.

"Inu-Yasha, it's me," he heard his brother's voice say, "I need you to meet me at the orphanage downtown."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, slightly startled, "All ready?"

"Yes. Right now, if you wouldn't mind."

Inu-Yasha blinked hesitantly and looked to the open hallway as Kagome peeked her head into the room to see what was going on.

"Your brother?" she whispered, and the hanyou nodded.

"Sessh, can you… hang on for a minute?" he asked.

"Be quick," the youkai replied curtly.

Inu-Yasha covered the mouthpiece with his hand, looking to Kagome, his ears drooping.

"Yeah," he said, "He wants me to go pick up his adopted kid now."

"Oh, cute," Kagome said, smiling, "You'd better go then."

"But… don't you need a ride?" he asked.

"Nah, I'll walk," the girl said, waving her hand absently, "Your thing is more important."

"You sure? I could at least drop you off…"

"Where are you going?"

"Orphan… place?"

"Yeah… I'm going the other way."

She laughed.

"It's okay," she assured him.

Inu-Yasha looked at her hesitantly and then uncovered the phone.

"Yeah, I'll be there," he said.

"Good," Sessho-Maru replied, and then hung up.

Inu-Yasha followed suit, and Kagome strode up beside him and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's all good," she assured him, "See you later?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, nodding.

-

It wasn't long before they were both out the door in opposite: Kagome in a light, blue jacket on against the progressing autumn chill and Inu-Yasha in his car. The hanyou arrived at the aforementioned orphanage rather quickly despite the traffic. He parked in front of the building, behind what he recognized to be Sessho-Maru's car, and hopped from the car just as his brother exited the building, looking at him expectantly.

"Finally," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I got here as fast as "humanly" possible," the hanyou replied, annoyed.

"And that is why humans fail," Sessho-Maru retorted with a small sneer, "Come on."

He urged his brother inside and up to a counter. The orphanage looked a little like a hospital upon first entering it, except that Inu-Yasha knew that beyond the main room and counters were hallways, bedrooms, and a small cafeteria that were quite comfortable. Sessho-Maru walked up to a short woman behind the counter who looked like she was having trouble with a stapler. She looked up as he approached and smiled at him.

"Taishio-san," she said, "Good to see you again. Everything's in order. Rin's things are packed, she's just saying goodbye to a few of the others and then she'll be right out."

Sessho-Maru nodded and stood back against the wall, shoving his hand into his pocket while Inu-Yasha looked around the room absently.

-

After a few minutes, Sessho-Maru perked up as he heard the door on the other side of the room open. Through it scurried Rin, a small human no older than eight with black hair and dark brown eyes who was still in her puppy-patterned pyjamas for some reason and toted a light blue backpack over her shoulder. Laughing happily, she rushed across the room to Sessho-Maru, who knelt to her. She threw her arms around his neck and began to giggle, and the youkai unwittingly began to blush slightly as he patted the back of her head with his one hand. Inu-Yasha peered over his shoulder, smirking widely.

"Awww," he cooed half-mockingly.

"_Shut up, hanyou_," Sessho-Maru retorted, his speech passing into the demon tongue.

Inu-Yasha pulled a face at his brother, and Rin, who had seen, laughed and waved at him.

"Hi Inu-Yasha," she said brightly, "Guess what, you're my uncle now!"

The hanyou smiled.

"I know," he said, "And now you've got a dad, huh? Why you chose my jerk of a brother is beyond me, but…"

Sessho-Maru growled at him and he barked out a loud laugh, bending slightly and slapping him on the back.

"I'm kidding, baka!" he laughed.

The hanyou strode across the room, helping a man who was struggling to lift Rin's suitcases through the door she had come from.

"I'll take them," he assured the human, who then nodded and thanked him.

He feigned a slight stumble as if he felt like the bags were slightly heavy, and he turned to his brother, who lifted Rin up, holding her carefully.

"Be careful," Inu-Yasha warned.

Sessho-Maru grunted and Rin happily clung to him as he carried her out the door. Inu-Yasha followed, still pretending that the bags were heavy. The man he had aided even held the door open for him.

-

Outside, Sessho-Maru placed the child on the ground, but she latched onto him once more.

"I'm really, really happy Daddy, she said brightly.

Inu-Yasha tried not to mock his brother again as he saw the youkai look slightly embarrassed. He held in a laugh and jerked his head at one of the suitcases.

"Where do you want this crap?" he asked.

"The trunk?" Sessho-Maru suggested a little sarcastically.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and, shifting one bag under his arm, he opened the trunk of Sessho-Maru's car and stuffed the bags in.

"Is that all you needed?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yes," his brother replied, "We'll see you later?"

"Probably sometime," Inu-Yasha agreed, "I have to get home now."

"What do you mean?" Rin asked curiously.

"Inu-Yasha has moved in with his girlfriend," Sessho-Maru explained.

"Aww," Rin said, pouting briefly, but then she began to grin, "Is she pretty?"

"Very pretty," the hanyou replied, nodding and folding his arms to his chest.

"Do you hold hands?" Rin asked.

"Sometimes."

"Do you hug her?"

"Yeah."

Rin clapped her hands happily.

"Can I meet her some time?" she asked.

She looked extremely happy when the hanyou nodded and she bounced in a circle.

"Look, I gotta go," Inu-Yasha repeated, ruffling the child's hair.

Sessho-Maru nodded and Rin looked disappointed for a moment before she ran back to Sessho-Maru and clung to him contentedly.

"See you, Uncle Inu-Yasha!" she called.

-

After waving to Rin, the hanyou got into his car. He watched for a moment as his brother got the child settled in the back seat and then began to drive away. His brother was a very good driver, not only for someone with one arm, but for anyone, because it took Inu-Yasha another five minutes before he was even able to pull out of his parking spot and into the increasingly congested traffic. He sighed and slumped in his seat, grasping the steering wheel lightly, wondering if there was an accident or something similar up ahead. It would probably take him much longer than anticipated to return home.

_oOoOoOoO_

Across town, Kagome emerged from a small bookstore and into the orange glow of the setting sun on the relatively empty street. She carried a small book of poetry in her jacket pocket, and she fingered her receipt absently. It wasn't the correct book, but it _did_ contain poems by the author she was supposed to be mimicking, so she supposed that it would have to do.

_Stupid school and their stupid obscure poets,_ she thought in annoyance as she headed down the street, _Why couldn't they just pick Shakespeare or something. Everybody knows Shakespeare, for God's sake!_

She sighed and tilted her head back, looking at the orange and pink tinted clouds.

_Well, at least it's a nice walk back,_ she thought.

-

As she rounded a corner down the street, the sidewalk dipped into a bit of a hill, and this new street continued on for quite a while, heading onto a park. Suddenly, though, Kagome was a little chilled. She pulled her jacket closer, but when it failed to help, she felt a familiar jolt through her stomach and her eyes widened.

_Oh shit_…

She whirled, half expecting to see a man with a gun behind her, but there was no one. She quivered slightly, turned, and quickened her pace. She wondered why she was feeling her warning-apprehension, until, suddenly, she saw a figure leap out of a bush the lined the sidewalk near the park, far up the road, and then begin to sprint up the sidewalk in her direction. The person was almost disturbingly fast. She then saw two more figures, garbed in black, follow the first, running as well, though they were considerably slower. Kagome stalled in her tracks, unsure of what to do, and she edged closer to the wall of the closest building, wondering if she should duck into the alleyway that was just behind her or not.

-

As the first figure drew closer, Kagome soon realized that it was a boy her own age, wearing a scruffy beige jacket and worn jeans, his black hair tied back, and his strikingly blue eyes wide with panic. He gritted his teeth and looked back over his shoulder worriedly, though he had quite a distance on his pursuers. Kagome watched him in shock.

_Another demon_? she wondered.

She wasn't sure if she had even been seen yet, but as the boy came closer, Kagome had to quickly decide whether to become involved or not.

I guess…. My enemy's enemy is my friend, right?

She didn't know if any of the three had seen her or were even concerned with her at the moment. She bit her lip and braced herself slightly against her wall. As the boy drew nearer, Kagome took a deep breath.

"Hey!" she called to him.

He slowed slowly, his frightened gaze locking on her and just as he would have passed her, Kagome reached out, grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, and yanked him into the alleyway. The momentum made them both spin slightly, and even though she was dizzy, Kagome dragged the boy down into the shadows behind the building.

"Wh…What the-!" the boy began.

"Quiet," Kagome ordered.

She glanced around swiftly, the sound of the pursuers' footsteps finally reaching her ears. She looked at the startled boy and, glancing past him, saw a narrow continuance of the alleyway behind the building that carried on down the road. She bit her lip, her heart beginning to pound.

"Ready to run?" she asked.

* * *

A/N: And there we go! oO You know you're going crazy when you write a chapter so long that the site won't update it all at the same time... sigh Well, at least that didn't take me six months this time!! Yay!

* * *


	41. General Chaos

* * *

Chapter 39: General Chaos

* * *

There was a stunned silence as the boy stared, his blue eyes shimmering with uncertainty, into the frowning gaze of the girl before him.

"What?" he said blankly.

She huffed, rolled her eyes, and seizing his sleeve tightly, she pulled him further back into the alley.

"Hey," Kagome snapped, "You know who those guys are?"

Hesitantly, the boy nodded.

"I… Uh, kinda…"

"Then…" Kagome said, gesturing down the alley, and urgently added, "Shall we?"

"Ah! Right, right…" the boy said with a nod.

Together, they darted back into the shadows behind the building, though Kagome was alarmed to find a high fence on either side of them. She winced and wondered if they could merely hide, but as the sound of racing footsteps drew closer, she saw the boy become as anxious as she felt inside.

"We gotta go," he said suddenly, "This ain't safe."

"I know," Kagome said, though before she could make any sort of suggestion towards an escape route, she was grabbed around the waist and hoisted up into the air.

She let out a shriek of shock and her stomach lurched as she suddenly found herself in the sky.

"What the-?!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" the boy barked.

Kagome's vision was a blur of sky and concrete for a good twenty seconds, and she felt as if she were about to throw up. She heard a metallic bang and the panicked cry of birds in the general vicinity of _up_. The boy's grip on her was almost painfully tight, and though it was reassuring to know that she wouldn't be dropping to her death anytime soon, she couldn't help but feel horribly cramped and ill.

x

There was another bang, like a firecracker, and the hand grasping her twitched uncomfortably. Suddenly doubting her captor, Kagome let out a yelp.

"You crazy youkai, find shelter!" she yelled.

She managed to glance up to see part of the boy's face, his blue eyes wide, fangs bared. He bounded upwards off the edge of a roof and into the air, where Kagome's ears popped. She grunted uncomfortably, but she abruptly found herself stumbling on a concrete rooftop surrounded by large vents. Dizzy, she collapsed onto her knees, clutching her head.

"Ooooh fuck," she whined.

The obviously non-human boy kept his distance from her, eying her with what seemed to be a mixture of fear and confusion. He stood, rigid, one arm folded slightly over the other. The girl frowned at him with puzzlement. A little shakily, Kagome rose to stand on unsteady legs, though before she could ask the boy if he was okay, she staggered slightly and bent at the waist, trying to prevent a bout of nausea. As if unaware of this, the boy stepped towards her a bit hesitantly, his dark eyebrows bending into a harsh frown.

"Who _are_ you?" the demon growled, "How do you know what I am?"

Kagome would have answered, but her mind was reeling. She grimaced, trying to keep her stomach in check, and held up one finger, signalling him to wait for a moment. The youkai was a little surprised by this, though he lowered his claws to be ready at his side. He watched her pant for a moment, gulp, and then straighten with a long, drawn out sigh.

"Okay…" she said to herself, "I'm okay… I'm okay…"

She gulped and winced, looking as if she were about to be sick. The youkai was getting impatient and he took another step towards her, growling.

"Answer me!" he demanded, "How the fuck do you know what I am?"

"Relax, relax," Kagome said quietly, waving a hand at him dismissively, "My boyfriend is hanyou; I know your kind exists."

She coughed quietly, and the youkai's eyes widened with shock. He lowered his claws slightly.

"So you… knew by looking at me…?" he asked, his voice softening slightly with curiosity.

"Yes and no," Kagome said, shaking her head, "I'm kinda a "miko". I could sense you. Though…"

She gave the boy a joking grin.

"Your ears are a dead giveaway to someone like me."

She saw the youkai unconsciously raise a hand to touch his left ear, and Kagome began to laugh.

"Wow, I really freaked you out there, huh?" she said, "You looked about ready to slice me in half."

The youkai looked to the rooftop, shamefaced.

"Gomen," he muttered.

Kagome grinned at him, and was about to say something more, but a sudden, loud bang caused her to jump. To her surprise, though, she automatically found herself in the arms of the strange demon, his back to the noise as if acting as a shield against it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome squeaked, startled at the closeness.

"Hey," the youkai said with a bit of a smirk, "You saved my ass. It's only fair that I protect yours. And besides, if anything happened to you, your boyfriend would probably come, track me down, and disembowel me for being such a failure of a guardian."

There was another bang and a metallic sound, this time caused by a very fast moving object ricocheting off a metal duct, and in an instant, Kagome found herself slung across the back of the youkai as he ran and jumped over the rooftops, dodging bullets as he went. This position was more normal for Kagome than being held under someone's arm, but she still grasped tightly to his shoulders, trying to keep herself steady.

Glancing to the side, watching rooftops blur by, Kagome could see the men with guns trying vainly to keep up, but the more they fell behind, the more they fired their weapons.

"This is ridiculous! We gotta hide!" Kagome called over the wind, "We're really visible up here!"

"I know!" the boy called back.

His feet skidded on the cement roof of a clothing store, and he made a quick left turn, and, after running behind another tall air duct, leapt to the ground and out of sight in a tiny, dark alleyway between buildings. Glancing around, the boy spotted a small gap in the wall to his right. It was only barely big enough for him to crouch in, and so narrow that he and the girl in his care would have to squish together to fit, but it was out of the way and dark enough to provide sufficient cover. He could hear the footsteps pounding after them; they were running out of time. He hoped she wouldn't mind.

x

The youkai swiftly deposited the girl onto the ground and, gripping her, pulled her into the tiny gap with him, though as he squished back against the wall, he was forced to squeeze her to his chest to keep them both as far out of sight as possible.

"Oof…" Kagome whispered a little uncomfortably.

"Sorry," the youkai whispered shamefully, "I thought it was bigger than this… you can sit beside me if you want."

"No, then I'm half in the light," the girl said, shaking her head, "This is better… Though, gotta say, you're not that comfy."

The youkai laughed quietly.

"Well sorry, if I had known that a girl would have to press up against me today, I would have fluffed myself."

Kagome chuckled and looked into the boy's bright blue eyes curiously.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Oh… I'm Koga," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "You?"

"Kagome," she replied, "Umm… Wolf, right?"

Koga nodded and smiled slightly.

"You're good. How'd you know?" he asked.

"I couldn't really tell you," the girl said with a quiet laugh, "Just a feeling."

She smiled embarrassedly.

"I'm glad though. We're gonna need your super senses. You… have super senses, right?"

Koga nodded, looking a little bashful. Kagome gave him a small smirk and tilted her head, straining her ears in attempts to hear any unwanted approach. Koga watched her curiously, his cheeks flushing as she leaned forward, trying to peer around the wall behind him cautiously. He, on the other hand, could hear the rushing of footsteps scraping briefly against concrete and scattered chunks of gravel very clearly. The gunfire had stopped, thankfully, though he could hear the panicked chatter of some people down the road who were wondering what was going on. The youkai braced his back against the cool brick nervously. He could hear the men that had been pursuing them walking swiftly together, pacing in their search for the two teenagers. Koga took a deep breath, grinding the claws on his left hand into the pavement.

"Shh," Kagome said softly.

"Sorry," the boy replied shyly.

He lifted his hand and brushed his nails off on the side of his jeans, trying desperately to ignore his opposite hand and the numbing sensation that was starting to run through it. Kagome could feel him freeze in apprehension suddenly, and after a moment she too could detect the sound of footsteps. Her gut wrenched and she unconsciously shifted closer to the demon in fear. It was a matter of seconds before, to the girl's horror, the small sliver of light that leaked from the alleyway was blocked by the figure of a tall man in a black suit, his eyes, though hidden behind dark glasses, obviously roaming around the brick walls.

x

Kagome sucked in a trembling breath, clinging with shaking fingers to Koga's shoulders. He cautiously put an arm around her, squeezing them both into the shadows until he was afraid that he would somehow make the wall buckle. He nervously held onto the girl, bowing his head as he saw the man cast his gaze in their direction briefly, but he overlooked them and turned, his back to their niche. Kagome shivered and watched him from the corner of her eye, holding her breath.

_OOoOoOoO_

Leaning on his steering wheel awkwardly, Inu-Yasha was suddenly struck by an intense feeling of claustrophobia as he sat in his car in the middle of a traffic jam. It took him a minute to realize that it was not his. Jolting upright in his seat, Kagome's name urgently passed his lips and he looked around him as if trying to find an escape rout. He was boxed in on all sides. Anxiety taking him, he braced his feet on the car floor in attempts to stand, ripping his seat belt and it's socket from the car completely as he did. Ignoring this, he instantly contemplated jumping through his roof to try to rush to his girlfriend's rescue.

x

He stumbled, however, as the car jerked forward as he accidentally hit the gas pedal with his foot. It was for the best, however, as traffic had suddenly begun to crawl again. His heart racing, Inu-Yasha plopped back into his seat. The car behind him honked loudly at him twice, and he raised his middle finger to it without any thought to his actions.

Oh God, Kagome…! What do I-?!

He very nearly threw his door open and into the car beside him, but almost as suddenly as it had sprung up, the fear diminished a great deal. With a sigh, Inu-Yasha slumped back in his seat weakly.

_Kagome, you're all right, aren't you?_ He though worriedly, _Ah, what the fuck?_

He clamped one hand into the steering wheel so tightly that it squished into the form of his palm. He cringed as he forced the car forward slowly. He had no idea what to do. He sat, listening to his own heartbeat frantically amongst the honking and the growl of engines around him.

_Kagome, be all right, please be all right… _

His heart began to pound even harder as he felt the girl's fear turn more to the side of rage, but it suddenly felt as if she was shielded, somehow.

x

The hanyou gritted his teeth, conflicted.

_So, she's… okay?_ He thought worriedly.

He stepped on the gas pedal a little harder, willing traffic to keep moving. He'd get the hell out of the roads… He'd get his ass home and track Kagome from there by scent. He looked out the window on the other side of the car, wondering what the hold up was. He could vaguely see a police officer waving people around what looked like a car crash. As Inu-Yasha drew closer, he was startled to see that there were two cars stalled near the middle of the road, both with the fronts crushed inward, but neither were in contact with the other. There was a young woman standing beside one of the cars and an older couple outside the other. The young woman looked shaken while the older man from the other car was trying to explain what had happened. It seemed as if he had lost control of the car, but as he was about to crash, a young man had run between the two cars. Both had struck him and stopped, but he had run off, seemingly unharmed. He was also nowhere to be found.

x

As Inu-Yasha was waved by the cars by the officer, he tried not to swear loudly as he got a clear view of what appeared to be claw marks on the front of each vehicle. As he had thought, the two unsuspecting humans had hit a demon.

_What kind of moron exposes himself like that?_ He thought crossly, _Unless…_

Inu-Yasha paused and shook his head. He sped up as he passed the officer, trying his best not to stamp the gas pedal to the floor.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome stared intensely at the man blocking her light, gritting her teeth in anger. For a brief instant, she had the insane notion of bashing the man in the back of the head, but she knew how badly that would end. She did not dare breathe out until the man had stepped away and she felt Koga's muscles relax slightly beneath her.

"You okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah. You?" he replied.

She nodded and sat back and away from him slightly, and he shifted backwards as well, trying to gain a bit of room for her sake. After a moment of pushing back against the wall, however, he heard a dry crack splinter from where his hands were. He cringed and pulled away while Kagome looked at him with a small, but pitying smile on her face.

"Not used to acting human?" she asked.

Koga shook his head.

"I've been on my own for a bit," he admitted, "I keep forgetting how easily I break stuff."

Kagome let out a weak laugh and carefully scooted away from the boy and onto the concrete.

"Do you think it's safe yet?" she asked.

"Soon," Koga replied quietly, "I can still hear them…"

Kagome nodded and sighed, rubbing her head with a hand. She stayed silent until she noticed Koga finally straighten up slightly and look reassured. She let out another sigh, this time in relief.

"This happens way too often…" she whispered.

The okami inclined his head puzzledly.

"You've… done this before?" he asked.

Kagome nodded and hit her forehead with her palm.

"Yeah…" she grumbled, "It's kinda insane…"

Koga smiled at her shyly.

"Well, I'm glad you were here to pull me aside," he admitted, "I think they would've caught me for sure."

He reached out a hand to pat her shoulder reassuringly, but then drew it back quickly as he realized how much it was bleeding. Kagome's eyes grew as she noticed as well.

"Oh my god, your hand!"

She grasped his hand tightly in between hers, only now noticing the dark red oozing from a black and swelling wound.

"When did this happen?" she demanded.

"On the rooftop," Koga said hesitantly, "It's… It's okay…"

He flexed his palm, wincing. Kagome grimaced.

x

"Are all demons like this?" she grumbled.

Before he could stop her or ask her what she meant, she pulled off her jacket and used his claws to tear off a strip of cloth from the sleeve of her t-shirt.

"Getting shot all the time and insisting it's fine?" she muttered, tying the cloth tightly around the wound, "Yikes…"

Koga smiled embarrassedly.

"You talk as if this happens a lot," he said.

"Inu-Yasha…. My boyfriend: this happens to him like, _all the time_," she replied, sighing, "When I first met him he had been shot about three times, and didn't even tell me. I found out by accident."

She shook her head.

"Is it demon ego or something?"

"Oh… well, maybe," Koga said a little blankly, "But, I mean…. It doesn't hurt _that_ much…"

"It's all swollen…"

"Could be worse."

Kagome made an odd noise of distaste that made Koga laugh loudly and smile at her.

"Hey, you're all right for a human," he said, "I haven't met a really nice one of you in a while."

"Oh, you wouldn't have liked me last month, I used to be such a bitch," Kagome said with an embarrassed smile.

She looked to her side and carefully pushed herself upright, brushing off her jeans. Koga stood up beside her, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Well, ah…" he muttered, "I guess I should get going."

He looked a little awkward as Kagome stared at him in puzzlement.

"Oh," she said a bit blankly, "Okay then. You should be careful though. Those guys are like cockroaches, or mould… or some shit like that. You know, they just don't really want to _leave_…"

Koga nodded.

"I understand," he said.

The girl smiled at him slightly.

"Do you live around here? Maybe I'll see you around some time," she said.

"Oh, well, kinda," Koga said, "I sorta stay on and off in that… uh… I guess you'd call it a halfway house…"

He shrugged, but felt a twinge of panic inside as he saw Kagome's jaw drop. At first he thought she may have misinterpreted him.

"Not the ones for people out of jail or-"

"You're… You're an orphan?" she said, shocked, cutting him off as if she hadn't been listening at all, "You don't have anywhere safe to stay?"

Koga shrugged.

"That place is… sort of safe," he said, "I've only been robbed once, and it was just another kid, no problem."

"That's not what I mean," Kagome said hurriedly.

She put her hand to her forehead.

_Ah, Inu-Yasha's gonna be pissed_…

She shook her head.

"We'll stop there to grab your stuff, then you're coming with me," she said decisively.

Koga blinked back at the girl, unsure if he had understood correctly.

"…What?" he said dumbly.

"There is _no_ way you'll be safe in that place from them!" she exclaimed, "They'll go after you, and everyone else in there! No way, _no way_. You _have _to come with me."

"To where?" Koga replied.

He felt dazed. She couldn't be suggesting that…

"You're coming to my house," she said, frowning, "I have a spare room. There's no way in hell I'm letting you stay in some random place full of other kids."

Koga stared at Kagome in shock for an instant. Here was this beautiful girl, standing before him, demanding he stay with her… But, no, he couldn't. She was another demon's mate? Being on his own or with humans made him a little unsure about how to behave around others of his own kind, but he _did_ know that he shouldn't be intruding on another's territory like that.

"I really shouldn't," Koga said finally.

"Why not?" Kagome demanded.

"You have a mate…"

"What?"

"I said: you have a mate!"

"I know, I heard you. I mean, what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Kagome put her hands on her hips and scowled at the okami youkai in annoyance.

"Look buddy, I like you, and we're on the same side here if those stupid humans are trying to kill us both. So… _I_ think that you should come with me because you could very well be killed or abducted in your sleep if you don't. We're safer in numbers."

Again, Koga gave her a cow-eyed stare and she slumped and began to laugh.

"What? What's the big deal?"

"If you have a mate, I just… I don't want to be seen as intruding or anything," Koga grumbled, "That wouldn't end well for anybody."

"Ohhh," Kagome said understandingly, "Some crazy youkai thing. Okay, I get it. Don't worry, I'm sure Inu-Yasha will understand."

"You think?" the youkai mused.

"Sure," Kagome said with a shrug, "But…"

She looked a bit embarrassed.

"Can we hurry?" she asked, "Umm… My boyfriend, he can… he can feel some of what I do, and I'm worried that _he'll_ be really worried about me and… I'd like to get home soon so he knows I'm okay."

Koga nodded and he looked cautiously to the rooftops above them.

"Up and over?" he suggested.

Readily, Kagome nodded, and in an instant the youkai lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder before leaping upwards to clear the roof and bound down the road.

_oOoOoOoO_

Within three minutes, Koga dropped from the air into another alleyway, and guiding a slightly dazed Kagome by the hand, led her into a clean looking, blue painted building on the block's corner. The inside looked almost like a typical house, but with wall paper that looked like it had been put up by someone's grandmother, an amplitude of bunk beds, and something that almost looked like a cafeteria in one of the far rooms. Kagome didn't have time to ask any questions: Koga hurried her past a few other people that were sitting and conversing on the beds and pulled her up the stairs. There were less lights on the second floor, and Kagome picked out the form of someone sleeping across the room. A window was open a little on the right side of the room, its drapes swaying slightly in the autumn breeze.

x

Koga guided Kagome to a bed with a guitar case on top of it and flipped open the lid. Apart from an old, worn guitar, there was also some clothing and a few books inside, among other things.

"You… keep all your stuff in here?" she asked.

Koga nodded as he shoved his hand under his mattress and pulled out a small bag that jingled with change.

"I move a lot, so I don't really want to have to carry too much," he explained, "My mom gave me that guitar when I was little and… well, it's been useful. I play on the street sometimes to make some extra cash."

Kagome nodded and watched as the boy shoved the bag into his pocket before he continued to look under the mattress.

"Makes sense," she said, "Did you… run away, or something?"

"Well, from a foster home," Koga explained, "My mom was killed when I was little."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kagome said immediately.

Koga paused, a look of pain flashing across his face.

"Yeah…" he mumbled, but then shook his head, "I didn't run away because I was unhappy, though."

He shook his head again.

"My foster parents were some of the nicest people I've ever met, but I… once I realized… _who_ had killed my mom, I couldn't stay. I couldn't put them at risk. That's why I'm not ever _here_ that much."

Kagome's heart suddenly felt laboured in its beating. She gulped and Koga turned to her, shutting his guitar case.

"You all right?" he asked.

"It was them?" she whispered, "Same group as… those guys today, wasn't it?"

"I can only assume," Koga said quietly.

Kagome clenched her fists

"I'm sorry…"

She shook her head in distaste.

"They don't stop, do they?" she grumbled.

"I guess not," Koga said with a shrug, "I was hoping they were all gone, actually… until today."

He picked up his case by a handle on one of the sides.

"We should get going," he said.

Kagome nodded, and again, he grabbed her and slung her onto his back as he slid from the open window and onto the next rooftop.

x

Kagome guided Koga carefully by street names until they were back in the suburbs, where they cautiously transitioned from rooftops to land, primarily for the reason that, because there was less clutter here, they would be much more noticeable on the roofs. Again, Kagome was dizzy as she was placed on solid concrete, but she was very proud of herself for not throwing up yet. Holding onto the boy's sleeve for support as she tried to regain her balance at the same time as walking, she turned her gaze on him curiously. Her heart panged with a protective pull, and, as he cast a slightly abashed look in her direction, she automatically knew he felt the same way. Perking up, she laughed and squeezed the youkai's arm. She cut her eyes at Koga with a grin.

"You feel it too, huh?" she asked.

Koga smirked slightly and nodded.

"I was wondering if you'd ask," he said.

"Is it a demon thing?" she wondered.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," the okami replied with a shrug.

Kagome smiled at him and was silent for a moment. Her thoughts traced the few other demons she had met. It struck her that each of them had had something about them that was blatantly un-human. Looking at Koga, she couldn't see anything on the surface, but she still wondered about him.

"Is there anything I should know about before we get to the house?" she said after a moment of contemplation, "Like… uh… horns or wings or… tails or whatever?"

"Oh," Koga said, blinking in surprise as if he had expected her to ask something different, "Yes, actually. I have a tail."

Kagome was almost startled to hear the news, and she couldn't help but lean back slightly to look. Koga grinned.

"Hey, don't look at my ass," he laughed, "I hide it, okay?"

"Oh," Kagome said, embarrassed, "Yeah, that makes sense…"

Koga laughed.

"Why do you ask, did you have someone suddenly spring some sort of non-human part at you?" he asked jokingly.

"Yes actually," Kagome said, "My boyfriend. He has dog ears, and I didn't know for almost a month."

Koga gawked at her for a moment before barking out a loud laugh.

"Seriously? Whoa, what the hell did he do, just wear a hat all the time?"

"Exactly," Kagome laughed.

Koga looked at her in disbelief, and then almost began to choke in trying not to howl with mirth.

"That's so straightforward that it's… genius," he announced.

"I know! I felt like such a dumbass for not noticing he didn't have _ears_," Kagome agreed, snickering.

Feeling confident enough on her own feet, she released the youkai's sleeve and then pointed down the road.

"We're just up there," she said, though she didn't notice Koga begin to tense up behind her.

She could see Inu-Yasha's car parked in the driveway, and as they got closer, she noticed that she could still smell the exhaust fumes hanging in the air. She also noticed that something was wrong with the driver's side door, though she wasn't entirely sure what it was. It looked _broken_ somehow.

x

Brushing it off, she led Koga up to the front door and opened it for him. Koga stepped into the house cautiously, wiping his bare feet on the rug. He seemed uneasy, though Kagome wasn't at all surprised: he was entering another youkai's territory, after all. She stepped inside after him and closed the door. Koga shifted as he placed his guitar case on the ground. He cautiously exposed his tail through a hidden hole in his jeans, the wolfish, tan-furred thing holding itself almost unconsciously in a rigid line behind him. Kagome looked at him reassuringly and then peered deeper into the house.

"Inu-Yasha?" she called.

She had barely finished saying his name when the hanyou was upon her, his hands clamped onto her shoulders, his face pushed up close to hers.

"I was just about to come find you," he said urgently, "What happened? Who the hell is this guy?"

His fiery golden gaze shot to Koga, who stiffened apprehensively. Kagome smiled at him shyly and grasped his face, directing his attention back to her.

"Yasha, it's okay," she said gently, "That's Koga. Okami youkai. He was being chased by the same people who were after you and we ended up helping each other out. Involving epic rooftop chases, but we were fine! It's _okay_."

They locked eyes and, slowly, Inu-Yasha took a deep breath and let himself relax, soothed by her soft hazel gaze. His heart throbbing, he gently pressed his lips to hers.

"I was worried," he mumbled as he pulled back.

"I knew you would be," Kagome replied, "Did you break your car…?"

"Just a little bit…"

She patted the top of head and then jerked her head at Koga.

"Look, like I said, this is Koga. He's a youkai too, but… I guess you knew that."

She smiled and Inu-Yasha's attention darted back to the slightly awkward looking wolf at the door.

"He… doesn't have a safe place to stay, so I offered him the empty room upstairs," she explained, "You don't mind, do you?"

The hanyou tilted his head, observing Koga curiously. Koga looked at him as well, his body stiffening. In all honesty, the okami had never had much experience with other youkai. Koga watched Inu-Yasha, fascinated, before he felt a shiver run through his body and to the tip of his tail. He felt a twinge in the back of his mind and he froze utterly.

x

The youkai stared at each other in silence, Inu-Yasha standing up a little taller than normal, his posture rigid, his ears strained forward towards Koga. In turn, the wolf braced one leg behind him and his tail stood upright. Kagome looked between the two statuesque figures uncertainly. She had seen a mirror of their expressions once before, when someone she knew a few years back was introducing a new dog into their house amongst several others. She took a slight step backwards uncertainly as the air grew thick with _something_. The tendrils of their youki, invisible, yet suddenly heavily present, reached out to each other in a cautious test until Inu-Yasha's burst with an audible _woosh_ into a billowing, spectral fire. Koga didn't back away, but he seemed to somehow shrink, and his tail slowly wilted and began to swish. After a painful twenty seconds, the two youkai finally broke eye contact. Inu-Yasha gave a slight grin and nodded at the other boy, and the almost suffocating tension was swept away completely. Kagome, unaware that she had even been holding her breath, let out a long huff of air and Koga's tail lifted again and began to wag.

"Cool?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Koga's face brightened.

"Great, I'll go start moving my stuff in, then," he said.

He walked from the room past Inu-Yasha and Kagome, and after a moment, the girl turned to her boyfriend with wide, confused eyes.

"Um, what just happened here?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha turned to her and shrugged a bit absently, putting his hands in his sweatshirt pockets.

"Not much, we just… laid down the ground rules," he said simply.

The girl inclined her head.

"Ah… really?" she inquired.

The hanyou nodded. Kagome looked a little confused and she edged a little closer to Inu-Yasha.

"And… what does that mean, exactly?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

"It's a dog thing," he said, though when Kagome continued to look at him with an unyielding and questioning stare, he sighed, and said, "You know, like… um… hierarchy? I guess…?"

His ears drooped and he absently picked at the inside of his pockets with his nails.

"Does that make any sense?" Inu-Yasha asked, "I mean… I'm no good at explaining this sort of thing…"

"I think I get it," Kagome said with a nod, "So… you're… good with him being here, then?"

"I guess so."

Kagome's face brightened and she grasped Inu-Yasha's arm happily.

"I'm really glad," she said, "He saved my life, you know."

The hanyou nodded, but he looked surprisingly worried. Concerned, Kagome tugged on his sleeve.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I… I should have been there," he muttered.

"How could you have been?" Kagome asked innocently.

"I could have run…"

"Would you have made it in time?"

"Well, if I had left my car parked in traffic."

"That wouldn't be very smart."

"Yeah, but it's a fuck load smarter than what I did!"

He seemed exasperated now, and he looked at Kagome with wide, guilty eyes.

"I should have come. No questions. What the hell is wrong with me?"

He put his head in his hands. Kagome sighed and hugged the boy around his shoulders, gently pushing his arms away from his head so she could give him a quick, but reassuring kiss.

"You knew I'd be okay though, didn't you?" she asked, "You could feel I wasn't _that_ scared, couldn't you?"

She leaned up against him and he let out a reluctant sigh before he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I… Yeah, I guess…" he muttered, "You did seem… _safe_…"

He was obviously unconvinced, but the look in his eyes automatically told her that he didn't want to discuss it further. Normally one to pry, Kagome, for once, nodded and patted his back gently.

"Don't be so emo," she said jokingly.

She felt her hanyou's muscles tense.

"I'm… I'm _not_ emo!" he exclaimed indignantly.

Laughing, Kagome pulled back and kissed the tip of his nose. His face relaxed and, slowly, he cracked a fangy smile.

"I'm getting better," he insisted.

The girl snickered.

"You don't need to worry about me so much," she assured him, "I'm not a little kid."

"You're fifteen," he pointed out, "You're not exactly a well of experience, girl."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm doing okay for fifteen!" she insisted, "I know about an aspect of the world that most people don't. That's got to count for something."

"And what would that be?"

"Umm… the whole 'demons are real' thing?"

"Oh… Was that all?"

"Oh, ha-ha."

Kagome pouted, and her boyfriend couldn't hold back a grin. He leaned in close and kissed her cheek lightly; she was instantly smiling again. She clung to him happily, resting her head on his shoulder. She couldn't help but adore cuddling up to her hanyou.

x

"Never thought you'd be so comfy," she laughed, "Remember when we first met?"

Inu-Yasha closed his eyes as he nodded and clutched the girl a little closer.

_The day I put all my trust in a girl I had never met before._

"What's your point?" he asked, sounding a little sleepy all of a sudden.

"You used to be so… I dunno… I didn't expect you to turn out so sweet and stuff," she said a bit cheerfully.

Inu-Yasha was silent for a moment.

"I didn't expect _you_ to let me into your life so easily," he replied as he opened his eyes again.

_I… didn't expect that I'd want to be let in at all._

He pulled back to look at her, his heart swelling. She blinked up at him, her hazel eyes alight, and he took her chin in his hand, his claws tracing her cheek cautiously.

"So… you're still… not scared of me, huh?" he asked.

"Not at all," the girl said brightly.

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope."

She smiled at him innocently.

"I have no reason to be. Why do you keep doubting yourself?"

The hanyou blinked in surprise.

"I'm not… doubting myself," he said, his ears twitching.

Kagome smirked at him and took both of his hands in hers, swinging them in a childlike fashion.

"Then _why_ do you keep asking me if I'm scared of you?"

She grinned at him widely while his ears drooped embarrassedly. He lifted her hands up, clamped in between his, and his eyes almost automatically went to his own claws. Kagome's gaze followed his and she inclined her head, looking at his large, dangerously clawed fingers wrapping affectionately around hers. She paused thoughtfully before she began to beam at her boyfriend.

"Ahaha, this is so romantic!" she squeaked.

She pulled her hands from his, threw her arms around his neck again and kissed him happily. He jolted in shock before he returned the favour in utter contentment, pressing his body closer to hers and stroking his claws through her hair.

x

When she drew back, she rested her head against his chest and whacked him playfully.

"Now stop asking me if I'm scared of you, you bastard!" she laughed, "I'm not scared of demons."

"Gomen," Inu-Yasha said, his ears drooping bashfully, "I'm just-"

"Painfully insecure?"

"I was going to say 'an idiot', actually."

He smiled shyly and Kagome began to laugh. She threw an arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Oh well, I still like you."

She broke away from him and turned to the kitchen.

"I'm going to grab a drink," she said, and then shouted up the stairs, "Wolfie, do you want something to drink?"

"Oh, yes please!" Koga called back.

"All ready given him a nickname?" Inu-Yasha inquired, raising his eyebrow.

Kagome shrugged.

"Suits him, I think," she said, smiling, "You want something too?"

He shook his head, but followed Kagome as she wandered into the kitchen.

x

She pulled out some glasses and placed them on the counter before retrieving some red juice from the fridge. Inu-Yasha leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she unscrewed the cap of the jug and tipped it to pour into the glass. Her hands trembled as she watched the deep red slosh into the bottom of the first glass and, after a moment, she set the jug down, unable to finish.

"What's wrong?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome stared blankly at the red in the cup before she dumped the liquid into the sink and sighed shakily. Inu-Yasha leaned in towards her, his eyebrow raised.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kagome looked at him with an embarrassed smile.

"It… It just looks like… you know… blood," she said, shamefaced.

The hanyou frowned at her, concerned, and walked up to her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Because of what happened in the woods, ne?" he asked.

Biting her lip, Kagome nodded.

"I guess I'm still not really over it," she muttered.

Sadly, the hanyou put a hand on her head and patted her hair.

"How could you be?" he asked.

Kagome shrugged, but she smiled at Inu-Yasha.

"Maybe Coke would be better," she said.

Her boyfriend nodded and let her return the red jug to the fridge and replace it with a bottle of cola. She poured some into both glasses, looking up at Inu-Yasha as she finished.

"You sure you don't want any?" she asked.

"It's about Tsuyomaru?" the hanyou interjected.

"About him, and about you, and about me," Kagome said almost absently, "There was… a lot of blood."

She shrugged, but smiled at Inu-Yasha.

"Glad you were okay, though," she said.

_Amazingly, wonderfully, insanely ecstatic_, her brain corrected her, _Glad? What a goddamn understatement._

_x_

Kagome left the room and headed up the stairs; Inu-Yasha silently trailed her. Though he felt he had effectively asserted himself, he still felt uncomfortable leaving Kagome alone with the new youkai: he couldn't help but feel frightened that some of Kagome's newfound friendliness might be misinterpreted. He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms to his chest as he watched Kagome enter the normally unused room at the end of the hall. Inu-Yasha was reluctant to admit it, but despite his words, he was a little uneasy. The way Kagome looked at the other boy confused him. Her eyes showed a strange affection towards him that he was unclear about, as did the wolf's. He'd need to stay close…

x

Koga was inside, his tail wagging as he placed the last of his three books onto a small, empty bookcase near the opposite wall.

"You like the room?" Kagome asked.

"Love it," Koga said as he turned to look at her, "It kinda smells like beer, but that's okay."

"It does?" Kagome asked, "Oh… Woops. That… would be my dad's fault."

She turned to Inu-Yasha with an apologetic look on her face.

"It never bugged you?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and shook his head, and Kagome smiled in relief before she looked to Koga again and handed him the glass that hadn't had the juice in it. He looked a little surprised as he accepted it.

"Oh… Thanks, Kagome," he said, smiling at her.

Kagome didn't notice Inu-Yasha starting to lean into the room with a glare on his face as she smiled back at the okami youkai.

"No problem. It's Coke," she said.

Koga nodded and turned to place his glass on the short bookcase almost proudly, his tail still wagging. Kagome was mesmerized by it for a moment before she was snapped out of it by Inu-Yasha pointedly clearing his throat behind her. She jumped a little before she took an absent step to the side and sipped at her own drink.

"Thanks for everything, Kagome," Koga said, looking over his shoulder, "Err…"

He turned completely and scratched his head.

"About rent…" he began, almost to have Kagome spit out her drink in spluttering shock.

Instead, she choked it back and coughed loudly as Koga drew back and looked a little traumatized against the wall.

"Rent?" Kagome demanded, flinging her arms in the air exasperatedly.

She unwittingly released her drink, and with wide eyes, Inu-Yasha darted forward and caught it by the bottom before it tipped in midair.

"Damn it, Kag!" he barked.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said, flustered as she took the drink back from her boyfriend, and adding a quick, appreciative "thanks", before continuing on to say, "Koga, I'm not charging you any rent. That's just _mean_."

"What?" Koga asked blankly.

"You're not supposed to pay, dumbass," Inu-Yasha cut in, "You just… stay here. You know. To not die."

"Dumbass? _I _was just being polite!" Koga retorted with a growl.

"Feh!" the hanyou scoffed.

"Children," Kagome said, stepping between the two with her hands raised slightly as if to push them both back, "Relax."

She turned to Inu-Yasha with a worried look on her face.

"Are you… _not _okay, then?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied a little curtly.

Koga stared at them both blankly for a moment.

"Listen, if this is a big deal, I can g-" he started, only to be cut off by a simultaneous "Oh no you don't!" and "Shut up!" from Kagome and Inu-Yasha.

"You idiot, _you're _the one who broke those cars, aren't you?" the hanyou said, inclining his head as he stepped towards the other youkai, but before Koga, who now looked shocked, could reply, he continued to say, "_They_ know you're around, and they're not going to stop looking for you for weeks. Here, you're among other demons and people who know what the hell they're talking about, so how 'bout you just sit your fuzzy ass _down_ and stop thinking you can make it through this on your own, okay?"

Koga, in fact, looked as if he were about to take the hanyou's suggestion and plop down on the rug, and Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, his ears flattening. Kagome stared at him in surprise, unsure of what to think of the outburst.

_I can't tell if he… really doesn't like him, or what?_ She thought in puzzlement.

"Yasha?" she said questioningly, but as if to answer her unasked question, he smiled a little and said,

"You'd be upset if he got himself killed, wouldn't you?"

Kagome blinked at him, a little shocked, and her hanyou chuckled.

"I'm fine, just…"

He cut his eyes at Koga before he turned to leave.

"Watch yourself, wolf."

x

Koga breathed a sigh of relief upon Inu-Yasha's exit, and Kagome looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "He's just… distrustful. I'm sure he'll get over it."

"I understand," Koga said with a nod, "Don't worry, I would be too if I had such a pretty girlfriend."

A rather large "AHEM!" was heard from outside the room before Kagome could reply, and she began to laugh as Koga looked down and blushed slightly.

"Sorry," he said.

"No, thank you Koga," she said, smiling, "I think of myself as someone who's good at taking compliments…"

Her smile grew.

"You have a very cute tail."

Koga's face flushed pink as another, and louder, "AHEM!" could be heard from outside.

Kagome began to laugh and she rolled her eyes.

"Inu-Yasha, what the hell are you coughing about over there?" she asked.

"Oh… Oh nothing," she heard Inu-Yasha reply, "Just choking on my, uh… pride, or… whatever…"

Kagome smiled and held in a laugh.

"Excuse me Koga, I need to go reassure my boyfriend of his manliness."

"I heard that!"

"I _know!_"

She smiled widely, downed her Coke, and looked at Koga a little shyly.

"He doesn't get it, does he?" she said.

"Not at all," Koga said, trying not to laugh.

"I'd better go explain," she said, "See you later?"

Koga nodded, so Kagome turned and scooted from the room.

x

Kagome hurried across the carpet and down the stairs, though in her rush, she stumbled on the last step, cursing her luck, but before she could even begin to fall, Inu-Yasha grabbed her by the waist and spun her, repositioning her flat on her feet.

"Oh! Thanks!" she said brightly, "You're so useful!"

"Meh," Inu-Yasha said with a shrug.

He looked a little grumpy, and he took her empty glass from her as a precaution against her dropping it again.

"You _are_," Kagome insisted.

She gave him a playful hug, leaning forward to whisper, "Love ya," to him happily. After a moment, the hanyou caved and put an arm around her in return. She grinned before she pulled back and cupped his cheek with one hand reassuringly.

"Inu-Yasha, I don't want you to worry about this, okay?" she said, "You think Koga's hitting on me, don't you?"

"Well… Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I think," Inu-Yasha said bluntly.

Kagome began to laugh and she kissed the tip of his nose.

"Aw, _Yasha_, no!" she cooed.

She grinned at him as he looked startled.

"Then why the hell does he look at you like that?" he asked.

"It's just 'cause we saved each other, silly!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hands, "You know… it's weird like that, when you save someone's life, you feel a sorta… weird bond? It's just that! That's it. You and I have that, but more, don't we?"

"I… think I understand," the hanyou said slowly.

"Do you?" Kagome asked excitedly.

The boy nodded a little hesitantly.

"Okay," he sighed.

He pulled back and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

_Maybe I shouldn't have made such a big deal. _

He sighed again and was quiet for a moment, trying to think of whether he should he should apologize or not, but as his stomach rumbled (and he couldn't help but think of how typical it was of him), his thoughts turned more to food than of the wolf upstairs. He jerked his head towards the kitchen.

"It's past 6:00, should I order food now?" he asked.

Kagome looked a little surprised by the change in topic, but she smiled at the hanyou brightly.

"Ooh, okay," Kagome said with a vigorous nod, "What were you thinking of?"

"I dunno… Chinese okay?"

"Yum!" the girl laughed, "Okay. Should I ask Koga?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and turned his head towards the staircase.

"Wolf, you like Chinese food?"

"Yeah, sure!" Koga replied.

Inu-Yasha looked to Kagome and shrugged.

"Guess we're good, then," he said, "I'll just order… a lot. No pork?"

Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, I'd prefer not to eat something I can talk to…And now I'll get to work on my stupid poem thing, I guess," she said.

She patted her pockets, not remembering which she had shoved the book she had bought into, and looked down at her jacket when she found it. She jolted to see darkened blood spots on her clothing.

"Gah!" she exclaimed, "Inu-Yasha, why didn't you tell me I had blood on me?"

"It wasn't yours, I wasn't worried," he said blankly.

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point: you of all people should know that _blood stains_, sheesh."

She scrubbed at one of the spots near her pocket with her fingernails and then pulled her jacket off. Inu-Yasha looked at the torn sleeve of her t-shirt in confusion. Kagome noticed his prying gaze, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Used it to bandage Koga's hand," she explained.

"Ah," the hanyou said understandingly.

Inu-Yasha patted her shoulder and then headed to the kitchen. Kagome could hear him rustling through papers on the table where the phone sat: they had ordered Chinese food a few days prior, so the menu was still lying around.

x

Kagome tilted her head at her jacket, supposing that she should wash it and that homework could wait an extra little while. She then wondered if Koga or Inu-Yasha needed any laundry done. She thought that Koga might, because from what she had seen, he didn't have very many clothes. Kagome put her book on the flat part of the railing, and, carrying her jacket over one arm, she bounded back up the stairs. She inspected Inu-Yasha's room for any clothes left on the floor. She found his bloody t-shirt from a few nights before stashed halfway under the bed. She gathered that, along with a few other scattered articles of clothing, and then walked back to the room where Koga was.

_oOoOoOoO_

Upstairs, Koga sat on his bed briefly, unable to stop his tail from wagging. He was unexplainably content, almost unable to believe his luck. He felt very safe around Kagome. He could tell, however, that her hanyou boyfriend was not at all keen on his presence. Koga couldn't blame him, really. He took a deep breath, and swore to himself he'd keep himself quiet and non-confrontational for today. He knew that he could get a bit obnoxious at times, but he was determined to make a good impression on his housemates, even though he knew Inu-Yasha probably wouldn't like him for a while.

x

Sighing, Koga raised his injured hand and rubbed his opposite thumb over the makeshift bandage the girl had wrapped around his wound. He took a deep breath and lifted up a portion of it, eyeing his blood a little hesitantly. He supposed that he should clean it soon.

"Does it hurt?"

Koga looked to the doorway quickly to see Kagome poke her head into the room, a concerned smile on her face.

"Oh, not really," Koga said, "What's up?"

"Laundry," the girl replied, stepping inside and displaying the clothes she was all ready carrying, "Do you have anything that needs a wash?"

She inclined her head and looked at the tan coloured jacket he was wearing a bit sceptically. Koga followed her gaze puzzledly.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, your stuff needs washing," she said, nodding assertively.

"Oh," he said a bit blankly.

x

At Kagome's insistence, he took off his jacket and gave it to her, along with the other clothing he had stashed in his guitar case. Also, after a little bit more of her prodding, he followed her to the basement where she began the wash, and the tour of the house.

x

She showed him around what little there was in the basement apart from the washing machine and dryer, and then the topmost floor, trying to keep out of Inu-Yasha's way as much as possible while he was on the phone. She showed him where each bedroom was, explaining along the way about her younger brother, who was staying elsewhere for the time being. After they headed down to the main floor again, Kagome stopped them at the bathroom, taking a moment to pull out some wrapping bandages, tweezers, and a few damp cloths and place them on the side of the sink.

"I see you intend to go at my hand," the youkai said as he eyed the materials.

Kagome shrugged.

"I know you're a demon, but you'll probably heal in more comfort if we get that bullet out," she explained.

"I'm okay," Koga insisted.

Kagome rolled her eyes and took his hand anyway as she guided him to sit on the closed toilet lid. She unravelled the strip of t-shirt from his hand and winced at the sight of his darkened and swelling flesh. Koga looked at the wound and then glanced away, blushing, as Kagome wiped his blood away with a damp rag.

"Now," she said, plucking the tweezers from the side of the sink, "I'm no professional… and… this will be really gross, but I can pull this thing out."

Koga nodded and looked back at his hand as Kagome lifted it and began to cringe: the bullet was clearly visible now that the blood was cleaned away, though it looked as if it had crushed in on itself when it hit the bone in the back of Koga's hand.

"Yeeeaaah, this is gonna be gross," Kagome mumbled again.

She edged the tweezers close to the wound, and Koga couldn't help but shut his eyes. Kagome bit her lip and, very tenderly, slid the tweezers around the bullet. Koga could feel the cool metal against his skin, and he was surprised to feel no pain until Kagome shakily counted down from three and yanked the crushed bullet from his flesh. He let out a yelp and the bullet was almost immediately clinking in the sink as Kagome wrapped a rag around his hand and then bandaged it tightly with surprising proficiency.

"Getting better at this," she said to herself.

x

She guided the boy from the room by his hand as she tried to comfort his bleeding wound, though as she brought him into the kitchen, she noticed that Inu-Yasha was still on the phone. She whispered a quiet, "hush," to the other youkai and pointed him to the fridge.

"You can take anything you want out of here," she said, "No asking or anything."

Koga nodded and looked a little embarrassed as Kagome continued to drag him by the hand. She also pointed out the cups, dishes, and garbage can were located, and then snuck from the room as Inu-Yasha, who seemed to be trying to finalized the order over the phone, waved to them to leave.

x

Kagome grinned a little shyly as she plopped down onto the sofa in front of the television. Koga followed her and then looked to the kitchen.

"What's he doing?" the youkai inquired quietly.

"He's ordering dinner," Kagome replied brightly.

"Ooh, I see," he said, "Hey, if you'd like me to contribute-"

His sentence fell short as Kagome whacked him on the back of the head scoldingly.

"Don't you start that," she said, "Inu-Yasha has more than enough money for _Chinese food_."

She laughed at the startled look on the demon's face and then gave him a poke on the arm.

"Just think of it like you're the guest, and therefore, you don't need to worry about money or anything," she tried to explain.

Koga stilled looked a bit puzzled, but he nodded.

"Th… Thanks," he said, "…Kagome?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Why are you…? Why are you helping me?" he asked.

Kagome looked at him as if his question baffled her.

"Um… because… you needed help?" she suggested, her eyebrow raised, "And… I dunno!"

She shrugged and then gave him a grin.

"I've never met a demon I didn't like," she joked.

Koga's tail thumped against the couch as the boy smiled, and Kagome looked amused and gazed around him, watching it with a smile on her face.

"That's incredibly entertaining to watch," she said after a moment, "Do you, like… control it… at all?"

She leaned back and looked at Koga curiously. He shrugged and looked back at it himself.

"Sometimes," he said, "But when I'm happy, or… sad, or whatever, it kinda… does stuff automatically."

Kagome nodded as if she was contemplating his words.

"That's really interesting…" she said quietly.

She then looked at Koga with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I've just recently learned about the existence of youkai, so… just about anything about them sort of… fascinates me," she explained.

"Oh, it's no problem," the youkai assured her.

Kagome grinned, and then turned around happily as she heard Inu-Yasha walk into the room behind them. He gave her a cynical smirk, raised an eyebrow as he looked at Koga, and said,

"Oh great, now my place has been usurped."

Koga looked surprised and was about to stand when Inu-Yasha put a hand on his shoulder and roughly shoved him back down.

"I was joking, baka!" he said, rolling his eyes, "My god, can no one take a joke in this house?"

x

The hanyou grinned and plopped down in the armchair to their side, his legs hanging over the side lazily.

"Order anything good?" Kagome asked.

"Everything on the menu, several times over, minus the pork stuff," Inu-Yasha replied before muffling a yawn with his hand.

"Oh?" Koga asked, looking to Kagome with puzzlement.

"I can talk to certain animals, so we've agreed not to eat those ones," the girl explained.

"Mostly just pigs," Inu-Yasha continued.

Koga looked a bit surprised, but he nodded and his gaze went to Kagome again, curious.

"That's really interesting that a human can do that," he said, "Do you… have some sort of… power, or something?"

"She's a miko," Inu-Yasha said a bit absently, "Untrained and… you know, she has no idea what she's doing but she is one."

"It's true, apparently," Kagome said with a shrug as the okami jolted with surprise.

"_Really?_" he asked, his voice raising inquisitively.

Kagome nodded brightly and leaned back before looking to Inu-Yasha with raised eyebrows.

"I should probably start practicing, huh?" she asked, and when Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded, she grinned at him and said, "Maybe I could start with that herbal thing you promised to show me weeks ago."

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.

"Homework?" he asked.

"Bah! That crap can wait. I have all weekend."

"You're such a procrastinator," Inu-Yasha sighed.

"Hey," Kagome protested, "I've just got way more than school to worry about now, okay?"

The hanyou rolled his eyes, but he sat up from his slumped position.

"Okay, fine, but only until the food gets here."

_oOoOoOoO_

It took a little over forty minutes for a young man to arrive with several large, brown paper bags filled with boxes of Chinese food, cutting Inu-Yasha's direction to Kagome a little shorter than she would have liked. The hanyou tipped the deliveryman generously for having to bring so many bags, being careful to shove a hat over his ears before answering the door. As he moved the last bag into the kitchen, he raised his eyebrow at Kagome as she sat at the kitchen table, dissecting another teabag. Koga, who had been watching lazily from across the table for the majority of the time, rested his head on his arms, his tail wagging.

"Look Kag, food's here, why don't you give that stuff a rest?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I want to learn to make that knockout thing you used on me!" she said determinedly.

Koga looked up, startled.

"You knocked _her_ out?" he said, gawking.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and leaned back against the counter.

"Just because she was desperately sick and was too stubborn to get some rest," he said, "She was fine. And I'm _not_ teaching you that yet, Kagome, you'll use it on me."

He sneered at her jokingly and she retaliated by blowing a raspberry at him. The girl then shot a wink at the still traumatized looking Koga.

"It wasn't a big deal, I was only out for a few hours, and it was a very refreshing nap," she assured him, but then narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, "But _still_…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, shrugging.

He turned back and began taking the food from the bags while Koga blew out a relieved sigh and slumped even further down against the table. He was surprised to find himself so worried about the girl across from him. He dropped his forehead to the table only to hear Kagome laugh at him. She reached across from her seat and patted his shoulder affectionately.

"Aww, he's so tired," she cooed.

He grunted and Kagome began to laugh again. She slid out of her chair with her bowl of cut up teabags and placed it on the counter, exchanging it for a plate to have dinner on. She prodded Koga upright to take food first, and then took some herself as Inu-Yasha leaned back against the counter casually. Kagome then escorted Koga from the room to the couches, explaining that they could watch a movie as they ate. Inu-Yasha hung back for an extra moment as he heard a movie begin to play in the other room, casually knocking Kagome's herbs down the drain in the sink before taking dinner himself.

x

When he entered the room, he was a little disappointed to see the couch occupied, but he reclaimed the armchair without complaint, eagerly beginning his almost entirely meat-comprised meal. It seemed as is Kagome had been the only one to take anything along the lines of plant-like. She noticed this as she looked up to give her boyfriend a grin, and then she began to laugh.

"Dogs," she said, shaking her head.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked, stalling as he was about to shove a piece of beef into his mouth.

Koga, too, paused with chopsticks in midair, looking too Kagome curiously. The girl looked between the demons and she laughed harder, rubbing her head.

"Never mind," she said, smiling, "Continue."

Inu-Yasha shrugged and commenced shovelling food into his mouth; Kagome couldn't help but think he always seemed as if he hadn't eaten in days. She gnawed on the corner of a wonton thoughtfully and her eyes traced to Koga curiously. He, too, ate as if frenzied. She couldn't blame him though; he looked a little malnourished.

"Hey," she said, looking between the two boys again, "We need to decide what to do with this guy during the week, huh?"

She jerked her thumb at Koga and he looked up from his plate at the girl, inclining his head curiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked around a mouthful of noodles.

"We go to school during the week," Kagome explained, accompanied by an "ugh" from Inu-Yasha, "So… what can we do with you during the day…? Hmmm…"

"Oh," Koga said, sounding a little startled after he swallowed his food.

He sat back, his heart suddenly beating harder at the prospect of being left alone. He looked a little nervous and his gaze automatically locked on Kagome's pleadingly.

"Um, could I go with you guys?" he asked, his tail wagging hopefully.

"Oh… ah… you'd willingly go to high school?" Kagome inquired with a nervous smile on her face.

Koga shrugged and nodded. Inu-Yasha grimaced, but he couldn't help a sneer as he sat up and placed his now empty plate on the table that was beside the couch.

"You're totally gonna regret saying that," Inu-Yasha stated.

The wolf demon looked a little surprised, but then he shrugged.

"I've never really been to school," he admitted, his tail thumping against the couch, "When my mom was still around, I was home schooled, so I mean… Hey, who knows? This could be fun!"

He looked between Kagome and Inu-Yasha with a grin on his face. Kagome tried not to slap her forehead with her hand and she let out a tired laugh.

"Okay," she said, "School it is."

x

In his chair, Inu-Yasha couldn't help but slump slightly. This new demon was going to follow Kagome around everywhere, wasn't he? But Inu-Yasha didn't know him; he didn't trust him. He held in a small growl of unease and sat up again, looking to Kagome inquisitively.

"You're going to have to make something up for him," he said, "Like you did for me. Any ideas?"

"Not a clue yet," Kagome admitted.

Koga sat back, putting his plate in his lap, and looked at the girl puzzledly.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Normally, classes are all… mixed up, and stuff," she tried to explain, "You don't have the same people in all of your classes. What I did for Inu-Yasha was… well, before I really knew him, I said he was my best friend with a disability… which he pretty much became within a couple of days. So he was allowed to tag along with me to whatever class."

Koga nodded, but he looked a little surprised and turned his gaze on Inu-Yasha.

"What-?"

"I was blind," Inu-Yasha answered immediately.

"Oh…"

Koga looked, abashed, to Kagome.

"Ah… so…" he muttered.

"So, we need a story," she decided, "Something good, that'll get us into the same class… though because you're not, like… wounded or anything, I guess you'll have to be in the boy's gym class."

"I see," said Koga with a nod.

"And papers," Kagome continued, "Fake documents proving your… existence, I guess."

Inu-Yasha let out a reluctant sigh as his girlfriend turned a hopeful gaze on him.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, "Sessho-Maru can handle it."

Koga bit his lip. He cupped his chin, looking thoughtful, and Kagome turned and leaned over the arm of the sofa to stare at Inu-Yasha questioningly.

"Yasha, are we keeping this up?" she asked.

"Keeping what up?"

"The blind thing."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, his ears perking upwards and his eyes widening, "Ah… Yeah, I guess I could. Then I'll still be able to… Yeah, okay. Just hit me if I slip up, or something, right?"

Kagome nodded and extended her hand, and he slapped it in a "high-five". The girl laughed, grinning, putting a smile on the hanyou's face before she turned back to Koga, who still seemed as if he was in deep contemplation.

x

"Soooo…?" she asked, poking his arm.

"Umm… maybe… Cousins?" Koga suggested.

Kagome inclined her head for a moment, pondering the logistics of the situation. Behind her, Inu-Yasha flopped backwards on the armchair again, closing his eyes and saying,

"Probably not."

"Nah, cousins can be split pretty easily," the girl agreed, shaking her head, "Ummm…"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"We can't use the disability one again, Inu-Yasha has that…"

"What about siblings?" Koga asked.

"In the same grade?"

"I dunno, if we were twins or something…"

Kagome looked a bit surprised.

"Twins?" she repeated, "Yeah, that could work. …Are we the same age?"

"I'm fifteen," Koga said with a shrug.

Kagome smiled.

"Me too. When's your birthday?"

"March 13th," the demon replied.

The news left Kagome's mouth agape.

"Wh-What?" he asked, looking a little frightened as if he had accidentally insulted her.

"That's _my_ birthday!" she exclaimed excitedly, "What a ridiculous coincidence!"

Koga blinked at her, at first thinking that she was perhaps playing into the twin act. It took him a few seconds before he realized that she was completely earnest. His eyes grew wide and round, and Kagome began to laugh, holding out her hand to him for a highfive.

"Awesome, awesome, awesome!" she said hurriedly.

The okami slowly grinned and gently smacked her outstretched hand, careful not to overuse his strength.

"If horoscopes are right, we'll barely have to fake this," Kagome said brightly.

Koga's tail began to wag happily and Kagome laughed again, ruffling her "brother's" hair affectionately, unknowingly making Inu-Yasha twitch at the contact.

"Am I going to have to get a uniform?" Koga wondered.

"No, no uniforms at this school this year," Kagome said, trying not to blush shamefully, "Technical difficulties. When we move back to my other school though, probably."

She cringed, though Koga looked a little confused. Inu-Yasha opened his eyes and looked at her inquisitively.

"Have you _ever_ worn the uniform, Kagome?" he asked.

He flipped around to sit on his knees, resting his arms on the side of the chair as his ears twitched curiously.

"I wore it for a bit," she muttered meekly.

Koga looked between the two in puzzlement as a wide and slightly unnerving grin spread across Inu-Yasha's face.

"_What_?" she asked.

"It's so hard to picture," he said, "But once I can… You'd look _good_, but-"

"Ah, shut up," Kagome squeaked, throwing a pillow at the hanyou.

He caught it in one hand and laughed.

"You didn't let me finish," he said, "You'd look good, but it sure as hell doesn't suit you."

"I was completely uncomfortable in it," she said shyly, twirling her hair on her finger, "They let me wear a variation of boys' one. It was much better."

She sighed.

"Did you ever have to?" she asked him.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, but it was really simple. Just… black, pretty much, I didn't mind it. Just wore a t-shirt underneath."

"That's hot," Kagome said jokingly.

Inu-Yasha looked startled for a moment before he burst into laughter.

"_What?_" he said.

"Oh, don't give me that, you totally started it," Kagome said with a grin.

Inu-Yasha shrugged, but didn't avert his eyes from her for another few moments before he said,

"D'you have any pictures?"

Another pillow was hurled at his head. Inu-Yasha laughed and caught it on reflex.

"I'll take that as a no," the boy laughed.

_oOoOoOoO_

The rest of the night progressed fairly quietly, though Inu-Yasha began to notice Koga's habit of following Kagome around like a lost puppy, save for when she entered the bathroom. Inu-Yasha, in turn, was incredibly reluctant to leave the two alone, and so trailed behind. As it got later into the night, and the events of the day finally began to tire out the okami youkai, Inu-Yasha had never been so relieved to see someone go to bed.

The hanyou was a little tired himself, but, once again, his stomach got the better of him. As Kagome, lying on the floor in the living room, peered over her homework in a vain attempt to accomplish something, Inu-Yasha wandered back into the kitchen. He opened the fridge absently, eyeing over the leftover Chinese food. He thought for a moment, but then decided that he probably shouldn't gorge too much. He grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and a bowl and a box of cereal with a tiger on it from the cupboard. He turned with his spoils towards the crowded counter near the phone.

x

As he dumped his cereal into the bowl, he accidentally dropped some of the flakes onto the papers beside him. He mumbled out a "whoops", and tried to pick them back up, but his claw accidentally flipped one of the scattered sheets with phone numbers on it. Beneath it lay a calendar. Curiosity sprung up inside him when he saw that, along with the days, the lunar cycles were also marked on the page. Frowning, he set the carton of milk aside and lifted up the calendar. His eyes went down to the last number on the page, and his heart began to beat heavier. He turned the page to see a black circle marked on the first of October.

"Umm… K… Kagome?" he called, "What… day is it?"

"Umm… the 28th, why?" the girl asked.

Inu-Yasha's heart sunk.

_Why did she have to bring a new youkai home now?_ He whined internally.

He checked the year of the calendar, just in case it was one that was too old, but unfortunately, it was correct. Inu-Yasha bit his lip and, a little numbly, he wandered into the living room, calendar in hand. He stepped over Kagome and plopped down on the couch. She rolled from lying on her stomach to one shoulder in order to look at her stunned looking boyfriend.

"What's up?" she asked.

She looked concerned and she shut her blank notebook as she sat up to look at him with a worried frown on her face.

x

Inu-Yasha held up the calendar and Kagome stared at it, a little unsure of what to make of it.

"Um…" she said blankly.

"The new moon," Inu-Yasha said, "Two days."

Kagome stared at him, squinting.

"Umm…" she repeated, "Oh, was this… that thing… where you-"

"Become human," he said, his claws digging into the paper he was holding.

He looked upset and his ears drooped. Kagome's heart went out to him in an instant.

"Aww! Yasha…" Kagome cooed.

She slid up onto the sofa beside him and put one arm around his shoulders and grasped his hand in hers.

"Hey, it'll be okay," she said, "It's okay, we can-"

"No," Inu-Yasha replied, his ears wilting further, "You gotta get Koga out of the house that night."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Get him… You mean you want me to take him out all night?" she asked, "Don't you think that'll seem odd? I mean, after today, when you wouldn't even let me stay alone with him in the same house as you?"

"Oh… You noticed that, huh?" the hanyou inquired shyly.

"Well, it's hard not to realize when two demons are following you around all day," she said, "But… I don't really understand…"

"I don't want him to know," Inu-Yasha said, "Outside my house, no one knows but you. And I'd like to keep it that way for now. It's… dangerous."

"Aren't you being a little paranoid?" Kagome inquired with a smile.

Inu-Yasha shook his head, his ears drooping again, and he looked to the ground with embarrassment. Kagome stared at him briefly before shrugging, rubbing his shoulder, and kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Hey, whatever will make you feel better," she said, "You can count on me!"

She drew back and saluted him jokingly. He managed a smile and grasped Kagome close to his chest, his ears folding back against his head in shy contentment.

x

They sat quietly for a moment before the hanyou drew back, rubbing a hand across his forehead, thinking that perhaps he shouldn't let himself cower against his girlfriend so often, but instead she clung to him and pulled him back towards her. Now that she was in his arms, she was reluctant to let his reassuring warmth leave her. One look at her face told the boy exactly how she felt. He knew she must've had a stressful day. He was always so surprised by the way she could block out what had happened to her.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Me?" Kagome said, almost laughing, "Oh, I'm fine… It was nowhere near as bad as what happened last week."

"And how's your back?"

"It's good. Thanks."

She yawned, closing her eyes and resting her head against Inu-Yasha's shoulder.

x

He watched the girl doze off quietly, his mind on several things, unsure of what to address first. He sighed and stood, holding the Kagome under her knees and putting an arm around her back to support her as he lifted her up with him. She lay limply in his arms, sleeping quite soundly. Inu-Yasha smiled a little; she could really sleep like a log when she was tired. Quietly, he carried her up the stairs, stepping over her completely _incomplete_ homework as he went.

x

Upstairs, he couldn't help a suspicious glance into Koga's room as he had left the door slightly ajar. Inu-Yasha could clearly see the youkai, asleep soundly. Feeling a little reassured, Inu-Yasha entered Kagome's room and placed her on her bed. He draped a blanket over her and watched her clutch it close. He looked at her fondly, but the blew out a sigh and wandered to the window. Placing his hands on the windowsill, he leaned forward. The sky was clear this night, the waning moon shining silver amongst the stars. Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and he hopped onto the windowsill, folding one leg under him as he leaned back against the frame, his golden gaze turned outwards.

_What the hell am I gonna do_? He wondered.

* * *

A/N: Ooooookay! There's a chapter. Apologies for it's... weakness and the huge amount of time between updates. Again, I wrote this thing in the wee hours of the night when most sane people are asleep, hehehe. Thanks to anyone still reading this! Hope it was semi-enjoyable. =3 And I hope I set it up well for... more stuff to happen! I know it seems a bit... nnggh... filler-ish right now, but it's going to pick up soon. =3

* * *


	42. Uninvited Change

* * *

Chapter 40: Uninvited Change

* * *

The next morning, Kagome awoke earlier than she normally would have, a strange, muted thud prodding her senses. She cringed, more awake than she would have preferred. Her eyes opened to see that the sun had barely begun to creep over the horizon, and she rose up and out of her warm cocoon of blankets. Immediately, her eyes darted to the large, usually empty area of her room to find the carpet surprisingly occupied by a curled up hanyou.

-

Inu-Yasha slept quietly, close to the wall under the window frame, from which he seemed to have flopped rather unceremoniously to the ground. Kagome smiled fondly at him, but couldn't help but roll her eyes. Carefully, she slid her feet out from her blankets and onto the floor and she stood as quietly as she could. She lifted her top comforter up with her and, gently, she laid it overtop of her dozing boyfriend. He made no response but to shift onto his back slightly. Though his ears were pressed back towards his skull, his face was peaceful. Kagome smiled: it was always a relief to see him in a state of calm when he slept. It had been all too often she had seen his expression twisted by nightmares as he slumbered. She quietly squatted down beside him and watched him. She wondered if he was comfortable; she wondered why he had dropped to sleep on the floor.

-

After a moment of silence, Kagome decided that her boyfriend would probably be more comfortable on the bed itself rather than nestled against the carpet. And if history was any indication, if she decided to wake him to move him, she was sure he would swiftly fall asleep again.

The girl laid a hand against his back and leaned in close.

"Yasha? Hey, Inu-Yasha? Dude?" she whispered, "Inu-Yaaaasshaaaa."

It took a moment, but Kagome could soon see Inu-Yasha's eyelids begin to flutter. Soon gold shimmered back at her as his eyes opened to slits. His expression blank, he blinked at her silently before he cringed, stretched a little, and then gave her a sleepy smile.

"K'gome…" he mumbled, "Oh… hi."

Kagome grinned at him and patted his head gently.

"Hey," she said, "You don't need to wake up a whole lot or anything. I just thought maybe you'd be more comfortable on my bed."

"Hmm?" he said, sounding puzzled, "I'm not on a bed…?"

"No," Kagome chuckled, "You're on the floor."

"Oh…"

He smiled in embarrassment and, slowly, he sat upright, still looking completely groggy.

"Woo… I'm tired," he said.

"I know," Kagome said.

She put an arm around him as a guide and helped him upright.

"When did you get to sleep?" she asked.

"Umm… dunno," he said, "Five… something… morning."

He yawned and Kagome smiled at him.

"Stupid," she said.

She took him to the bed and allowed him to flop over again. As Kagome had thought, he was asleep upon hitting the mattress. The girl held in a laugh and she rolled her facedown hanyou onto his side and pulled her blankets up around him again. She ruffled his hair softly. She didn't expect him to be up for another few hours at least, so she knelt, kissed his forehead, and then straightened again. She closed the curtains in front of the window before she turned and headed from the room.

-

Stretching, Kagome peered absently into Koga's room. She could see his tail hanging over the edge of the bed slightly and, to her surprise, Buyo was draped across was seemed to be the boy's feet. Kagome was a little startled: Buyo hadn't been around the house to be introduced to Koga, so she found it a little odd that he had warmed up to him enough to warm up his feet. The girl might have made some noise of puzzlement, but it was drowned out in a yawn as she stretched her arms high above her head.

-

A little unsure of what to do with herself, Kagome headed down the stairs groggily. Arriving on the ground floor, she wandered into the kitchen to check the time on the stove, only to find several overturned bowls on the countertop. Kagome's eyebrows rose with confusion and she approached one and turned it over. Underneath it was a large plate of pancakes. She stared at it for a moment, surprised, before she put the bowl back down and lifted the one to its right to reveal a plate with omelette on it. A napkin tucked under the left side of the plate with the words "couldn't sleep," scribbled onto it as an explanation automatically sent Kagome's mind to her hanyou.

"So he decided to make breakfast," Kagome mumbled to herself.

She smiled a little, and then placed the bowl over the eggs again. She'd wait for him to get up before eating.

-

Finally, Kagome cast a glance at the clock on the stove, only to see that it was barely 6 o'clock in the morning. She sighed in annoyance, though she tried not to yawn as she realized how sleepy she was. She stood, staring blankly in silence for a moment as the gears in her groggy mind spun, trying to decided whether to go back to bed or not. It took her the greater part of three minutes to decide to try to approach her homework once more.

-

She wandered into the living room and scooped her notebook and pencil up. She stared at her blank work pages with an equally vacant stare. She blinked and shook her head swiftly as if trying to shake some sense back into her brain.

_Too tired, bleh_, she thought.

She plopped down onto the couch lazily, sighed, and then stared down at her empty page for a few moments. She lifted her pencil and tapped it against the side of her page absently for a moment. She was able to scrawl out a sentence and a half before she completely lost both her train of thought and her interest in productivity. Again, she was at a loss for what to do, and was about to turn the television on when the phone began to ring in the kitchen. Kagome was still for a moment before she reluctantly stood to pick up the phone on its fourth ring.

-

"Hello?" she asked blearily into the phone.

"Kagome, sweetie, how are you?" replied the voice of Kagome's mother.

Kagome was almost surprised to hear her. She leaned back against the counter where the phone normally sat and rubbed her head.

"Oh!" She said, "Mom, hi! …Where are you?"

"Where?" the woman repeated, "Oh! I'm sorry, is it too early again?"

"Mmhmm," Kagome replied sleepily, trying not to yawn, "What, are you in a different time zone or something?"

"You could say that," she replied quietly.

She seemed almost embarrassed.

"Kagome…" she muttered, "I'm sorry. I promise, I'll explain _everything _when we get home, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome said playfully, "You better. So, what's up?"

"Just calling to check in," the woman replied, "How are you? How's school? How's Sota?"

"All good, I think," Kagome said cheerfully, though despite this, one hand unconsciously went to her lower back, "Sota and I are fine, and school is… better."

"And your math?"

"My friend's been sorta tutoring me."

"Oh!" her mother said brightly, "Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah."

She smiled sheepishly.

"He seems so nice!" the woman cooed, "He's still with you?"

"Yeah, of course," Kagome said, unable to stop pink flushing her cheeks, "Why?"

"To be honest, I'm glad. I was worried about you."

"Worried?" Kagome asked.

She frowned, puzzled.

"Well, yes," her mother said quietly, "Despite what Ji-Chan says, I'm glad there's someone staying with you… I heard… I mean, I saw… in the news, on the Internet, that there was the first shooting in Tokyo in a long time. A girl your age was injured. Did you hear about that? Did you know her?"

Kagome was silent for a moment. She didn't know whether to laugh or not. She let out a wavering sigh and bit her lip.

"You know," she lied, "I really don't know too much about it."

Kagome heard her mother let out a small sigh.

"_Kagome_," she said, a nagging tone to her voice.

The girl knew her mother could see through her fib. She winced and said,

"Don't even worry, mom. We can talk about this when you get back, okay?"

"Kagome-!" the woman began, but Kagome cut her off with a quiet laugh.

"It can be like a trade, okay?" she insisted.

She leaned forward and stretched, flexing her back until it cracked as her mother said,

"But Kagome…"

She sighed, but then let out a quiet laugh.

"I suppose it's only fair, isn't it?" she admitted, "All right. Be careful, okay sweetie? I have to go now."

"What?" Kagome said, surprised by the suddenness, "Oh… Okay, I will. Bye mom."

-

The girl hung up the phone tiredly after her mother gave her a heartfelt "goodbye". She put a hand to her brow and let out a sigh. She wished that she knew what was going on with her mother, and she also desperately wished to vent to her. Her mother's mentioning of the shooting made her think back to the time in the forest. Her body gave an involuntary shudder and she slumped back against the counter. It was a strange sensation, to think back about her time in the hospital. She had been _shot,_ for god's sake!

_And it was in the news…_ she thought, biting her lip, _Of course it was. How could it not be? There hasn't been a recorded shooting in a few years…_

Her hand went to her forehead and she gulped, overwhelmed.

_Okay, so… I've been living with a demon, got chased and shot at, got shot in the back, have taken in a second demon after falling completely in love with the first one and… holy shit._

"Okay," she said decisively to herself, "Great, my life makes no sense."

She was almost tempted to wake Inu-Yasha up and whine to him about how her life had completely tumbled into some nonsensical fantasy story, but she swiftly decided against it: it wasn't "fantasy" for him. He wasn't human.

-

Again, Kagome's mind spun.

_I am living with demons_, she thought, _I am in love with a demon._

Kagome let out a loud, huffing sigh and clasped both hands to her forehead. Still feeling stunned, she numbly made her way to the sofa in the next room and plopped down heavily onto the cushions.

"My brain," she whined.

She lowered her hands and leaned her head back. Perplexed as she was, Kagome was also in awe. There was still so much for her to learn about what was going on. She'd ask Inu-Yasha later. Perhaps Koga had some answers as well.

_oOoOoOoO_

Upstairs, the wolf in question was finally beginning to stir, albeit reluctantly. It had been years since he had had the luxury of sleeping in such a comfortable bed. As he began to drift into consciousness, his eyes opening to slits in the dark, his groggy mind had issues piecing together his whereabouts for a full three minutes. The scent of a human girl and another youkai triggered his memory after a while and, feeling reassured, he slowly pushed himself upright and stretched his back all the way down to his tail. It was a good feeling.

-

As he shifted his foot beneath him, he felt an unfamiliar weight flop away from him. Curiously, Koga looked across the bed, only to see a large cat lying, asleep, where his feet had been.

_I didn't know there was a cat here_, he mused.

He smiled a little when the creature huffed and flailed his paws a little.

-

Koga slipped out of bed, brushing his dishevelled black hair from his face. He was contented by the feeling of soft carpet on his feet. It had been such a long time… He really _did_ need to thank Kagome again: how kind of her to take a complete stranger into her home when he was down on his luck.

_I guess we really are in the same boat, though_, he thought, _If these two are being hunted as well_.

The thought of the previous day's events made him cringe and he raised his cloth-bound hand to look at it with a frown. Cautiously, he lifted up the cloth to peek underneath. The wound, previously blackened and swollen, was now merely a raw, scraped looking circle on the back of his hand. His tail lifted and began to wag as relief took him. He felt _good_ in this house. He even felt as if he were healing more quickly than he normally would have been. Feeling a bit more confident, he ran his thumb-claw across the top of the bindings, smoothly slitting them in half. The underside of the bandages were still dyed red with blood and some of the colour had stained his skin around the wound.

-

Cloth in hand, Koga left his room and walked to where Kagome had shown him the bathroom. Inside, he found a small trash basket near the toilet: he tossed the soiled bandages away and then approached the sink. He ran warm water over his wound, rubbing away some of the dried blood with the fingers on his opposite hand until he was convinced that everything was fairly clean. As he grasped a towel to dry his hand, he felt a small twinge of pain spark from the wound. He winced, paused, and then returned the towel to its hanger before he left the room.

-

As Koga walked into the hallway, he began to feel an unusual chill; a sense of foreboding that he couldn't make sense of. Frowning, he cast a glance around the hallway, almost reluctant to move from his spot. He felt as if he was being watched. Unnerved, Koga quietly sniffed for the whereabouts of Kagome and as soon as he found that she was downstairs, he hurried down to join her. Her presence reassured him.

-

He found Kagome slumped tiredly, her eyes closed, against the back of the sofa, and as he approached her, Koga was almost startled to feel all apprehension lift away from him as he got within about five feet of her. Unsure of himself, he stalled in his tracks and took a small step backwards. The feeling that had twisted his gut re-emerged instantly, and, in fear, he darted closer to Kagome. Again, the fear faded. Koga was puzzled. Curious, he repeated this several times. Each instance had an intense unease set in upon moving away from the girl, but as he moved closer, he felt shielded; protected.

_Very… Very weird…_ he thought shakily, _It's almost… as if there's some actual… barrier around her._

Quietly, Koga hopped and landed, crouched, on the arm of the sofa beside Kagome.

"Hey," he said.

Kagome's eyes shot open and she leaned back, blinking at Koga with surprise.

"Oh! Good morning," she said, "Wow. You look different with your hair down."

She smiled at him as he looked a little embarrassed.

"How long have you been there?"

"Just a little while," Koga said.

He sat back and stretched out his legs, then tilted his head to look at Kagome.

_They said, yesterday… That she's a miko. Could that be why…?_

He was quiet for a while, while Kagome looked at him with puzzlement.

"Kagome?" he asked, "Can you, like… Can you put up force fields, or something?"

"Force fields?" Kagome repeated.

She sat up a bit and stared at the youkai, one eyebrow raised in puzzlement.

"I mean… I may have put up a barrier thing, once, but… Why do you ask?"

Koga looked thoughtful. Could that have been what the strange feeling was?

"Well…" he muttered, trying to explain, "When I was across the room, I felt… really nervous, like I was being watched or something, but when I got closer to you, it was like… that was gone. It felt…"

He paused and suddenly looked embarrassed, though Kagome looked surprised. The girl felt a pang of worry in her chest and she leaned towards Koga on her knees.

"Why did you feel worried?" she asked.

"I'm… uh…" Koga began, but, with a sinking feeling in her gut, Kagome got up from the sofa and peeked through the window near the front door.

Koga strained to look after her and stood to follow.

-

Kagome bit her lip, holding back the curtains of the window with one hand, her gaze cautiously roaming around the road. She saw nothing suspicious but a car vacant parked across the street. For a moment, she stared at it, wondering if it was more than it seemed, but her suspicions were automatically swayed as she spotted a legitimately odd vehicle creeping down the road.

"Shit," she whispered as a familiar, nauseous feeling took her.

The paint was dark and the make small, almost like an unmarked police car, but Kagome could feel something more sinister behind the lightly tinted windows. She took a step back with fear, only to bump against Koga, who had pressed up behind her to follow her gaze. Quickly, she shut the drapes and darted around him, and he looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Was it-?"

"It's them," she said swiftly, "Um… Upstairs!"

She scurried up the stairs and to the door of her room, and pointed vaguely in the direction of a hall closet as Koga followed her.

"Binoculars," she stated before she darted into her room.

-

Inside, Inu-Yasha was still asleep, and quickly, Kagome knelt to him and nudged him.

His eyelids parted groggily, though Kagome didn't even have to explain what was happening; the urgency in her scent roused him immediately.

The hanyou sat upright swiftly, shaking his head as if to rid himself of sleep, and then turned his gaze upon Kagome with concern.

"Tell me," he said.

"They're outside," she replied.

She took his hand, only now realizing that her own was trembling.

-

Meanwhile, Koga, the feeling of unease setting in again, hurriedly opened the closet Kagome had pointed him to. He had half-expected it to be a linen closet due to its proximity to the bathroom, but inside he found a few baskets filled with old toys and gadgets on the floor. The top of the closet had a shelf that had yet more junk on it.

-

Gazing around quickly, Koga did not see the aforementioned binoculars at first, though after a moment he noticed what might have been the neck strap poking out near a torn baseball cap on the top shelf. Quickly, he grabbed it and pulled it free, only to find it was a very old camera case. Biting his lip, Koga dropped the case down amongst the junk on the floor and scoured the top shelf again. When he didn't see them, he looked below. The gleam of a lens caught his attention in the basket against the right wall. He grasped the plastic around it and, to his relief, these _were_ the binoculars Kagome had asked for.

-

He twirled, closing the closet swiftly and headed to the room Kagome had entered. As he did, the girl emerged, Inu-Yasha, now fully awake, bristling and ears perked, very close behind her. He barely acknowledged Koga as he handed the binoculars off to Kagome.

"Thanks," she said quickly.

She scampered back down the stairs, clutching the item in her hands tightly. Koga let out a flustered sigh and Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at him.

"Still here, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah… Yeah," Koga replied tiredly.

The hanyou normally would have made some sort of joke, but he realized now was not the time. In an instant, he was over the railing again and on the ground floor behind Kagome. Koga quickly followed.

-

Kagome was up near the window again, Inu-Yasha behind her as if to hold her steady if the time came. Koga edged up close to them and Inu-Yasha almost unconsciously put a protective arm around Kagome's waist. She was shaking.

"Kagome…?" the hanyou asked quietly.

He tilted his head and looked at her with concern.

"I'm fine," she muttered.

She raised the binoculars cautiously.

"Do you… think they can see us?" Koga asked nervously.

"No, they're not looking yet," Kagome replied, "I just… I _need _to see what the hell they're doing…"

"If they try to get in here…" Inu-Yasha growled, a threatening edge to his voice.

Kagome couldn't help a small smile.

"My hero," she joked weakly, "I think… for now we're okay, just…"

She trailed off and raised the binoculars to her eyes.

-

Inu-Yasha watched, silent, his gaze shifting between Kagome and the strange car, which had now stopped a little ways down the road, near a fire hydrant. He could clearly see two heads in the car, and some odd machines that he couldn't quite figure out.

-

Kagome, on the other hand, could see into the back of the car with a fair amount of clarity. Through the magnifying lenses, she could see a strange device that looked almost like a typical radar-scope one could often see in movies. A line rotated on a center axis as if trying to detect some sort of signal. Kagome looked confused.

"Yasha…" she said after pondering for a moment, "Switch on the radio…?"

Inu-Yasha looked reluctant to move, but before he did, Koga stuck up his hand.

"I'll do it, hang on," he said.

As he stepped away, however, Kagome suddenly saw, on the strange scope, a spike across its surface. She also saw the two men jump. She tensed, as did Inu-Yasha, who wrapped both arms around her securely.

"Koga, come back!" Kagome hissed.

Koga stalled and doubled back, looking at Kagome with wide eyes.

-

As the demon returned, Kagome saw the spike fade into nothing. She lowered her binoculars and frowned.

"It… can't be…" she muttered.

"What can't be?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Well, their thingy… It just…"

She fell silent again and swiftly raised her binoculars as she heard their engine start.

"Koga, step away and then come back again?" she asked.

Koga did as he was bid and Kagome saw the same thing happen once more. Her heart began to pound and Inu-Yasha held her even closer against his chest.

"Kagome?" he asked worriedly.

"They… oh, fuck…" she cursed.

She lowered the binoculars.

"I think they can track youki," she said.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked, startled.

He looked to Koga, who, in turn, looked completely stunned.

"When Koga steps away from me, their machine lights up," she breathed, "Yasha… Yasha, you try it."

"What? Kagome, that's stupid," he growled.

"I need to see how well their stuff works!" she insisted, "If they can track you, then… then…!"

She sounded panicked. Inu-Yasha sighed.

"Okay, okay, fine."

Reluctantly, he released her and took a few steps back. Kagome waved him further and he went as far as the kitchen, but the girl saw no change in their machinery. She let out a relieved sigh.

"Okay," she said, "It can't see Inu-Yasha… But Koga…"

She looked at the okami with a frown.

"You and I, we need to stick together," she said, "Until we figure out what the hell that is."

Koga nodded slowly, though neither of them saw Inu-Yasha's "oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," expression as he returned from across the room.

"So what do we do?" the hanyou asked gruffly, "Get rid of these guys?"

Kagome looked thoughtful.

"Maybe…" she mumbled, "No one like us around here can be safe if they have _that…_"

"They'll have more…" Inu-Yasha grumbled.

Kagome turned her head to look at him with a confused frown.

"But… it's gotta be new, right? They didn't have that before, did they? Or they'd have found… more?"

"I… yeah, I guess," Inu-Yasha replied.

Koga blinked at Kagome, puzzled, and nervously edged closer to her.

"What…? Guys, seriously, what…?" he said, shaking, "How much do you guys know about this? What's going on?"

Kagome drew in a shallow breath and turned her head back to look at Inu-Yasha questioningly.

"You know… I… don't really know too much either," she admitted.

-

There was a moment of silence as Koga and Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha expectantly. The hanyou frowned.

"_What?_" he asked.

"You… seem to know the most," Koga said.

"And we… are puzzled," Kagome continued.

Inu-Yasha's frown deepened and he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, seriously, not the time," he said, "We deal with this first. Then I'll tell you what I know. But I warn you, it won't be much more than what you guys do."

"We should call your brother," Kagome suggested.

The hanyou grimaced.

"Later, damn it," he huffed.

He jabbed a finger towards the window.

"We have to take care of-"

Inu-Yasha was cut off as Kagome let out a loud, panicked yelp. The machine had begun to react again. Kagome pointed and grabbed Koga's arm, yanking him closer.

"It's… oh shit, what is that?" Kagome demanded, pointing through the window desperately.

"It's not me!" Koga said a little shrilly.

Kagome was at a loss while Inu-Yasha frowned, unable to keep his heart from starting to race a little. He was about to suggest a minor retreat to the upstairs to try to come up with a plan to wreck their opponent's equipment as quickly as possible, but his train of thought became slightly derailed as Kagome let out another gasp. A second vehicle, dark blue this time, had crept into view and a man had stepped from the front door. Inu-Yasha didn't recognize the man by sight, but his scent was familiar. Kagome, on the other hand, knew him automatically. The new arrival was her neighbour, the man she had given "apology muffins" to a few days prior.

-

Kagome felt her heart pounding as she watched her neighbour approach the side of the car, and she saw the machine's reader spike.

"How is that… possible…?" she muttered aloud.

Though the two demons were unsure as to what Kagome was talking about, the three watched, stunned, as the man, looking nervous and pale approached the other car's driver side and bent down. They heard (with varying degrees of clarity) the man politely asking if the men in the unnerving black vehicle could move their car. They were blocking his driveway.

Kagome's neighbour backed up shakily as the driver's side door opened. The man who emerged was rather tall, dressed in dark clothes, and was wearing sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had barely begun to rise. He asked something under his breath, and they saw the other man stare blankly back as if stunned.

"Pardon?" he replied rather loudly, though before either he, or the teens observing cautiously from afar could react, the man in the sunglasses drew closer and hit him in the gut.

The man bent forward and crumpled, stunned, and was promptly hurled into the back of the car.

-

Kagome couldn't help but let out a yelp of shock and Koga clung to her arm with an unusually shrill, "Oh God!"

The girl bolted from Inu-Yasha's grip, unwittingly dragging the wolf demon behind her as she rushed for the front door, throwing it back only to see the black car speeding away. Her neighbour's blue vehicle was left spluttering in the street behind them.

Kagome felt her mouth run dry and she looked to Koga. He stared back at her and gulped.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Go after them."

Kagome whirled, spinning Koga, to see Inu-Yasha behind them, a grave look on his face. He was all ready grasping his sword and sheath tightly in one hand as if ready to give chase immediately.

"Wait, what?" Koga asked, unconsciously edging closer to Kagome.

"This obviously isn't just our problem anymore," Inu-Yasha growled.

He stepped closer to Kagome, taking her by the shoulder and guiding her further inside while, at the same time, steering her away from the wolf demon, who continued to follow anyway.

"Listen," he said to her, gripping her reassuringly, "Grab something to protect yourself. A knife, or… whatever. Quick, okay?"

Kagome nodded stiffly and hurried up the stairs to her room, and Inu-Yasha turned his gaze on Koga.

"You're fast, right?" he demanded, "Wolf demons… are fast, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty fast," the youkai replied, "Why?"

The hanyou was quiet for a moment, pondering, before he nodded to himself.

"I think I have an idea," he admitted.

He inclined his head and gave the other demon a slightly cynical smirk.

"You… really haven't been exposed to this shit too much, have you?" he asked.

"Not for a few years, no," Koga admitted, seeming almost shy about the fact.

"Lucky," Inu-Yasha remarked quietly.

He turned his gaze up to the stairs where Kagome had gone and then back to Koga. It was lucky that all of them had ended up sleeping in their normal clothing: it could prove to save quite a bit of time.

-

Inu-Yasha hooked Tetsusaiga onto the belt on his jeans as Kagome scurried back down the stairs, the binoculars now hanging around her neck, pulling her overly-large boots on awkwardly as she went.

_Don't fall_, the hanyou thought, trying not to cringe; to his relief, Kagome made it to the bottom of the stairs without tripping and displayed a large pocket knife in her hand.

"Good enough?" she asked, sounding a little out of breath.

Inu-Yasha nodded and then headed for the back door, beckoning the others to follow. Kagome and Koga followed quickly.

-

The hanyou exited the house via the sliding glass door at the back and stood on the back lawn expectantly. Kagome hurried to his side and grasped his hand, her face a picture of anxiety.

"Okay, what do we do?" she asked swiftly, "I thought I heard you say you had an idea?"

"He did," Koga confirmed quickly, looking at Inu-Yasha hopefully.

The hanyou nodded and looked between the two with a hard stare.

"No arguing though, we have no time," he said, "Koga. You're fast. We're using you as bait."

"Wh… What?" he demanded.

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome exclaimed almost disapprovingly, but Inu-Yasha merely rolled his eyes.

"Relax. They won't catch you. And if they do, I'm strong enough to save your ass. But it doesn't matter," he said, "You run across rooftops. They detect you: they follow you thinking they get to make two catches in one day. You lead them into the woods; Kagome and I take them out, steal their equipment and save the random guy. It's pretty simple."

Kagome bit her lip and looked to Koga. The plan _was_ simple, and they had next to no time. The okami stood, a little stunned, taking in Inu-Yasha's words. His gaze flitted to Kagome, the desperate look on her face making him feel a little guilty for even thinking of not participating.

"You think I can do it?" he asked her.

Kagome was quiet for a moment. She didn't want to pressure Koga into risking his life, but she realized that they _did_ need his help.

"You were fast enough to dodge most of the bullets yesterday," she said softly after a few seconds.

Inu-Yasha inclined his head, looking impatient, and the other youkai looked back at him, a surprisingly determined look on his face. He stuck a hand in his pocket and quickly fished out what looked like a string of some sort, and he swiftly used it to tie his hair back and out of his face.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll kick their asses too. No problem."

Kagome's gaze automatically brightened and she looked to Koga excitedly, and then to Inu-Yasha. Before she had time to ask any more questions, Inu-Yasha had whisked her up onto his shoulders and leapt up and onto the roof. Kagome gulped back her shock and held onto the boy's shoulders as Koga jumped up to join them.

-

From above, they could see some of the streets around them. Since they were still within the residential areas, the streets were clear at such an early hour. It must have been a convenient time for an abduction, but it would be just as easy to perform a rescue and possibly blow up a car without witnesses. Inu-Yasha was swiftly able to point out the black vehicle a few blocks away. It was parked at the side of the road for some reason. They saw a new man, dressed similar to the driver, emerge from the back seat and then get in the passenger's side door before the car began to drive again. Kagome felt panic hit her, and thus so too did Inu-Yasha. He looked back at her worriedly as she put a hand to her mouth.

"God…" she whispered, "What if… What if they've killed him…?"

"Don't think like that!" Inu-Yasha barked.

"I don't smell any blood," Koga put in, trying to be reassuring.

Kagome sighed and thumped her forehead against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Okay," she muttered.

She flipped her binoculars around her neck so they didn't jab into the hanyou's back. Inu-Yasha gave her a weak, but slightly encouraging smile, and then gripped her a little more tightly before casting his gaze around.

He noticed that, not to far from where they were, was what appeared to be a forest jogging trail. It was near to the cliff where another one of the government agents had rather gruesomely met his end a few weeks prior. Inu-Yasha gulped, uneasy at the thought, but he put it aside and looked towards the trail.

"We'll lead them back there, okay?" he said, "It looks pretty secluded."

"Okay," Koga agreed.

With a nod of approval, Inu-Yasha was off and running, Kagome clinging to him tightly, treading lightly across the rooftops at a safe distance from the car they were pursuing.

_oOoOoOoO_

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Koga leapt into the air as well, his eyes locked on his target. Wind rushing past his ears, he tried to calm his racing pulse. He imagined he was back in the forest, as he had been for years; he imagined he was on the hunt. Tactical thinking was required.

Koga ran, regulating his breathing, and forcing himself to think more like the wolf that he had been. With his falling footsteps, his body fell back into what felt like a more normal rhythm. He felt very aware; it felt good. He didn't even need to tear his eyes away from his new prey to know that Inu-Yasha and Kagome had taken a perch far enough away to not be noticed, but close enough to see everything that was going on.

He grinned a little to himself. They would be a good pack. And this would be a good hunt.

_oOoOoOoO_

On a slightly higher roof of a two-storied house, Inu-Yasha crouched on the balls of his feet as if ready to spring, one hand holding Kagome up and the other lightly positioned on Tetsusaiga, his clawed fingers tracing the hilt cautiously. He could feel the sword give off a pulse that matched his. It reassured him a little. Kagome was breathing a little heavily: she was still getting used to the speed of their travel. She pulled her binoculars from around her neck and stared into the distance, shakily locking her gaze on the government vehicle. She couldn't see her neighbour in the car. Her stomach sunk and she gulped. She lowered the binoculars and squinted to see Koga, almost a blur, speeding towards the car.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Who?" Inu-Yasha replied.

"Koga."

"The wolf? Yeah, sure. See how fast he is?"

As if to emphasize the point, in the distance Koga became almost invisible for a moment, too fast for Kagome to see at all before reappearing on a roof directly beside the car, not even missing a beat as he continued to run. He seemed to be forcibly slowing himself.

_They have to have picked up on him by now… _Kagome thought.

_oOoOoOoO_

Treading lightly, his eyes locked on the strange youki-reading device, Koga drew in closer to the car, watching as the visual display began to show peaked readings once more. There was a new colour on the equipment now: a red as opposed to green, which now seemed a bit more permanent as it locked on the man they had abducted. Now they had detected _him_.

_I guess I should be glad this is working_, he thought.

He kept pace alongside the car, jumping effortlessly from one roof to another until he felt confidant enough to spring the trap.

-

Leaping high into the air, Koga forced himself to the ground heavily, one foot before the other. He landed with the echoing sound of a boulder impacting the earth, the pavement splintering and the ground caving a little under the force. The car before him jerked to an uncomfortable stop as he straightened until he could see both men in the car clearly, unphased by the crater at his feet.

-

Koga saw the man in the passenger's seat reach for something at his side and Koga, feeling a little bolder, kicked the front of the car lightly. It jerked and rolled back a few feet, a deep dent sunk into the front of the hood.

"Come on then, douchebags, keep up," the wolf taunted.

He jumped up the side of the building on the other side of the road; he didn't need to turn to know he was now being followed. The screeching of tires behind him told him right away. Koga felt his heart begin to race with sudden panic, but he forced himself to keep it "slow". His pursuers weren't allowed to lose him.

_oOoOoOoO_

On the other rooftop, Inu-Yasha stood carefully, letting Kagome re-establish her grip on him while trying not to appear surprised at the strength of Koga's landing. The human on his back, however, was gawking.

"Did you see that?" she squeaked, "Oh man…"

She clung to the hanyou's shoulders tightly as he nodded. He watched as Koga, keeping close to the road and the car, sped back in the direction he had come, letting the car keep pace, though not entirely without struggle on their part. Inu-Yasha smirked a little despite his unease. These ridiculous secret-government types were far too easy to bait.

-

As Koga sped by on a rooftop parallel to theirs, Inu-Yasha decided it was time to follow.

"We're going," he warned Kagome, who clung even more tightly before he sprung from his perch to follow the other youkai.

Kagome braced herself against his back, her pulse rushing. She gulped, worried, and peered to her right to fix her gaze spitefully on the black car that now pursued Koga.

_You're not getting away with this_, she thought angrily.

-

They followed the wolf demon, watching as he effortlessly bounced from rooftop to rooftop, even switching sides of the road; the gap over it was like nothing to him. Inu-Yasha quickened his pace, his eyes locked on his destination of the woods. Kagome, on the other hand, had her gaze firmly fixated on the black car. She still desperately hoped to be able to spot her neighbour. She needed to know they weren't too late.

-

Inu-Yasha, too, was worried. It sickened him to think he may have accidentally drawn another innocent into his own hellish mess. Whether the man was a hidden demon or not had no pertinence: he wouldn't have been abducted if the organization had not been looking for Inu-Yasha. The hanyou's ears drooped and he pushed himself faster. They were nearly at the jogging trail, as was Koga. The wolf would probably reach it in a few moments.

_oOoOoOoO_

Koga, ignoring the panicked pounding of his heart, dropped to the road and rushed, excited to see the comforting tree line before him. He sped into the shadows of the forest, cringing as he heard the roar of the engine behind him and the tires violently crushing the branches on the ground. Following closely, the black car rumbled after him, rocking slightly on the now uneven ground, though it was keeping up surprisingly well. Koga whipped by some trees and he skidded to a halt in the clearing Inu-Yasha had pointed out, whipping up dust and leaves behind him in a billowing trail. He whirled to face the car, which was still speeding towards him, and saw the man in the passenger's side raise his arm, brandishing something before him towards the window of the car. Koga leapt straight up as he heard a shot being fired. He looked down as he rose upwards to see the car skidding sideways as the driver hurried to try to avoid running into a tree.

-

Suddenly, something silver shot through Koga's gaze, rushing past him towards the trees. His heart stalled for an instant and he tried to follow it with his eyes only to pick out, to his relief, Inu-Yasha, land with perfect balance on one of the highest branches that still had strength. He placed Kagome there and turned back to Koga within an instant, shouting,

"Smash the front of it!"

Koga was stunned for a moment, but then he nodded and stopped his climb to, instead, force a fall. He concentrated, locking his eyes on his target: the hood of the car. The vehicle was now speeding, backwards, around the clearing as if the people inside were trying to get a straight shot at the creatures above them.

-

Koga felt his blood begin to race again. His brain automatically switched from flight to fight and he felt the sudden need to destroy those on the ground.

_End them…_

They were an evil force invading the forest. It could not be tolerated.

_End them. End them._

He was getting closer. The edges of his vision were getting blurry. All he could discern was the moving black of the hood.

_End them. End them. End them._

He pitched forward and readied his claws as well.

_END THEM!_

_-_

Koga slammed into the hood of car, crippling it instantly, the pressure popping each front tire off and sending them ricocheting away as the front end tipped forward and crushed itself into the dirt. His claws tore easily through the metal body and it groaned and splurted its internal fluids from the wounds. Koga glanced up to see white as the airbags exploded behind the windshield, cracking the glass and possibly the necks of the humans within. Then there was silence.

-

Koga felt a rush of triumph. A small, disbelieving grin spread across his face. He let out a weak, relieved laugh, and called,

"H…. Hey! Kagome, Inu-Yasha! I did it, I-!"

"Get away!" Kagome suddenly yelled, sounding terrified.

He looked up quickly, stunned, just in time to see Kagome, scrambling down from the tree and Inu-Yasha rushing towards him before he was blasted backwards. A sudden pain shot through him from his chest and an unbearable screeching began in his head as he slammed heavily back into the grass. He could barely breathe. The sound was unbearable. It was scrambling his thoughts, his vision… He couldn't move. He couldn't _think. _

_-_

"Koga!" Kagome shrieked.

Before her, the man from the driver's seat of the car shakily emerged, a gun in one hand and some sort of short blade in the other. She could see Koga, laying stiffly on the ground, bleeding and twitching, his gaze disturbingly blank. The girl's heart thudded in her chest. Kagome ran, though, needless to say, Inu-Yasha was faster. The silver blur before her whisked Koga away, tossing the other demon to safety amongst the trees, though the okami rolled and landed stiffly on his side. Kagome now had her gaze locked determinedly on the man with the weapons. He stalled, startled, his eyes unable to follow the hanyou's movements. In his distraction, Kagome rushed him, intending to tackle him to the ground. However, before she could make contact, she was whisked away and deposited near Koga. Dazed, Kagome looked up to see Inu-Yasha stand as the other man whirled on them.

"Help the wolf," he ordered.

Kagome stared, stunned, as Inu-Yasha rushed the other man. The human raised his gun and fired without hesitation.

-

Inu-Yasha quickly veered, changing his direction just enough to not be hit with the bullet, and he tackled the man to the ground, his claws puncturing his shoulders. The man, grimacing, raised the blade swiftly, nicking Inu-Yasha's neck before he raised his gun again. Swiftly, Inu-Yasha jumped away from the man, and he pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

_I can't be hit by that,_ he thought, baring his fangs slightly, _If it did that to the wolf…_

The man fired again and Inu-Yasha raised the blade, sideways, and it enlarged swiftly. The bullet deflected off the flat of the blade and sped away, imbedding itself into a tree.

-

Meanwhile, Kagome had gotten beside Koga and flipped him onto his back. His entire body was shaking and his eyes were blank and a deep, unnerving red. Kagome was terrified for a moment that his eyes were, in fact, bleeding, but she recalled seeing Inu-Yasha's eyes like that once. Turning her head, she stole a glance behind her, just in time to see Inu-Yasha knock the man with the gun backwards behind the broken car. The Tetsusaiga went forward and the man, his eyes wide and gawking, toppled sideways in a manner that did not look at all normal. He landed with a sickening thud, and Kagome, though she suddenly felt nauseous, turned back to Koga, knowing that the danger had past. She gulped and her fingers went to the bloody wound.

"Koga… Oh god…" she whispered.

She cringed. Unsure of what else to do, Kagome grabbed the boy's shirt where it had been punctured by the bullet and pulled the rip bigger. Holding her breath and closing her eyes, she jabbed her fingers into the wound. She grasped the bullet, finding it surprisingly heavy, and yanked it free, though the momentum flung the thing backwards and left it lost among the leaf litter. Kagome opened her eyes and leaned over Koga quickly, her mouth running dry. She tried not to look at the wound, and instead stared at her injured friend's face.

"Koga?" Kagome demanded.

The boy didn't respond, but his eyes slowly began to fade down to their normal colours. Kagome took that, at least, as a good sign.

-

Returning from the carnage, Inu-Yasha joined her, wiping a now smaller Tetsusaiga of blood on his shirt before sheathing it.

"Is he okay?" the hanyou asked.

The boy's face was grim and pale; Kagome honestly couldn't blame him. As he knelt to her side, she gently kissed him on the cheek as she tried to reassure him, and she took a deep breath.

"I pulled out the bullet," she said, displaying her bloody fingers, "He seems to be getting better."

_Why is it all I seem to ever do is pull bullets out of people…?_

The hanyou nodded and jerked his head at the broken car.

"I think it should be safe now to try to get your guy out of there," he said, "I'll stay with the wolf."

Kagome nodded and, shakily, she stood and walked hurriedly to the car. She peeked through the windows of the front, cringing as she noted the driver's side man crushed between his seat and the airbag.

"Oh! Don't go to the front, by the way," Inu-Yasha called.

Kagome winced.

_Dead body, yeah…_ she thought grimly.

She ducked to the back seat and peeked in, though she still saw nothing.

"Hello?" she called inside.

Kagome looked around frantically, leaning into the car, though the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey!" she called, "Are you in here? It's me, Kagome! Your neighbour? I'm here to help you!"

She ground her fingernails into the seat anxiously, but suddenly, she heard a strange sound from somewhere close by.

"Huh?" she muttered.

She jolted to feel a slight push against the seat from below her and she heard the faint sound of a voice, though it was heavily muffled. Kagome's heart stalled; with hurried but shaky fingers, she pulled her pocket knife from her jeans and flipped the blade outwards.

"Hey! Are you okay?" she demanded.

She received a trembling noise of affirmation as a reply.

"Okay, listen, I'm going to get you out," she said, "I need you to try to stay calm for me, okay?"

"Mmhm," was the muffled answer.

Kagome bit her lip. She supposed whatever they had done to the man, judging by his replies, he couldn't speak.

_It must be terrible_, she thought as she cringed and jabbed her knife into the seat, _He must be terrified. I've got to help him…_

She dug the blade deep and cut into the tough fabrics, pulling back and tearing it off, though underneath a layer of dark, metallic material blocked her knife. It wasn't what one would expect to find under a car seat: it was like some small, steel coffin. It was a wonder the man could even fit inside.

_oOoOoOoO_

Inu-Yasha watched Kagome with worry, but he felt completely numb and weak. He didn't want to admit, even to himself, what he had just done to that man. He cringed and looked to Koga, who had finally begun to blink and, though his body was still shaking, he didn't appear to be dying any longer, at least.

"Hey wolf, are you conscious?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Y… Yeah…" Koga muttered weakly, "Shit… My head… I can barely see straight."

"C'mon, then," he said, "Just in case shit starts to happen again."

Inu-Yasha stood and grabbed Koga by the back of his shirt, lifting him to his feet, but the boy couldn't walk. Instead of trying to force him to move himself, Inu-Yasha sighed in irritation and lifted the okami youkai and placed him behind a tree a few feet back.

-

Koga slumped and cringed.

"Shit…" he breathed, "Is… everyone else okay…?"

"Yeah, fine," Inu-Yasha said swiftly, though he was about to continue to say how Kagome had been the one to save him, his thoughts went near to blank as he felt a sudden jolt of youki emerge.

He spun, his eyes wide. It was coming from the car.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome gulped, pausing for a moment to try to figure out how to open the box. There was a shudder from inside.

"Hang on," she urged, "Hang on, just… gotta get this open."

She wondered if perhaps she could use whatever strange energies she possessed to blow a hole in the box, just as she had done to Inu-Yasha's bedroom door. Cautiously, she tried to concentrate, holding her hand out towards the box and hoping for the power to somehow return to her. She felt a little heat come to her hand, but little more.

-

Suddenly, from inside the box, she heard the man groan. She jolted in panic and leaned over the box.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" she demanded.

There was no intelligible response, but after a moment a muffled, but nonetheless terrified scream came from within the metal container. Kagome's heart began to pound. She couldn't imagine what could have been happening to him, but she automatically grabbed onto the side of the box, trying to jab her knife against the rim to see if there was secretly a lid. She heard the man let out another heart-wrenching noise of distress and she yelped with dismay.

"Inu-Yasha!" she called in panic.

Before any aid could arrive, however, the metal box began to glow a hot red, as if it were melting iron. A blast of energy knocked Kagome backwards and out of the car, where she landed with a thud on her back. She cringed, the remnants of her old wound shooting pain through her body, but she sat up only to see the sides of the car expanding outward. With a crash and an unearthly wail, the panels of metal that made up the vehicle burst and exploded outwards into black shrapnel. Kagome shrieked and covered her head with her arms, scrunching her eyes shut, only to feel herself being lifted up and shielded against someone else's body. The sound of his heart thudded in her ears; she tried to use it to block out the deafening explosion.

_Oh my god, I've set off a bomb_!! Kagome thought, tears welling up in her eyes, _I… I killed that guy, oh shit, oh shit…_

She clung to her protector's shirt in terror, and he cupped the back of her head reassuringly, though they both looked up at the sound of a pained roar and Koga's distant yelp of, "Oh god!"

-

From their vantage point in what Kagome realized was a tree, she and Inu-Yasha, his arms wrapped protectively around her, spied something that made them both stare with shock and dismay. Amongst the wreckage, facedown and bleeding, a huge, four-armed beast with a man-like body covered in the black shrapnel spikes struggled to sit upright. Inu-Yasha held his breath and Kagome, her eyes still watery, looked after him in horror. His body pulsed and he let out a growl as scales, deep red as if dyed by his blood, flowed over him like a patterned paint. His head leaned back, and though she couldn't see his face, Kagome could see his head beginning to bulge out backwards in two sections to create horns.

_Is it…? Can this be? He really is a demon? _She thought blankly.

Before she could overcome her shock, the struggling monster sat up, turned, and bolted away as if in terror, emitting a haunting howl as he went.

-

Kagome drew in an unwilling gasp and looked at the car wreckage that stabbed into the ground and trees around them. The girl then turned her gaze on Inu-Yasha, who was bleeding a little from a cut on his forehead, but the branches before him had mostly saved him. Kagome worriedly brushed his forehead, but he smiled at her weakly and shook his head.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

She nodded and bit her lip, looking in the direction the strange new demon had bolted in.

"I need to go after him," she said urgently.

"Wh… Hmmm…" the hanyou mused, "I… guess I can't stop you?"

"Not really," Kagome said shyly, "Sorry…"

"Don't worry," the hanyou said, "Do you want me to follow? Because… I'm going to."

"See if any of the gear is salvageable first?"

Inu-Yasha looked surprised.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, well… anything that we can get, they don't have… and if we can see how it works-"

"Ah, I understand," Inu-Yasha said, nodding, "I'd better get the bullets too. Those things messed Koga up…"

"Did he wake up? Is he okay?" Kagome demanded.

"I'm fine!" she heard Koga call up shakily.

Kagome sighed in relief.

"Good to hear," she said.

Sighing again, she cuddled closer to Inu-Yasha briefly. He kissed her cheek lightly before lowering her back to the ground. He jumped from the tree, the look he directed at her an unspoken command to be careful. She nodded to him before she took off after the demon, her legs feeling numb.

_oOoOoOoO_

Kagome, jogging through the woods, could follow the demon's trail with ease: he was obviously disoriented. There were claw marks on passing trees and deep, stumbling paw prints. It wasn't long before she could hear distressed, whining grunts up ahead. She slowed to a walk, treading cautiously until the demon man came into view.

-

He was crouched, his back to a thick tree trunk, his two lower arms clasping to some shiny object very tightly, his upper arms pawing at his own face. His entire body was now covered in smooth, burgundy scales, like those of a lizard, though he was bleeding from many wounds from the explosion and the tattered shreds of his clothing still hung on parts of him. His head was elongated backwards, each side of his skull stretching even further back into a long, bony horn. A tail was just starting to snake out behind him, though it was limp. His entire body was shaking.

-

Biting her lip, Kagome drew closer to him. He didn't seem to notice, and Kagome took a deep breath. She couldn't help but feel relief that he wasn't dead, but… how had this drastic a mutation happened?

Cautiously, Kagome got even closer. She could see now that the demon man was about eight feet tall when crouched like he was. Clutched in the talons of his lower pair of hands was a broken chain with a silver cross glinting. Something startling, though, were strange metal bands that seemed almost imbedded into him on the wrists of his upper hands and his ankles.

Gulping, Kagome raised a hand towards him hesitantly.

"H…Hey," she said gently.

The demon man's head jerked up in shock, away from his hands, revealing a similar, strange metal stuck into his flesh around the left side of his face and long, cat-like snout. He trembled; his bright yellow eyes locked onto Kagome, his jaw dropping.

"Y… You…?" he stammered.

"Kagome," she said with a smile, "You remember? Muffins and whatnot."

Hesitantly, the demon man nodded and Kagome grinned brightly, but his eyes grew wide and he leaned back away from her.

"D… Don't come near me!" he exclaimed, "I… I am a monster!"

Kagome's eyes widened.

"What? What's wrong?" she demanded, "Do you feel like you can't control your body?"

The demon man's face fell. He drooped a little.

"Well… no… I feel… I feel okay…"

Kagome took in a breath of relief and put a hand to her head.

"Dude, you had me worried!" she exclaimed.

She smiled at him, concerned, and stepped closer and patted one of his lower hands reassuringly.

"You got pretty beat up, mister, uh…"

She looked at him in puzzlement and he stared down at her, his yellow eyes wide with shock for a moment before he caught on and said,

"Oh! Yamamoto…. Daisuke."

"Yamamoto-san, okay. Did they hurt you? Other than… the explosion stuff, are you okay?"

"I'm… a monster… Does that count?" he mumbled.

Kagome couldn't help a small laugh and she shook her head.

"You're not a monster," she assured him as he exasperatedly put his hands on his head, "You're… um…. Well, you seem to be a demon."

His yellow eyes widened with terror and he clutched his cross even more tightly.

"What? _What? _How can that be? I… I've been devout… haven't I?" he whispered, shocked, "Is this punishment? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no! No, you don't understand!" Kagome said, "You're not like… you're not _satanic _or anything…"

"But…. Oh God…" he breathed, horrified, "I… I…"

He began to tremble violently, tears unwittingly filling his golden cat-eyes to the brim. Kagome jolted, startled, and stared at Daisuke, gulping. She shook her head pityingly and rested her hands gently on his lower pair. He stiffened and looked down, sniffling pathetically as Kagome patted him reassuringly.

"It's gonna be okay," she insisted, "You're still the same person, yeah?"

"But…" the man whined.

"Relax."

Kagome turned her head to see Inu-Yasha approach, his sword carried easily over his shoulder. He had drawn the blade again: Kagome assumed that it was in case this new demon was dangerous. Inu-Yasha's eyes were fixed on Daisuke.

"You're Christian, right?" Inu-Yasha asked, "So you're used to the Christian mythology of demons, right?"

Weakly, the demon man nodded, his distressed stare now locked on Inu-Yasha and, most prominently, on his canine ears.

"You… You are…?" he muttered, "You're… like me?"

"Yeah," the hanyou replied.

He lowered his sword and with a burst of wind, the blade shrunk to its normal size. Inu-Yasha sheathed the sword casually, his ears folding backwards as if with irritation.

"Look," he said, trying to explain, "I'm… not gonna say your whole _religion_ is wrong or anything. But us youkai, we're… we're not from hell, or evil, or anything. We're more like… nature spirits…"

"Nature… spirits…?" Daisuke repeated.

"Some of us," Inu-Yasha continued, "I mean… like everything, there's evil and good. Used to be more evil, but in times like these, youkai can't afford to be fighting each other. You understand?"

Daisuke stared at Inu-Yasha, gulping, and then nodded slowly.

"I… I think… I understand…" he mumbled.

Kagome looked at him with a reassuring smile.

"Listen, we'll get you home, fix you up, and…"

She turned her gaze on her boyfriend hopefully.

"And maybe… We can call Inu-Yasha's brother? He's pretty old and knows a lot about demon stuff, so maybe he could help…?"

Inu-Yasha nodded at her and she shot him a smile before she looked back up at Daisuke. She tilted her head.

"How about it, Yamamoto-san?" she asked.

"Um… uh… yes…" he said, "Yes…"

Numbly, almost in a trance-like state, Daisuke stood awkwardly on his back taloned paws, gaining a good three feet. He wobbled for a moment, but stood steady quite quickly, though he had to use one of his lower arms as a prop to steady himself. He took a deep breath and Kagome smiled at him.

"There you go," she said, "Don't worry, okay?"

Inu-Yasha gave Kagome a slightly cynical look, almost to ask why she was being so kind. She rolled her eyes and approached her boyfriend to whisper,

"Which would you prefer, if your body suddenly changed into something completely different? Friendly people or screaming people?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded at her.

"Fair enough," he said, and then looked to the demon man, "C'mon, we're going to head back this way to pick up our other friend. You up to walking?"

Daisuke stared at Inu-Yasha blankly. He nodded slowly.

"I… think so…" he said quietly.

-

The two headed back towards the clearing, Daisuke following slowly in tow as he got used to moving in his new body, though, causing a discomfited expression to spread on his face, was that he needed to use his second pair of arms to steady himself. They spotted Koga, awkwardly grasping onto a tree as he stood up, his body still shaking.

"Hey!" he said, relieved as he saw them.

Kagome couldn't stop a grin from spreading on her face and she jogged to the wolf demon.

"Oh, my god… I'm so relieved you're okay!" she said.

Behind her, Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, but Koga blushed and looked to Kagome shyly.

"Thanks for that," he said, "You saved me again. That bullet was pretty… harsh."

"I could see!" the girl said.

"Yeah, you looked pretty dead," Inu-Yasha cut in.

Koga looked away, embarrassed, but then his eyes caught the vast form of Daisuke edging up, zombie-like, from behind. His eyes widened and he let out a surprised, "Oh!" Kagome looked back at Daisuke and smiled.

"That's Yamamoto-san. Guess he turned out to be a youkai after all," she said.

"I can see that," Koga said, "What're… we gonna do with him?"

"We're gonna take him home, get him cleaned up… talk to Inu-Yasha's brother about what's going on," Kagome explained.

Again, she looked at the demonic man behind her reassuringly. He still appeared frightened and almost in a daze. Kagome couldn't blame him. She supposed he might not even really be acknowledging what was happening to him: she doubted that she would be under those circumstances. She wandered closer to him and patted his arm again.

"We're gonna get you home," she assured him.

She looked to Inu-Yasha for reassurance, who nodded, though his eyes fixed on her with a probing stare.

"We should see what we can salvage from the car," he said, "You know. See if we can figure any of that shit out."

Kagome looked startled, as if she had forgotten, though before she could say anything, Inu-Yasha shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Didn't have time to do much when you suggested last time," he said blatantly, "Stay with Daisuke, yeah?"

Kagome nodded a little blankly as Inu-Yasha headed back towards the wreckage, grabbing Koga by the shoulder and dragging him with him, saying,

"C'mon Wolf, you can walk, can't you?"

-

As he headed into the junk heap, Inu-Yasha pulled off his sweatshirt and used it like a makeshift bag to gather up pieces of junk that may or may not have been something significant, though he tried to avoid anything that may have been a part of a human in the past. Once Koga caught on, he began gathering parts as well, though the hanyou firmly positioned himself between the others and where the front end of the car had once been. As he knelt to the ground, a small, slightly melted shard of green that appeared to be part of a microchip, he tried to ignore the stink of death, though as he cast a glance towards Koga, it was obvious that the youkai could smell it clearly. Inu-Yasha cringed a little, but he tried not to think about it. Instead he focused his worries onto his girlfriend. Inside him pulsed her feelings of extreme anxiety, almost to the point of nausea, but as he looked at her, she kept smiling. Even for the hanyou, it was very surreal to see the small human beside the giant, four-armed beast, though he knew that, under her reassuring façade, something was very wrong.

-

Only half-conscious of his task, Inu-Yasha looked to Koga as well. The wolf was still visibly shaken and his movements were as stiff as he had ever seen another demon's: he was probably still in a lot of pain. Inu-Yasha could imagine Kagome going on another of her typical medical treatment rampages once they arrived back home. It was almost getting predictable. Letting out a sigh, Inu-Yasha dropped to his knees and sat back a little. Amongst the splintered, burnt wreckage of parts both mechanical and human, the hanyou tilted his head back a little to see the sky above their battle scene starting to glow with the light of the sun.

"Is it sad," he said, almost laughing out of sheer exhaustion, "That I'm almost starting to consider this sort of crap normal?"

* * *

A/N: Hoping this chapter is still coherent, I rewrote about 5 times. Thanks for reading! And also, if anyone's interested, I'm fixing up some of the crappy dialogue and situations that don't make much sense from the earlier chapters so that they suck less.

* * *


	43. Distraction

Chapter 41: Distraction

* * *

"So…"

A cold and irritated gaze of dull, groggy amber shifted across the three dishevelled, traumatized-looking teenagers and to the large, red demon that sat, staring in befuddled disbelief, in the dirt.

"You… attack a government vehicle, get into a _car_ _chase_, kill two men, have some… human explode into a demon, and then you call _me_…"

One thin eyebrow twitched slightly in concealed frustration as Sessho-Maru's eyes narrowed, the majority of his irritation focussed on his younger brother, who folded his arms to his chest defensively.

"At this hour… in the morning…"

His voice was a growl now.

"…No coffee…"

Before him, the wide-eyed Kagome jumped forward, raising her hands as if pleading.

"I… I'll make you coffee, Sessho-Maru," she said swiftly.

The youkai put his hand to his forehead and let out a tired sigh. An exasperated smile played across his lips.

"Once we're through here," he agreed.

-

The group were gathered near Kagome's backyard, still deep enough in the woods that even the tallest among them couldn't be seen. The three teenagers had snuck Daisuke back through the forest, narrowly avoiding three early-morning joggers along the way. Once arriving near the house, Inu-Yasha had rushed back and phoned his brother. He had also returned with what little medical supplies were left in the house. Each person in the gathering, minus Sessho-Maru (who's only injury was to his sleeping time), had several wounds to be dressed, mostly from shrapnel. Kagome, who was now getting quite skilled at bandaging, had fixed up the major wounds on Daisuke around his tattered remains of clothing, wrapped most of Koga's torso in cloth and gauze, and fixed a bandage over the gash in her boyfriend's cheek, among other things.

-

Now, Inu-Yasha was slumped back against a tree, his sweatshirt filled with debris in hand. Kagome stood by him and Koga sat, cross-legged on the ground near her. Daisuke was flopped onto his backside, supporting himself with all four of his arms as his eyes stared almost vacuously ahead, his expression a strange combination of emptiness and puzzlement.

-

It was almost surprising how quiet Daisuke had been, but then again, as Sessho-Maru looked at him, he assumed this was one of a very limited ways the scenario could have played out. He supposed that a demon in shock was better than one who was screaming and wailing. He tilted his head as he looked at his younger brother.

"You really… couldn't have handled this without me?" he asked, though before Inu-Yasha could answer, the demon let out a cynical laugh, "No, of course you couldn't have."

-

Inu-Yasha would have felt offended if he didn't know that it were utterly true, though his brother's words did sting just a touch.

"Ah, fuck you," Inu-Yasha grunted.

As his brother raised his eyebrow, he strode to him and shoved his bundled sweatshirt into the youkai's grasp.

"Since I'm so damn useless, maybe you should take this too?" he sneered.

Sessho-Maru looked at the bundle in his hand, again inclining his head.

"Pieces of that device you explained?"

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"And the bullets."

The hanyou saw Koga twitch out of the corner of his eye and Kagome knelt and put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Inu-Yasha felt a little bad that Koga had been the one to be injured: after all, it was Inu-Yasha's plan that had ended with the wolf being hurt in such a way. He watched as his brother placed the bag at his feet and turned his gaze on the stunned Daisuke, who was now looking intently at his hands; Inu-Yasha followed his gaze. Kagome had managed to pull most of the shrapnel from the large demon's torso, though the silver metal around his upper wrists and face were still stuck in firmly. Around his neck, as well, part of the chain from his necklace that had born a cross stayed into his skin; he now clutched what was left of it tightly in the fist of his lower-right hand.

-

Sessho-Maru inclined his head and folded his single arm to his chest, his tail flicking behind him as he looked at the red creature.

"You," he said to him, "Hanyou."

_Hanyou?_ Inu-Yasha thought, whirling on his brother with shock on his face.

Koga and Kagome looked to Sessho-Maru with surprise as well. None of them could have discerned that the man was a half-demon. Daisuke, too, looked even more baffled than he had a mere five seconds ago.

"Hanyou…?" he repeated, sounding almost groggy, "No, no, I'm… I'm a… human…"

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Sessho-Maru raised his eyebrow slightly. He looked at Daisuke thoughtfully for a few more moments, and then his gaze shifted to Kagome.

"Come here," he ordered.

Startled, Kagome's eyes widened and she obeyed without question. Inu-Yasha stiffened and watched as his brother, scowling, circled Kagome and grabbed her arm swiftly.

"Sessho-Maru?" Inu-Yasha demanded, though his brother shot him a swift, cold glance that made the hanyou stall in his tracks.

He positioned himself behind Kagome, his clawed fingers now grasping her wrist tightly as he forced her arm to extend towards Daisuke. Kagome tensed and Sessho-Maru leaned in closer.

"Relax," he growled.

Kagome was hardly reassured, but she took a deep breath and then asked,

"What are you doing?"

Sessho-Maru said nothing, but suddenly, Kagome felt an intense heat shoot from his body. Before she could question, she was suddenly overwhelmed with pain and her gaze went white.

-

Around her, Koga leapt to his feet and Inu-Yasha looked on in horror as Sessho-Maru's aura wooshed in a visible, purple energy around him and the human girl, cocooning them in what looked like a human-sized tornado.

"Sessho-Maru!!" Inu-Yasha roared, leaping forward only to be knocked back as a blue light burst through the energy as if it were smoke, striking the shocked-looking Daisuke head-on.

The hanyou roared in pain and then crumpled to the ground with an echoing thud as Koga shrank back against his tree, terrified, and Inu-Yasha stared on with wide eyes, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. His gaze jumped furiously to where his brother stood. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the energy cocoon around him was dissipating like fog, revealing the demon, his arm singed to the wrist, bearing a limp Kagome with surprising tenderness.

-

Immediately, Inu-Yasha wrenched her away from him, cradling the girl gently in his arms as he looked to his brother, his expression full of rage.

"What the _fuck_ did you do?!" he yelled.

"Relax," Sessho-Maru said, "She'll be fine."

He tilted his head towards Daisuke and Inu-Yasha tentatively followed the gesture, only to find a still stunned-looking Koga staring at the withering form of the hanyou in the dirt as scales seemed to melt into pale flesh. The man was becoming human again.

"I simply triggered your human's miko energies," Sessho-Maru said, answering his brother's unasked question, "She'll be fine. She just wasn't used to releasing that much power."

"No shit…" Inu-Yasha growled.

He hugged Kagome close.

"She'd better be okay."

"She'll be _fine_," Sessho-Maru repeated for the third time, annoyed, "Fuck, Inu-Yasha, I know what I'm doing."

He looked at his hand, almost amused by the red lines and smouldering flesh that was left up to his wrist by the girl's blast.

"She's stronger than I thought, though," he mused aloud.

"And what about that Daisuke guy?" Inu-Yasha asked.

They both turned their gaze on the other hanyou. Koga was next to him, holding him up with his arm under his shoulders. The hanyou now appeared almost entirely human except for the receding horns, though they would soon vanish. Unfortunately, the man was still bleeding through the shreds of clothing he had left and the bandages were now much too loose. Also, Inu-Yasha was alarmed to see that there was still silver metal stuck into the side of the man's face, his neck, and his wrists.

"Damn, he got hit hard…" Inu-Yasha breathed.

Koga looked at Inu-Yasha, his eyes saying he agreed, and he stood slowly, pulling the unconscious man up with him. Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes as he saw Koga stumble slightly and, to the surprise of all, he took the unconscious hanyou up onto his own shoulders, saying,

"No need for a weakling to try to carry a weakling."

"Sessho-Maru?" Inu-Yasha questioned.

"I'll take him with me," he replied, "I have facilities for this sort of thing."

"You what?" Inu-Yasha asked blankly, though his brother didn't reply and stooped to somehow grasp the hanyou's bundled sweatshirt.

"Get your girl inside, and relax, all of you," the youkai said, "Tell her she owes me a coffee."

With that, he and the other man were gone. Inu-Yasha nearly stumbled backwards in surprise while Koga merely gawked.

"Where… Where'd he go?" the wolf asked.

"He… ran away?" Inu-Yasha suggested.

"Ran? No way, that can't be, I didn't even see him move!" Koga barked.

"Yeah, I know," Inu-Yasha grumbled.

He sometimes forgot about his brother's capabilities, or at least dismissed them. He was frighteningly powerful.

-

With a huff, Inu-Yasha lifted Kagome into his arms and nodded at Koga.

"C'mon, let's get back inside," he said.

Stiffly, Koga nodded and followed Inu-Yasha back to the house with shaky legs. He opened the back door for Inu-Yasha, who walked inside and gently placed the unconscious Kagome on the sofa. Koga followed him and dropped to his knees, resting his elbows on the arm of the couch. He looked exhausted.

"What the hell happened to her?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"You heard my brother. He forced her powers and I guess it was too much for her," the hanyou muttered.

When Koga looked back at him blankly, Inu-Yasha rubbed his forehead a little. He knelt to Kagome and stared at her for a moment. He brushed her hair out of her face absently and then sat back on his knees, tilting his head to look at the exhausted looking okami.

"You know, Kagome's technically a miko? She used to live at a shrine with her family. She told me her grandpa trained her in some priestess stuff. I'm guessing her bloodline had some sort of person who actually had powers, and because there are so many demons around, she's actually started to be able to use them again."

Koga looked like he understood a little more, but he frowned.

"So… Shit, man, why could she fire a frickin' _laser_?" he asked.

"Not a clue, but I blame my brother," Inu-Yasha growled.

He looked at Kagome with remorse and muttered,

"What the hell was he thinking…?"

"Well, it seemed to fix your neighbour," Koga put in, looking a little relieved, "But… damn, did he really not know he was hanyou? How could that be?"

Again, Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"All hanyous are different, I guess," he replied, "Maybe he… appears human most of the time; never had a need to change before."

"Maybe," Koga agreed with a nod, seeming satisfied.

He slumped a bit more and put his head on his folded arms.

-

They sat in silence for a while, both exhausted, a lingering anxiety hovering in the air. Finally, after a few moments, Koga tilted his head up again and looked to Inu-Yasha.

"Hey," he said, "Is this… You know, _this_… Is this, like… normal for you guys?"

"Getting there," Inu-Yasha sighed.

"Shit," Koga muttered.

He leaned his head back and brushed his bangs out of his eyes a little. He cringed as the wound in his chest sent a sting of pain through his body. He slumped again, letting out a discomforted grunt before he leaned in a little and looked at Kagome.

"Shit…" he said again.

"How do you think I feel?" Inu-Yasha replied grimly.

He got to his feet and Koga vaguely watched him as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Sup?" Koga asked.

"I'm going to see if they have any smelling salts or anything like that."

-

Inu-Yasha walked into the kitchen and tilted his head back a little, trying to see if he could scent anything similar to eucalyptus oil or ammonia, which were often used in smelling salts, but the kitchen was, as expected, almost overwhelming with its numbers of scents. Despite this, Inu-Yasha was fairly used to it, so it only took him an extra moment to find a few different ammonia smells from various locations around the room. Looking under the sink, he found only cleaning solutions, but there were enough scents around that he kept searching through cabinets. In the corner of the kitchen, the hanyou poked his head into a cabinet in the corner of the room. It had some partially drained bottles of wine lined up inside, though Inu-Yasha was almost positive there was something that fit the bill somewhere in there. He pulled out the bottles, placing them on the counter until he found a small, glass container hidden right at the back against the wall. It had some writing on it that he couldn't understand, though it looked slightly medicinal. He looked at its insides through the yellow-coloured glass it was made of and it looked as if it were the right thing. Inclining his head, Inu-Yasha took the container and sniffed it tentatively. The scent up close sent a small shock through his body and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

_That should work_, he thought.

-

Inu-Yasha returned to the living room to see that Koga had relocated to the armchair, looking almost as if he were about to fall asleep. Inu-Yasha could see that his hand was clapped over the wound in his chest, which had started bleeding again through the bandaging. Inu-Yasha cringed a little. Most of the house had acquired a vague scent of blood by now.

"Hey," he said, "Maybe you should go clean that again or something."

Koga's eyes opened a little wider as if he were trying to force himself to stay awake. He looked at the hanyou blankly before he nodded.

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed.

He forced himself to his feet and shuddered a little. Inu-Yasha inclined his head.

"What did… What happened?" he asked.

"Got my brain fucked up, that's what happened," Koga replied, putting a hand to his brow.

"So… that bullet, it-"

"It put, like… this ringing, in my head. Really intense, completely… what's the word? …Debilitating," Koga said tiredly.

He raised his hand and pulled his hair out of the ponytail and shot a glance at Kagome.

"She'll be okay?" he asked, and when Inu-Yasha nodded, Koga smiled a little and said,

"All right, I'll trust you with her. I think I'm getting my ass back to bed."

He walked to the stairs and Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, repeating "I'll trust her with you," mockingly under his breath before he walked to the front of the couch to look at Kagome. She appeared merely as if she were asleep. He sighed and knelt before her again, opening the container and holding it near her face.

-

Within moments, the girl's breathing increased and her eyelids fluttered. She squirmed a little as Inu-Yasha drew the container back and closed it. Her eyes slowly opened to a squint, and she blinked heavily a few times before looking confused.

"Hey," Inu-Yasha said, unable to keep a small grin of relief from his face, "How're you doing?"

"Mmhh… I'm okay," she said, sounding groggy.

She put an arm underneath herself and tried to sit up, and Inu-Yasha took her by the shoulders and helped her upright. She blinked heavily again a few times and then looked at Inu-Yasha blankly for a moment before patting him cheerily on the head. He looked a bit puzzled and Kagome mirrored his expression, but then asked,

"Damn, what happened? When did we get inside?"

Her eyes opened a little wider as if in realization and she took Inu-Yasha by the shoulders before he could answer.

"Where are the others?" she demanded, "Where are Koga and Yamamoto-san, are they okay?!"

"Everyone's fine," the hanyou assured her, "Sessho took Daisuke and Koga went upstairs to clean himself up again."

Kagome's body quaked for a moment but relief washed over her face and she slumped a little, letting out a weak laugh.

"Thank god…" she whispered.

She hugged Inu-Yasha around his neck and gently whispered,

"What about you, are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha laughed and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey, don't worry about me, you're the one who passed out."

Kagome grunted in irritation and rolled her eyes as she pulled back.

"Ugh, seriously?" she demanded a little shrilly.

She released Inu-Yasha and clapped her palms against her head as the hanyou laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

"How did you think you suddenly woke up on the couch, stupid?"

"Ah, I don't even know," she replied, "Agh! Why am _I _the only one who passed out? I'm _such_ a stereotypical girl!"

Inu-Yasha began to laugh harder and he shook his head.

"You also happen to be the only human involved," he said, "I think that was more of the issue."

Kagome looked generally upset before slumping back against the couch. She put her hand to her brow and looked to Inu-Yasha blankly for a moment before patting the sofa cushion beside her. As Inu-Yasha hopped up, squatting on the couch, Kagome asked,

"So, where are we at?"

"Generally?" Inu-Yasha asked, and when Kagome nodded, he continued to say, "Well, everyone here is okay, but the wolf still seems pretty rattled. Sessho-Maru took Daisuke with him to get him fixed up, I guess. He also has all the debris because he'll be able to figure out something to do with it. When I talked to him on the phone, he told me he'd get back to us about all the gear."

Kagome nodded and sighed again.

"So Yamamoto-san was okay?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome looked relieved.

"And Sessho-Maru took him away? How did he manage that?"

Inu-Yasha inclined his head, but then he looked almost ashamed and his ears flattened as he sat back on the cushion properly.

"I forgot, you don't remember," he admitted, though when Kagome merely looked at him with a blank stare, he said, "Weren't you wondering why you passed out? My brother used his yoki to trigger your spiritual energies, which… pretty much fired a laser at Daisuke that… reversed the change? Or something like that, and… Well, he was fine, but you both passed out from it. Burned my brother's arm a little too, which, I gotta say, is a little impressive."

Kagome looked at him with a "deer in the headlights" expression, leaned back a little, and then grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Wait… Wait just one second," she said, "Are you… telling me I fainted because your demon brother somehow forced me to fire a _laser_ of my own spirit energies at my hanyou neighbour?"

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome slumped forward, knocking her brow against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"My god, no wonder I passed out," she breathed.

Inu-Yasha didn't know what to tell her, but he patted her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. She sat still for a moment, but then pulled back and looked at him quizzically.

"Did you… actually _see_ this 'laser'?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Yeah," he said, "Scared the shit out of me. But, it was actually pretty badass."

Kagome narrowed her eyes a little bit, reading his expression for a prank in poor taste, but she then sighed and slumped against him again.

"I'm such a freak," she whined.

"No, Kagome, you're not, really," Inu-Yasha laughed.

He held her lightly and grinned a little.

"You've all ready proven that you have this power stuff, though… well, you may not know how to use it or anything, but anyway, my theory is that you probably inherited it and because of all the demons around, you're someone who's started to be able to use it again. Just like people hundreds of years ago."

"So I do make just a little sense then?" Kagome asked.

"Just a little," Inu-Yasha agreed.

"You _have_ to tell me everything you know about all of this," Kagome said a little grimly, "This is getting freakishly dangerous. We'll probably have to move soon."

The hanyou nodded his agreement and then said,

"Well… I mean, I know what my brother knows, generally, and he's gathered a bit of information, I could try to explain it," he said, "I think I said I would before, but… whatever, I'll do it this time. But it'll be kinda mind-blowing."

"That bad, huh?" Kagome said as she leaned away to look at the hanyou again.

He nodded solemnly and Kagome let out a sigh and patted his head again.

"Okay. I'm going to check on Koga; bring him back down. He should know too, yeah?" she asked.

"…Yeah."

-

Kagome leaned forward and pushed herself onto her feet and Inu-Yasha stood up with her, but she was fairly steady on her feet as she turned and headed to the stairs. Her legs felt a little heavy, but Kagome was getting used to not feeling one hundred percent due to ridiculous circumstances. She paid little heed but to grasp the railing a little more tightly than usual as she walked up the stairs, unaware of Inu-Yasha cautiously following her at a distance.

-

Kagome walked into the hallway and peeked into Koga's room, where she noticed Buyo's tail and back feet poking out from under the bed as if he were still asleep and Koga sitting on the far side of the bed with his back to the door, clumsily redoing the bandaging on his chest.

"Hey, you doing okay?" she asked.

Koga whipped around swiftly, his eyes wide with shock.

"Kagome!" he said a little shrilly, the roll of cloth toppling out of his hand.

He hopped to his feet and was over the bed and before Kagome before her eyes could even register the motion. He grasped her by the shoulders, all but beaming at her.

"You're awake! I thought I heard you! I'm glad to see you're all right!" he yipped.

Kagome smiled shyly and Koga looked almost as if he wanted to hug her, but his body jolted a little as if he had received an electric shock and he stepped back, an embarrassed grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, Koga, I'm okay," she assured him.

She patted his shoulder, but grimaced a little at the sight of the wound in his chest.

"How's that doing?" she asked.

"Sore, but it'll heal," he assured her, "Is…"

Red tinted the okami's face.

"Is that what you came up here for?"

"Half," the girl replied with a grin, "Inu-Yasha said he might have vital info. We both should hear it, so I came to get you."

She laughed a little bit at his suddenly startled expression and she ducked around him and to the side of the bed where he had lost the roll of bandage cloth. She picked it up and returned to him, jerking her head toward the door.

"C'mon, I'll fix that for you down there," she said.

Timidly, the boy nodded and followed Kagome down the stairs and to the kitchen, where they found Inu-Yasha just sitting down at the table with a glass of water one hand and a pad of paper and a pen in the other.

-

"Everyone good?" he asked as he placed his objects on the table.

Kagome nodded and took the chair across from him. Koga looked unsure of where to sit, but Kagome kicked the chair beside hers out as if to direct him to it and shot him a smile. Still a little shy, he plopped down beside her to Inu-Yasha's noticeable discomfort, and the hanyou looked increasingly irritated as Kagome leaned closer to the other youkai and laid a hand against his chest to begin undo a little of his poor handy work.

"So," the hanyou said sharply, drawing Kagome's attention immediately.

She smiled at him obliviously and Inu-Yasha felt a little bad; he knew he shouldn't have been jealous: Kagome was just trying to help Koga out. He took a deep breath and said,

"Just letting you guys know now, most of this info comes from my brother and all the crap he's figured out. So don't ask me about any of the technicalities or whatever because I won't be able to answer you."

Kagome nodded, her features alert and very interested, her gaze barely darting away as she began to re-bandage Koga.

"So tell us all your secrets," she joked.

"Well, I can tell you where we came from," he said, "Demons, I mean."

At this, Koga perked as well. In all honesty, the okami had very little knowledge of his own origins. Anything he could learn, he would be grateful of.

"First thing I'm going to say is going to sound completely ridiculous," he said, "I think I actually mentioned this to you a little while ago, Kagome, but I didn't really explain or anything, but I was not born in this time period. I was born… probably around seven hundred years ago."

Kagome and Koga were both silent with shock, Kagome's mouth slowly opening to a gawk.

"But… you're… you're seventeen…?" the girl said, completely baffled.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "I'll explain. The same is probably true for Koga, give or take decades, centuries, whatever."

"You think?" Koga asked, startled.

"Yeah," the hanyou replied, "What's going on now, all this demon hunting bullshit, it started, we think, sometime around the middle of the Cold War. Mid 60's, I guess. Military scientists from a bunch of different countries, they came up with this… thing… Don't know how it works, but it was like… involuntary time travel."

"What?" Kagome said blankly.

"We figure they found out about youkai," he said, "Somehow, they found out we were real. See, there was this lapse…"

Inu-Yasha took his paper and marked out a quick line, labelling one end "1000 years ago" and the other end "Now". In the middle, he scribbled part of the line almost up to the "now".

"For about four hundred years before 1960, there are no youkai. Or next to none, none that we know of," he explained, "So they, the scientists I mean, they somehow took youkai from the past and put us… here. But we were all scattered. All through time, not so much through space as far as I can tell, but people were taken from all over. Some are still arriving even now. I got here when I was two."

Kagome was quiet, her eyes wide, though Koga looked as if something had clicked in his mind.

"Yeah… My mom, when she found me, she said it was like I came out of nowhere," he volunteered softly.

Inu-Yasha nodded, but Kagome put a hand to her brow.

"That's so insane," she mumbled, "Time traveling youkai?"

"Not voluntarily, I think it was a mistake," Inu-Yasha said, "That's why they hunt us. To get rid of their mistake. Or to try to use us. They tried to use me when they caught me."

"Like… a weapon?" Koga asked a little shrilly, "Oh, shit!"

Inu-Yasha grimaced a little and Kagome knew that his mind was involuntarily tracing back to what little he could remember of his imprisonment. She reached across the table and patted his shoulder. His ears drooped a little, but he smiled at her before continuing to say,

"Sessho-Maru thinks the initial plan was just to take one youkai, to use as a weapon. But it backfired and then all sorts of people ended up here."

"By that logic, that means there could be… all sorts of animals: fish, birds, people, dogs, cats, whatever, all from the past, as well?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome let out a sigh and slumped over the table, resting her chin in her hands.

"My god," she breathed, but then frowned and said, "Now that I think about it… I think I do remember Tsuyomaru mentioning something about 'where he was from'… Actually-!"

She sat up, her eyes wide again as the two youkai looked at her with confusion.

"Yes! Actually, I do remember, Tsuyomaru mentioned fighting in a combined demon and human army with Nobunaga!" she exclaimed.

Koga's eyes widened with surprise, though Inu-Yasha merely nodded as if he had expected that or something similar.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he said.

"But… how is any of this stuff possible?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea," Inu-Yasha replied, though he sounded a little embarrassed, "But from all we've learned… I mean, through my brother and his random research people, that's what seems to have happened."

"A whole lot of time travel," Kagome whispered.

She sounded like she was in awe.

"I can't believe someone figured out how to invent time travel and fucked up this royally with it," she said.

Inu-Yasha couldn't help a short laugh.

"What do you expect?"

Kagome shrugged and cupped her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. She was tired. They all were.

-

She looked at Inu-Yasha, who was quiet now, and it suddenly struck her, as he sat there looking exhausted, bandage spots on his face and neck, tapping his notes with his pen, how like some sort of battle commander he looked. She knew now that he had been fighting this war for a long time, almost for the entirety of his life. And it certainly was a war; there was no other way to put it. She felt a little sick to her stomach, and she cast a glance at Koga. His gaze was troubled and he was slouching now; it was almost as if Kagome could see his thoughts racing behind the blue of his eyes. After a few moments of a tired silence, Kagome leaned back to look at both boys and said,

"So, what now?" she asked.

"What now?" Inu-Yasha repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Well, genius, what are we going to do about this situation?" she asked.

"Do? We're not going to do _anything_ right now," the boy said bluntly.

"I know that," Kagome protested shrilly, "I mean, in the long run. What are we going to do, call the demon police? Is there a demon police? How are we going to stop all of this?"

"Stop it?" Inu-Yasha echoed, "I… don't know that we can."

"You don't think we can stop them?" Koga barked, "Bullshit, there has to be a way!"

Inu-Yasha merely shrugged and slumped back tiredly against his chair.

"They may only be human, but there's a lot of them, and they've studied us," he said, "They know how to fight us; they're powerful. Right now, I can only say we do what we've been doing: we lay low and save who we can."

Kagome bit her lip, and though her face fell, she nodded.

"Y… Yeah, I guess," she said.

Inu-Yasha leaned forward to her and inclined his head curiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just…" she whispered, "It's… just that… I wish we could save everyone, you know?"

She looked into his eyes with a sense of urgency that startled him.

"What if there are more people like _us_, huh? More people like you, more families being ripped apart. I just…"

She sighed and put a hand to her brow.

"I just wish we could stop it…"

To her surprise, the hanyou looked almost guilty.

"I know, me too," he admitted.

-

They all sat in a sombre silence for a few moments, none of them able to think of anything productive or reassuring to say to each other. Inu-Yasha let Kagome's words play in his mind again. To stop it… To stop all this insanity… It would be a monumental task. Inu-Yasha had considered it a few times when he was younger, but more recently, his focus had simply become about keeping himself and his friends alive and safe.

"Maybe…" Koga said quietly, causing Inu-Yasha and Kagome to put their attention on him.

"Huh?" asked Kagome.

"Maybe one day… we _can_ stop it," Koga mumbled.

His expression was a little sad and he looked up, clenching his fist against the table.

"They murdered my mother," he growled, "It's a shitty idea, I know, but one day… I want to stop them."

"…One day," Inu-Yasha agreed, nodding.

The two youkai looked at each other intently, as if forming some silent accord, and Kagome smiled a little.

"You dorks," she laughed weakly.

Inu-Yasha cracked a smile and Koga looked down shyly, and Kagome got to her feet, stretched, and said,

"Well, off of that cheerful topic, how is everyone doing injury-wise?"

"I'm good," said Koga, "Thanks to you."

Inu-Yasha scoffed a little, though tried to hide it under a rather lame-sounding cough and replied,

"Stop worrying, we're demons. We heal quick."

He grinned his fangs at her and she laughed a little and reached over the table to ruffle his ears, darting away before he could swat playfully at her.

"Okay, good, I'll grab Buyo and we'll eat," she said, "We may have had one of the shittiest mornings in history, but we should still eat, ne?"

She left the room quickly and headed for the stairs, calling back,

"Oh, and Koga, I'll grab you a shirt, okay?"

"Oh, thank you!" he called back, perking up.

Koga looked a bit more cheerful. Across the table, Inu-Yasha leaned forward and gave him a snide grin.

"She's spoiling you," he joked.

Koga felt his cheeks heat up and he rubbed at the back of his head absently.

"She's… very nice," he mumbled, but before Inu-Yasha could say anything, he swiftly asked, "Who's Buyo?"

"Cat," Inu-Yasha replied simply.

"Oooh, so that's… I get it," Koga said with a nod.

"Do you speak cat?" Inu-Yasha inquired.

Koga nodded and Inu-Yasha looked as if he approved.

"Good, 'cause I didn't want to have to translate: that cat has a dirty mind," he said.

-

Before Koga could ask if Inu-Yasha was joking or not, Kagome strode back into the room with the chubby, calico cat Buyo slung over her shoulder, petting the fur on his back lazily as he yawned. Inu-Yasha stared blankly at Kagome for a moment before he stood up and headed for the food he had made much, much earlier in the morning.

"I'll heat stuff up," he volunteered, taking one of the plates of food and then moving it into the microwave. Kagome nodded and placed Buyo on the table, who let out an "oomph" and yawned again as Kagome slumped back into her chair. Koga looked at the cat curiously and Buyo turned and blinked his large, yellow eyes at the youkai with amusement.

"_Why hello, I don't think we've been introduced_," he said.

Koga looked back at Buyo, wide eyed. He had talked to cats before, but he had never heard one who had been so coherent. Cats often sounded scattered and childish when they spoke.

"No, uh… I'm Koga," the okami said, "You're…. Buyo?"

"_My reputation proceeds me!" _ Buyo chuckled, _"Nice to meet you, Koga. I hope you don't mind that I took a snooze on your feet this morning."_

"Oh, no, of course not," Koga said quickly.

Buyo smiled widely and Kagome rolled her eyes and pet him heavily.

"_I like this one, he lets me sleep on his feet,"_ Buyo said, looking back at Kagome, _"Unlike someone…_"

He shot a glare at Inu-Yasha, but without even looking back, Inu-Yasha flipped Buyo off and Kagome couldn't help laughing. She patted Buyo's head, ruffling his ears from side to side.

"What happened?" Koga wondered.

"_He kicked me!"_ Buyo exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh, shut up, I said I was sorry," Inu-Yasha growled.

As Inu-Yasha switched the plate in the microwave, Koga looked confused and Kagome smiled a little and said,

"A few days ago, Buyo fell asleep on Inu-Yasha's feet, and Inu-Yasha accidentally kicked in his sleep, and-"

"_Accidentally! I don't believe it, he was just upset at me for my 'pervertedness'," _the cat huffed.

"Well you can be quite the creep," joked Kagome.

Buyo huffed again, but couldn't help but flop onto his back as Kagome's fingers moved to his ribs. He folded his paws up to his chest and the girl rubbed his belly absently. Koga smiled a little as the cat began to purr.

oOoOoOoO

The morning plodded onwards after the four had eaten breakfast. Aside from Buyo, none of them really had the energy to do anything productive. Inu-Yasha, electing to merely read for a while, stumbled across the backpack he had used for grocery shopping in his room as he searched through Sota's books. Inside, he discovered the neglected dragon ring he had purchased for Kagome After being hit by a wave of, "I can't believe I forgot!", he headed back downstairs to her as she tried to do her homework while Koga sat near her and tried to teach himself how to play a Nintendo64 he had found in a cabinet under the television. Pointedly, Inu-Yasha gave it to her in front of the okami youkai, which caused her to laugh at him and reward him with an ear rub, vowing to buy him something equally nice and pointless at some time in the future. They were both fairly content with this.

-

During the afternoon, as Kagome was finally working on the poem she was supposed to write for class, she got a very strange feeling just as there was a noise at the door. With caution, Inu-Yasha and Koga had snuck outside, only to find the aura of another demon, Koga's "school records" and various other legal-looking documents in a clear plastic folder in the mailbox.

-

Inu-Yasha walked back into the house slowly, distracted by trying to force the papers out of the folder, Koga trailing behind and closing the door behind them as he strained to look over Inu-Yasha's shoulder without getting to close. Kagome waited near the door, looking nervously at the two youkai.

"So... What was it?" she asked eagerly.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and passed the folder to Kagome. She saw documents outlining school records of a "Higurashi Koga". She pulled more of the papers out of the clear folder, none of which could have possibly existed legitimately, looking at them with surprised interest.

"How...?" she mused aloud, allowing Koga to take the papers to look them over with wide, curious eyes.

"Sessho-Maru," said Inu-Yasha simply, shrugging, "Well, more specifically, another demon who works for him."

"Really?" Koga asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and stretched one of his arms out tiredly until his shoulder popped and he looked satisfied.

"I thought I scented him," Inu-Yasha admitted.

Koga and Kagome looked at him curiously and he shrugged, saying,

"He works with my brother. Weasel demon named Itachi."

"Are you serious? A weasel demon named...?"

Kagome laughed a little.

"Unoriginal parents much?" she joked.

"I think he named himself, actually," Inu-Yasha said absently.

"Well, whatever," Kagome laughed, peering around Koga's shoulder to look at the papers again, "That's really useful, but... totally illegal. How did he do that?"

"Since we arrived here, Sessho-Maru has had his hand in... a lot..." Inu-Yasha said a bit vaguely.

Kagome looked at him questioningly but he merely shrugged again.

"What day is it again?" he asked, "Saturday?"

"I think so," Kagome said.

"Do you think anyone will be at the school?"

The girl shrugged.

"Why?"

"Just wondering if we can drop some of these off before Monday," the hanyou replied, holding his hand out to Koga.

Koga was still for a moment before understanding what was being asked of him and he handed the papers over. Inu-Yasha flipped through them quickly before separating some school registration forms and papers displaying academic history and passing the rest back.

"These ones," he said, "Should get Koga into the school."

"What about a fee?" Kagome said, "Our school is privately run, that's why it's system is so different than normal schools, so..."

"It's covered," Inu-Yasha assured her, and then paused and curiously said, "It's a private school?"

"Experimental learning and stuff. That's why there are class rotations instead of the normal system, among other things," Kagome said, shrugging.

"Oh."

"That sounds kinda cool," said Koga, his tail wagging, "I haven't been to school in forever."

Kagome and Inu-Yasha both turned to look at Koga with scepticism as he grinned back, obliviously innocent. Kagome smiled awkwardly and Inu-Yasha put a hand to his brow.

"You really wanna go to highschool that bad? You... realize you have a free pass, right?" the hanyou asked.

Koga shrugged.

"Well, I wouldn't wanna stay here alone all day," he said.

"Fair enough," Kagome admitted.

She stretched a bit and poked her head into the kitchen, checking the time.

"Well," she said, "I'm gonna... shower, and then walk to the school."

Inu-Yasha looked at her questioningly, and she continued to say,

"I'll see if there's anyone there. If we can get Koga enrolled today, he can probably come with us Monday."

-

As Kagome headed up the stairs to the washroom, Inu-Yasha watched her go, thinking that he should probably follow her example. Sometimes things got so hectic that he would forget to shower.

"I think I'll do the same," he said.

He headed off towards the bathroom as Koga wandered to the living room to look at his papers more thoroughly. In the bathroom, Inu-Yasha pulled his shirt off to start, eyeing over his torn skin in the mirror above the sink. Most of the smaller wounds from the shrapnel were all ready no more than a smear of left over blood on his skin, but some of the deeper ones still stood out bright and red. He grimaced a little and then headed towards the tub to test the water temperature.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha emerged a few minutes later, drying his hair a bit awkwardly with a tope towel to see Koga toppled over, asleep, on the couch. He could still hear the water running in the shower upstairs. He wondered how Kagome was feeling; if she had been injured by the metal; how her back was doing.

-

He headed up the stairs, scrubbing his hair as he went, and went into his own room to change his clothes. In the excitement of the morning, he had completely forgotten. He changed out of his bloody and slightly punctured clothing and dressed in a pair of jeans and a clean red t-shirt; the feel of cloth that was intact was surprisingly comforting. Grasping the old, torn clothes, he sighed, emptied the pockets of his jeans, and tossed the clothing into the small garbage can that was sitting under his desk. He stretched his arms in the air tiredly, his ears folding back against his skull as his back popped satisfyingly. He heard the running water hiss to a stop and he peeked his head out the door to see the light in the bathroom shut off. He heard a bump, and then the door opened. Kagome emerged in fresh clothes, a hair dryer grasped in one hand and rubbing her thigh with the other. Inu-Yasha laughed a little.

"Why did you turn off the lights before opening the door?" he asked.

"I forgot," she whined, and then pointed at him with the hairdryer, "You showered too?"

"Yeah, I was covered in crap," he said, "How're you doing?"

He stepped out of the room, shoving his hands in his pockets as he bent down to look at her curiously.

"Any cuts or anything?" he asked.

"Not many, thanks to you, just a couple of scrapes, " she said cheerfully.

"Nothing deep?" he wondered, circling her.

She laughed and brushed her hair over one shoulder, pulling down her shirt on the opposite side just a little to expose a shallow cut on her back.

"That's the deepest. Not too bad," she assured him.

He bent down a little, his face close to the cut, holding her shirt away from it to look at it curiously.

"What?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Inu-Yasha was quiet for a moment before he pulled back and patted her on the shoulder.

"Okay, yeah, not bad. Cleaned it?"

"Obviously," she said, "I _was_ in the shower."

She turned and flicked his nose with a smirk. He clapped his hand to it and she laughed, spun, and headed into her room. She opened her closet door that had a full-body mirror hung up on the inside, plugged in the hair dryer to the wall and switched the machine on. Inu-Yasha cringed at the noise, but watched curiously as Kagome dried her hair. He approached from behind, his ears flat, but he looked curious until Kagome whirled and blasted him in the face with hot air. He let out a woof of surprise and jerked back. She snickered, grinning widely and switched the hair dryer off, though she inclined her head and lifted some of the damp hair that was strewn over her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Want me to dry you?" she asked.

"No, thanks," he said, grinning shyly.

She shrugged and unplugged the dryer before placing it on her desk. She also retrieved her silver chain necklace and put it on a little fondly.

"Thanks again for this, I really appreciate it," she said, and then let out a laugh and continued, "I'm surprised: you actually bought me more than one article of jewellery."

"Well, in all honesty, my friend Sango wouldn't let me leave the mall that one time without buying you something that wasn't food. I won't be offended or anything if you don't wear the ring," he replied.

"S'all good, maybe I'll wear it some time," she said, smiling.

She hugged him gently, and though he was a little surprised by the unprovoked hug, he embraced her in return only to realize that she was trembling a little.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded and sighed.

"Sorry," she said, "Still stressed."

"I understand," he assured her, rubbing her back.

Kagome stood in his arms quietly for a few moments before pulling back and smiling at him gratefully.

"Thanks," she said, "I guess I'll head out now."

"Want me to come?" Inu-Yasha asked.

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment, but she shook her head.

"Thanks, but... you should probably stay, just in case anything happens with Koga."

She looked grim.

"Of all of us, he got hit the hardest..."

Inu-Yasha nodded a little reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he admitted.

She smiled and stood up a little taller to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," she said.

He nodded a little shyly and she patted his shoulder before turning and heading from the room. She scampered down the stairs and was about to call for Koga to ask for the papers back, only to see the youkai sprawled, asleep, on the sofa in the living room. She was a little surprised at first, but then realized that he must have been exhausted. She edged over to him quietly to see the papers loosely hanging from his right hand. She bent down and snuck them from his grasp, separating the school papers from the others as she straightened. She left the rest on the kitchen table before she put on her boots and jacket and headed out the door.

-

Outside, the sky was grey but bright, and the ground was slightly damp, littered with brown and copper leaves stuck to the pavement. Kagome smiled unwittingly to herself; even if the school wasn't open this Saturday, it would be an uncommonly nice walk.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha, downstairs, cast a glance out the window to see Kagome head away down the sidewalk. He wondered if perhaps he should have just driven to the school with the papers. Then again, he wasn't entirely fond of the idea of leaving Kagome alone in the house with Koga. He knew it was a little ridiculous, and definitely overbearing, and almost hypocritical, seeing as Kagome would be spending the entire night out alone with Koga the next day for his sake. Inu-Yasha took a deep breath. As far as he had seen, Koga wasn't a bad guy. He had proved to be fairly trustworthy, in fact. Inu-Yasha supposed he would just have to give himself time. He was being much too territorial.

-

Becoming bored now that his girlfriend had left, Inu-Yasha wandered the ground floor of the house silently, unsure of what to do with himself. Television was out of the question: Koga was passed out on the couch. As he was thinking, on the floor in front of the sofa, the hanyou noticed some lined sheets of paper and a notebook. Inu-Yasha curiously approached and picked them up, opening the notebook to look inside. The cat and dragon scribbles in the margins automatically identified the book as Kagome's. The first few pages did, in fact, have some notes from their "Language Arts" class on them, though afterwards all he could see was the start of her poem assignment and pages that descended into ridiculous doodles. He inclined his head thoughtfully and then brought the school work to the kitchen and sat down at the table.

_Kagome's never gonna finish this crap, _he though, reaching out and taking the pencil he had left on the table that morning.

He stared at the poem blankly for a few moments, sighed tiredly, and began to write.

oOoOoOoO

When Kagome arrived at the school, she was surprised to see a considerable amount of cars in the parking lot. She wondered if there was a school event going on, or something else going on nearby that might have just been using the parking area. She hoped it was the former.

-

She approached the school doors, feeling a little awkward, and she grasped the handle and pulled back a little harder than normal, unconsciously expecting the door to be locked or stuck. The door flew back with her hand and Kagome jumped involuntarily before darting inside. The unpleasant pink and green wall colour combination was as clashing as ever, but Kagome was glad that she was able to get inside. She noticed some students her own age, escorted by either one parent or two, wandering the hallways and walking in and out of classrooms. Kagome suddenly felt a little out of place. She clutched Koga's paper's tightly and she hurried down the hall and into the head office. There was only one person behind the desk there, an elderly woman Kagome had never seen before. She had wispy, greying hair tied back in a ponytail and was cleaning her glasses carefully on a light green cloth. Kagome approached her from across the desk.

"Uh, hi," she said cautiously, "Sorry, are you...? I mean-"

She wasn't sure what to ask, exactly, but to her relief, the woman cut her off, politely saying,

"Do you need some help?"

Kagome nodded eagerly and placed the papers on the desk top as the woman put her glasses on and placed the cloth in the pocket of her blouse.

"Yeah, um, I have... I have some registration papers here, for my twin brother," she said, "He was going to a boarding school, but he came back, and my parents were hoping to have him enrolled here. Are you, I mean..."

The woman looked at her thoughtfully.

"Are you able to do that?" Kagome concluded, trying to gather her thoughts.

The woman took the papers from the desk and skimmed them; Kagome nervously watched her eyes move.

"I'll have to give these to the principal," the woman said finally, "But, as far as I can tell, these are all in order."

Kagome tried not to let the sigh of relief that escaped her become too loud. The woman smiled.

"He should be officially registered by Friday," she assured her.

"Can he come in on Monday?" Kagome asked.

"I don't see why it would be a problem."

Kagome grinned and nodded.

"Okay, thanks a lot! I'm lucky the school was open today."

"Oh, you... aren't here with your parents?" the woman inquired.

Kagome shook her head and looked confused, and the woman continued to say,

"Oh, I had just assumed you had come in for the parent-teacher discussions. They're on from now until Tuesday night."

"Oh," Kagome said a little blankly, but she nodded as if she understood, and said, "Okay, well... Thanks again!"

She smiled and turned to leave the office, not catching a pitying glance the woman gave her as she headed out the door.

-

As Kagome walked towards the outer doors, she was still surprised at how lucky she had been that someone was working in the office. It would have been just a little annoying if she had walked all the way here for no reason. She then wondered why she hadn't called ahead. While her mind was elsewhere, however, Kagome didn't notice a familiar scent in the air until the door to the outside flew open in her face, startling her.

"Well, well, look what the dog dragged in."

Kagome blinked out of her thoughts and finally noticed the pale, thin, and sneering form of Cho before her, garbed in what was probably a designer coat lined in faux fur and boots with fuzzy bobbles on the sides, looking much too bundled up for the weather.

"Oh, hi," Kagome said, sounding a little bored, "That was probably the worst almost-insult you've ever thrown at me. Nice to see you too."

Kagome attempted to pass the other girl, but Cho pointedly stood in her way, a strange and slightly unnerving grin on her face.

"What?" Kagome asked.

"I haven't seen you here in a while, Higurashi. Meaning, I haven't seen Inu-kun in a while either, what the hell have you two been doing?" she demanded.

Kagome sighed. She was too tired for this.

"We've been dancing wildly and fighting the power," Kagome said sarcastically, "Does it matter?"

"Uh, yeah, because he's my man," Cho said, "I mean... he doesn't know it yet, but..."

Kagome smiled a little and rubbed her brow, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Cho," she replied, "I still don't think he's interested."

"Lies!" spat Cho, "Who else is there? Tell me!"

Kagome tried not to laugh and rubbed her head a little.

"You're... completely delusional," she said, "You don't even speak like a real person."

"Higurashi, you will answer me right now!" Cho demanded, but Kagome waved her off, chuckled a little, and pushed past her.

"I don't have energy to waste on this stupid argument, sorry Cho," she said tiredly, "See you Monday."

Cho looked at her with a baffled expression as Kagome opened the second set of doors and emerged onto the blacktop. Kagome spotted a woman looking almost to be a taller replica of Cho wearing very similar clothes approaching the doors as well, but as she saw Kagome, a gentle smile passed over her face and she waved a little before approaching.

"Hello! Higurashi Kagome!" she said, sounding excited, "Do you remember me? I haven't seen you since you were this tall!"

She motioned with her hand about a foot shorter than Kagome was now. The girl smiled a little.

"I remember, Nakamura-san," she said, "It's nice to see you."

Cho's mother smiled and said,

"Cho's talked a lot about you! She mentioned you were in some of the same classes. I'm glad to hear you girls are getting along now!"

Kagome tried not to look baffled, but merely smiled a nodded before the woman politely excused herself to go inside. Kagome stood outside the door for another few moments, running the mother of her high school arch-nemesis's words over in her brain.

_Getting along?_

Kagome was confused, especially because the woman hadn't been being sarcastic at all. Kagome tried to shrug it off, but turned around to look back at the school as if that would somehow give her an answer. Instead, she merely saw Cho glaring at her through the window very briefly before she turned and was guided away by her mother, who seemed completely oblivious. Kagome put her hand to her forehead.

_This isn't really worth my worry, is it? _

She took a deep breath and smiled tiredly to herself, starting to walk again across the blacktop, muttering a tired and slightly amused,

"Whatever."

oOoOoOoO

A piercing, unnatural noise shocked through an all ready exhausting black. His eyes shooting open, Koga shot upright, gasping, his body cold and damp with sweat. His palm went to his ear, though the sound fizzled into nonexistence almost as quickly as it had wrung itself up from his memory. The youkai trembled, breathing hard and he put his hand to his brow, a headache throbbing behind his temples. He felt sick. Shakily, he stood, but his legs refused to cooperate and he plopped back onto the sofa again. He stared ahead blankly, shocked. He had never felt so weak.

-

He sat in a stupor for crawling moments that felt like an eternity, trying make make his body cooperate until, suddenly, he felt something large and a little warm fall over his head. Stiffly, he turned to see that there was a large blue comforter over him. Inu-Yasha stood behind him with a slight frown on his face.

"You should have said something," he said bluntly, "Your body is still in shock. Keep warm."

The hanyou turned to walk out of the room while Koga stared after him blankly.

"Oh..." he muttered, and then said, louder, "Thank you!"

There was no response. Koga gulped a little and moved his legs up onto the couch and pulled the comforter around himself. Surprisingly, the blanket alone helped. It smelled like it hadn't been used in a while, but a soft, soapy scent clung to it from its last wash, and it was a bit relaxing. Just as he was getting comfortable again, Inu-Yasha reentered the room and passed him a cool glass of water.

"Thanks," Koga said again.

"You have to watch out for yourself better," Inu-Yasha growled, "Kagome'd be devastated if anything happened to you. You know that, right?

Koga was startled.

"You're so weak, it's a miracle you've survived this long," the hanyou continued.

Koga looked down, a little ashamed and Inu-Yasha sighed.

"Look, I don't mean to be completely harsh, but-"

"No, I understand," he said, but then turned his gaze up to Inu-Yasha's with a frown on his face, "I'm not weak. I'm just-"

"Completely unprepared?" Inu-Yasha cut in, "Yeah. I can tell. We'll fix that, though. We have to."

He shrugged and again, Koga was a little startled. He couldn't figure the hanyou out. It was as if the boy was torn between disliking him and wanting to help him.

_Maybe not... disliking,_ Koga thought, _He just doesn't trust me_.

The youkai nodded.

"I'll do my best," he said.

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Good. Now... got any appetite?"

Koga shook his head and clutched his blankets a bit closer. Inu-Yasha shrugged, turned, and then headed back to the kitchen. Koga watched him go with a blank stare, and then leaned back. His gaze flitted to the window and his mind went tiredly blank. He didn't stir again until he heard the door open and Kagome's bright, "Hi guys!"

-

The girl poked her head into the living room and smiled at Koga.

"Hi Wolfy, how're you doing?"

He shrugged, but smiled back at her.

"Got it all sorted," she said brightly.

She ducked back around the corner and he heard her kick off her boots. Stretching, she walked past him and into the kitchen. Her scent calmed him as she passed, and he sighed and relaxed again, shutting his eyes and trying to force his mind to blank.

-

As Kagome entered the kitchen, she saw Inu-Yasha at the table, bent over her notebook. He didn't look up. She inclined her head and then, quietly, she tiptoed up behind him and put her hands over his eyes. His reaction was minimal at best, though he smirked a little and said,

"You know, I could hear you coming from down the street."

Kagome smiled and let her arms drop down to his shoulders, leaning on him lightly.

"Sneaking up is ineffective?" she asked.

"Very."

"Damn."

She laughed and then craned her neck to look around him to see what he was writing.

"What'chu doing?" she asked.

"Your homework," he replied.

The girl looked surprised and gently pulled the book away from him just enough to see what he had written.

"Wow, thanks," she said, sounding a little awestruck.

"Not a problem. I knew you probably wouldn't do it until the last minute anyway," he said with a shrug.

Kagome smiled shyly and ruffled her boyfriend's ears affectionately.

"You know me too well," she said.

The hanyou's ears perked under her fingers and he smirked.

"Well, that's good," he said, turning to her and putting a hand on her head as he ruffled her hair.

She stuck her tongue out at him and bounced away, trying to fix her hair as he snickered. He then inclined his head and looked at her curiously.

"Ran into that Cho girl? Was she annoying as usual?" he inquired.

Kagome's eyes widened and she asked,

"How did you know?"

He merely pointed to his nose and the girl looked slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, right, I forgot. She didn't really... I mean, she tried, didn't really work."

Kagome laughed and rubbed her brow.

"After all that's happened, it's just... not worth worrying about anymore."

She sighed and Inu-Yasha stood, concerned, as the girl suddenly looked startling tired and pale. He put his hand on her shoulder and moved in close to her side in case she needed to lean against him.

"I'm okay," she assured him, "Just... this morning..."

He nodded.

"I understand."

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked softly.

Her expression was solemn now.

"As okay as is possible," Inu-Yasha said.

"Do you think Yamamoto-san will be okay?" she wondered.

"Yeah, my brother may be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he knows what he's doing."

Kagome nodded and she couldn't help but think back to when the older youkai had grabbed her. Inu-Yasha had said that he had forced her to use something called "spiritual energy" to reverse Daisuke's transformation. Though Kagome was still having a difficult time processing that fact, she didn't doubt the truth to it. The strange way she had blasted a hole in Inu-Yasha's door a little while before confirmed it in her mind.

"I should ask him..." she muttered aloud.

Inu-Yasha looked at her, tilting his head inquisitively.

"Ask who what?" he wondered.

"Oh, sorry. Your brother. About the laser thing," she said, shrugging.

"Really, why?" the hanyou asked.

"Well, I mean... it could be useful, right? Maybe if I learn about it, I can be more useful."

"You're useful," he assured her swiftly, but she merely laughed and patted his shoulder.

"But I'm just human, remember? I'd like to be of some use when things like today come up, you know, so you don't always have to be watching out for me."

Inu-Yasha was silent, and though he didn't say it, he knew she was right. He wouldn't say she was a hinderance in a fight, but she certainly wasn't able to help a lot either.

"We'll work on it," he decided, "We can start this week. I mean, if Sessho-Maru is available."

Kagome perked and looked and the hanyou with wide, eager eyes.

"You mean it?"

When Inu-Yasha smiled and nodded, Kagome brightened and hugged him tightly, saying,

"Thanks Yasha, I'm really going to try."

He looked at her fondly and carefully hugged her in return and after a moment, nuzzled her head affectionately. She grinned widely and gave him a squeeze before releasing him.

-

Kagome stretched her arms out a bit, straining her shoulders a little, and then covered a yawn as she peeked back into the other room to look at Koga. He looked half asleep, but she could see his body trembling even from where she was standing. Kagome frowned.

"Hey," she said, sounding concerned.

She walked over to Koga as he looked at her curiously, though his eyelids were drooping.

"You okay?" she asked.

She put a hand to his forehead and looked at him quizzically.

"You're freezing."

"He's still in shock, a bit," Inu-Yasha put in.

Kagome looked between him and Koga, who looked back at her sheepishly.

"I'll make you some hot chocolate," she volunteered.

-

Kagome made hot chocolate for all three of them and then spent the rest of the day hovering over Koga to make sure he was okay and bothering Inu-Yasha to see what else he knew about spiritual energies. Unfortunately for her, the hanyou had all ready told her most of what he knew. The only new information he was able to provide her with was that normally, spiritual energies were used for purifying demons and for healing. There were other ways to manipulate it as well, but his knowledge only went so far about it: there had been very few instances of the powers tangibly occurring in their lifetime.

-

At dinner (which consisted of leftover Chinese food, as it probably would for the next few days), Kagome casually suggested staying out for the night the next day and going to see several movies at the theatre. Koga, though he was tired, agreed readily, as did Inu-Yasha, though Kagome knew he would not be accompanying them. She felt a little bad for the deception, though she knew that it wasn't ill-intentioned. The rest of the night consisted of little more than an uneventful phone call from Kagome's brother and everybody falling asleep rather early in the evening.

oOoOoOoO

The next morning found Inu-Yasha waking in his room to a sensation in his face that he couldn't place. He blinked back sleep and stared up at his ceiling dumbly, wondering what had woken him up. It took him a few moments to realize that, as he breathed in, he couldn't smell as much as he could under normal circumstances. He cringed and then sighed in annoyance and then tried to sit up, only to realize that there was a strange amount of pressure on his stomach. He lifted his head a little to look at himself only to see that Kagome was draped, snoozing, across his middle like a cat, her arms hanging over his side and off the bed. Inu-Yasha laughed; he tried not to be too loud. He couldn't even recall Kagome being in the room when he had fallen asleep, let alone that she was lying on him. He shifted backwards a bit and, cautiously, he took her under her arms and moved her back onto the bed beside him. She remained rather limp and Inu-Yasha couldn't help the smile the passed over his face.

-

Cautiously, the hanyou pushed himself up and off the bed, and he folded his half of the blankets (which he had been laying on) overtop of the girl and then walked to the dresser. He was in the process of pulling out a clean, white t-shirt only to be interrupted by the voice of Buyo asking,

"_Hey, could you open the door?_"

Inu-Yasha turned to see Buyo's head and one of his paws shoved through the hole near the bottom of the door, looking at the hanyou with wide, hopeful eyes. Inu-Yasha shrugged and then headed to the door. Buyo perked up immediately and pulled out of the hole as the door was opened for him.

"_Thanks_," he said brightly.

"Not mad at me anymore?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"_Eh, I guess not_," Buyo laughed quietly.

He hopped up onto the bed beside Kagome, stretched, and pawed the bed in a circle before he flopped over Kagome's legs comfortably in the same position Kagome had been in just a few moments ago. Inu-Yasha held in a laugh and then took off his old shirt and put on the new one He was about to head out of the room when Buyo sleepily put in,

"_Inu-Yasha, you smell kinda different."_

Inu-Yasha's muscles stiffened uncomfortably, alarmed that Buyo had all ready noticed. He turned to the cat, whose green eyes were slitted, but his expression was almost amused.

"_Something's weird about you_."

Inu-Yasha looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, er..." he mumbled, "Okay. I have this thing that happens once a month-"

"_Oh, there are so many jokes I could make about that but I won't-"_

"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha barked, though he kept his voice low, "It's... on the first night of the new moon, I become... human... more or less."

Buyo's eyes became wide and his head and ears perked up.

"_Well, that is very interesting," _he said thoughtfully, _"Do all hanyous do that?_"

"I think all hanyous have some... variation of it," Inu-Yasha replied, "Don't tell Koga."

Buyo grinned his fangs a little, but to Inu-Yasha's surprise, he nodded and lay back down.

"_You can trust me_," he replied as he shut his eyes.

Inu-Yasha looked relieved and he paused briefly in the middle of the room, wondering what he should do until he realized that he was hungry.

-

Inu-Yasha left the bedroom lazily and headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen, yawning deeply until, very suddenly, he was startled by a youkai aura very close to him. He jumped, startled, and gazed around, and was even more startled to see his brother, garbed in a red shirt with one sleeve pinned up and jeans, sitting cross-legged on their couch, sipping at a mostly finished mug of coffee.

"S... Sessho-Maru? When the hell did you get here?" he demanded.

Sessho-Maru didn't turn, but Inu-Yasha could see the edge of a smirk on his face.

"About an hour ago."

"How did you get in?"

"I opened the door."

He smiled and his brother frowned at the back of his head.

"You really are slipping up, Inu-Yasha," he replied.

Inu-Yasha's face heated up with a shameful blush and he bared his fangs a little. Sessho-Maru turned his head and gave his brother a slightly unnerving grin.

"I see..." he said slowly, and then stood and walked around the couch, past his brother, and into the kitchen.

Inu-Yasha followed and watched as his brother placed his mug on the side of the counter, turned on the sink, and then rinsed it out, but when unable to find a towel, extended his elongated, but slightly deflated tail and dried the outside.

"What do you want?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Just checking in," Sessho-Maru said simply.

He placed the mug down again and Inu-Yasha winced a little at the sound of the ceramic against the counter. Sessho-Maru looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"All ready not quite yourself?" he said.

"Yeah, well..." Inu-Yasha grumbled, but to his surprise, his brother patted him on the shoulder, and with a surprisingly reassuring tone to his voice, said,

"It'll pass."

Inu-Yasha nodded, his eyes wide with surprise, though he said nothing to indicate it. Sessho-Maru moved away and put his hand in his pocket.

"I thought I should come talk to you myself," he said, "About the hanyou."

"Is... he okay?" Inu-Yasha asked hesitantly.

Sessho-Maru nodded.

"More or less. Because of Kagome, he reverted. I had him brought to a small medical facility."

He stretched his back a little and his brother looked at him quizzically.

"Can't tell you where it is. But that's neither here nor there. He's been patched up, briefed, he'll be back in a few days, but then he's being relocated."

"Relocated?" Inu-Yasha repeated.

Sessho-Maru nodded.

"It seems only logical. You three should move eventually as well."

His tail flicked absently as he directed a surprisingly neutral gaze towards the top of the stairs.

"Speaking of, who's the wolf?" he asked.

"Some guy Kagome found on the streets, he was a target too," Inu-Yasha said, shrugging.

Sessho-Maru cut his eyes at his brother in amusement, immediately picking up the tiniest hint of distaste in the hanyou's voice.

"It's good of you to keep him here. Youkai cannot afford to be fighting in this age," he said.

Inu-Yasha nodded, but he bit his lip a little.

_Damn, yeah, he's right_, he thought in annoyance, though he was more annoyed with himself than anything Koga had done.

"Don't worry about it," Sessho-Maru said.

Inu-Yasha looked at his brother in confusion, and then Sessho-Maru said,

"You're thinking about that wolf. You feel... what is that scent...? Jealous?" the youkai said.

Inu-Yasha's face heated up, though he said nothing. His brother smirked a bit at him and he said,

"It's normal. For inu youkai like us, anyway. You're simply being territorial. You'll get over it."

Inu-Yasha nodded shyly.

"Okay... uh... thanks," he said quietly.

Sessho-Maru shrugged absently and then turned towards the front door.

"I'm heading home, before Rin wakes up," he said, "Kagome still owes me coffee."

Sessho-Maru left with barely a sound. Inu-Yasha sighed and was about to turn, though he was startled by a sudden feeling of arms around his waist.

-

"Good morning, jumpy," came Kagome's voice sleepily, "I thought you said I couldn't surprise you."

Inu-Yasha relaxed almost immediately and he turned in Kagome's grasp. She smiled innocently up at him and he sighed and patted her head affectionately.

"I was distracted, sorry," he said.

She looked at him quizzically and then raised her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks gently, her eyes studying his features carefully.

"You feeling okay?" she asked, a concerned frown on her brow.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and, when she moved her hands, he leaned in close to her and whispered,

"I... start losing senses earlier in the day, that's all."

"Oooh," she said understandingly.

She patted his head reassuringly; he smiled sheepishly as he straightened.

"My brother stopped by. He said Daisuke is okay," he said.

"Oh, that's... I thought I heard his voice," Kagome said brightly, "That's good, I'm glad."

She moved away towards the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk and poured herself a glass. She turned and held the carton out to Inu-Yasha, though he shook his head.

"So," Kagome said, placing the carton back inside the fridge, "Tell me more about what's supposed to happen tonight. With you, I mean."

She smiled at him and sipped at her drink.

"You weren't exactly thorough last time you brought it up."

She inclined her head as Inu-Yasha's gaze briefly darted away from her.

"You seem embarrassed," she said gently.

"Oh, well..." the hanyou mumbled, "It's just... You know, I look different and I'm a lot weaker."

Kagome stared at him with questioning eyes until he drooped a little and sat down at the table.

"I become almost completely human," he said, "My hair changes to black, my eyes become... I guess... darker? I don't know, I don't really look at myself when I'm like that."

He sat, silent for a moment as Kagome took the chair opposite and continued to stare at him with probing eyes. He sighed.

"Fangs and claws shrink; my ears, obviously. I also lose most of my ability to do... stuff. I'm not nearly as fast, or strong."

He said this with a bit of resentment in his voice.

"I can't see in the dark, I can barely smell, or hear, or... you know, _anything_. And the sense losing thing starts early, as you've noticed. And... you won't notice, but Koga will, but... my scent changes a bit too."

He's ears drooped and Kagome's expression turned to one of pity.

"That doesn't sound like much fun," she mumbled, "Are you sure you want me to go out? I mean-"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said.

"But, I mean, if Koga can smell it anyway-"

"He can smell a change. He's so... uneducated about anything even remotely youkai related that he won't know what's up with me," Inu-Yasha said.

Kagome nodded and she smiled a little embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I kinda wanted to stay with you," she said.

Inu-Yasha felt himself blush and his ears folded back against his head shyly.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, "Besides... You'll get to go see some movies or something, you'll have fun. I don't mind staying home, I'm pretty tired."

"If you say so," Kagome replied, laughing a little.

She stood and put her glass on the counter, and then returned to Inu-Yasha, knelt, and kissed him quickly. His blush deepened and she grinned widely at him, patting his head again.

"I'll make breakfast," she volunteered.

"What did you have in mind?" the hanyou inquired.

"I was thinking some sweet omelette and some fruit or something. You dogs okay with that? We can just eat some of the leftovers alongside or something."

Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll give you a hand," he said.

oOoOoOoO

By the time the two had finished preparing breakfast, Koga still had not come down the stairs. It was a bit past 10 o'clock in the morning. Inu-Yasha supposed that it was understandable, considering what had happened the day prior. As he stood against the counter, eating relatively slowly, he tilted his ears towards where Koga was sleeping above them out of curiosity, though he actually had to focus to pinpoint him. He could hear Koga's breath, though it was surprisingly shallow. It didn't seem quite right. He finished his food and then placed his plate in the sink before walking slowly from the room.

-

Kagome, who was sitting cross-legged on top of the table with her breakfast, leaned back to watch him go curiously.

"Where're you going?" she asked.

"Just checking something," he replied casually.

Inu-Yasha went up the stairs, taking extra care to tread softly. His ears tilted towards Koga's room, he edged his way up to the doorway and peeked inside. There wasn't any scent of excess blood or anything of the sort. He knocked lightly on the open door. Inside, the gloomy light from the grey sky outside leaked in through half-open curtains. The light pooled on the bed, outlining the blanket covered form of Koga, who shifted at the sound of the knocking. To Inu-Yasha's surprise, however, a shift in part of the blanket unveiled part of a body covered in tawny fur. The hanyou, curious now, stepped inside to look at Koga. His body was much larger than it had been, and as Inu-Yasha drew closer, he noticed very clearly that the youkai was no longer in a human form: he was much bulkier now as an exceedingly large, shaggy wolf. Inu-Yasha stared at Koga a little blankly as the youkai rolled over, the blanket sliding off of him. His fur was an odd mix of tawny brown and black, with streaks of the darker colour running along his flanks and back. His breathing was still a little shallow, but now, he didn't seem too badly damaged. Though this hadn't been the change he had detected, Inu-Yasha wasn't entirely surprised to see Koga in the form of a beast. His brother, Sessho-Maru, was able to take the form of a dog quite easily and he recalled that, the few times he _had_ been badly wounded, he would occasionally take on his canine form. Since Inu-Yasha was unable to do such a thing, he was unsure as to the exact reason. Perhaps it lessened pain, or sped healing, but he couldn't be sure.

-

Inu-Yasha stood, looking at Koga for a moment before he left the room. He returned to the kitchen where Kagome was just finishing up her breakfast.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing much," he said simply.

He took a bowl out of one of the cabinets and filled it with water before heading back up the stairs. Watching him curiously, Kagome placed her plate in the sink and then cautiously followed the hanyou up the stairs. He went back into Koga's room and he placed the bowl of water on the bedside table.

"Hey," he said sharply.

The wolf's ear twitched and his eye opened to a sliver of blue at Inu-Yasha's voice.

"Drink something, would ya? You're dehydrated," he said.

Koga looked at him blankly before he nodded slightly. Inu-Yasha turned to leave the room, only to see Kagome standing at the door, her eyes wide.

"Is that-?" she whispered.

"Yeah," the hanyou replied.

He eased by her and closed the door quietly behind him, even as Kagome was trying to peer around him at Koga.

"Did he... Did he turn into a dog?" Kagome whispered.

"A wolf," Inu-Yasha corrected, "Don't worry, it's pretty normal."

Kagome stared at Inu-Yasha with a dazed expression.

"If you say so," she said with a timid smile.

Inu-Yasha shrugged, but he patted Kagome's shoulder.

"It's a good sign. He'll be okay," the hanyou said.

The hanyou headed back down the stairs. Kagome lingered for a moment before following, her head reeling.

"Can you do that?" she asked quietly.

Inu-Yasha, who had all ready reached the bottom of the stairs, tilted his head back over his shoulder and looked at her curiously.

"Hmm? Oh... No, I can't," he said.

"Oh," Kagome replied a bit blankly.

She scurried down the stairs after him. As he walked back to the kitchen to start to clean, she watched him intently. She wondered what else about demons she didn't know.

oOoOoOoO

As the day went on, Inu-Yasha began to feel increasingly anxious, though he tried his best not to show it. Kagome could tell, though; he knew just by looking at her that she knew. The hanyou, however, just tried to keep himself busy. Having finished all of Kagome's writing homework, he was having issues finding things to do.

-

Lazily, the boy sat on the floor in the living room, his back leaned up against the front of the couch, playing an obscure Nintendo game that he couldn't even name, but it involved running around with magical bombs and was relatively mindless. He felt a little emptiness along with the anxiety. He felt like he should be doing something more important, though he couldn't think of what it could be. Behind him, he heard Kagome enter the room. She had been in his room, trying to get his computer to work but couldn't really make it do more than play solitaire.

"We need internet," she whined, plopping down on the floor beside him.

"I know, we really do," Inu-Yasha said, "I guess I should try to get that set up."

"Eh, later," Kagome mumbled.

She lazily grasped onto his arm and her eyelids drooped a little.

"What're you playing?" she asked, staring at the colourful graphics on the screen before them.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Dunno, the name was scraped off the cartridge. I just sort of decided to give it a shot," he replied absently, "You seem tired."

"Tired due to lazy," she laughed, "I just need to find something to do. What time is it?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"Around... 4 o'clock, probably," he said.

"And Koga' still in bed, lucky bastard," Kagome laughed.

"Can't really blame him," Inu-Yasha said.

"Ugh, I know, when I got hurt, I just wanted to sleep," the girl agreed.

Inu-Yasha went very quiet for a moment as a jolt of guilt hit him and he completely stalled on his game, his on-screen character getting knocked into water and losing a life. He didn't seem to notice.

"Err," Kagome said shyly, and then she wrapped her arms around him and said, "Hey! I mean... Oh, damn it Inu-Yasha, don't..."

His face twisted just a little and he was still quiet, but then he looked at Kagome with a surprisingly soft smile on his face.

"Yeah, I... I know, sorry, I'm just... I'm a bit emotional today," he explained.

It was a bullshit excuse. Inu-Yasha knew that he was barely effected that way until the sun actually set. He felt his face heat up and Kagome looked at him with a knowing expression. She nodded, though she didn't press him any further. He put one arm around her waist and she smiled at him brightly as she cuddled up to his side.

"I understand, actually," Inu-Yasha said quietly, "First time I got hurt that badly, yeah, I just wanted to sleep through it too. Now, it's like... it's nothing."

Kagome nodded and poked him in the ribs gently. He cringed at the tickling sensation and she laughed at him and then, fondly said,

"When I first met you... you had your ass kicked pretty bad, huh?"

"I was caught off guard," Inu-Yasha said shyly, "Shit. That feels like years ago."

He leaned his head back and sighed, his video game now neglected completely.

"It does," Kagome agreed.

She laughed a little and then reached over and took Inu-Yasha's controller.

"You died," she snickered.

"Can't swim in this game," he replied tiredly.

"Sucks."

"Totally."

-

They took turns trying to get through the level, switching every two deaths, until, around an hour later, they both became aware of a creaking noise from above them. Within a few seconds, they could hear the prick of nails on the carpet and an exceedingly large wolf poked his head into the room. Kagome looked at him with wide eyes but Inu-Yasha, not even taking his eyes off the screen, said,

"Way to wake up at 5, dude."

The wolf's lips pulled back to show fang in a grin and he said,

"I'm sorry."

Kagome almost jumped to hear him actually speak aloud in a human language. She was used to hearing animals speaking their own language while she was able to understand them. This was new and a bit startling. Despite this, she smiled at the changed Koga.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Pretty good now, thanks," he said.

He stepped fully into the room, and Kagome tried to hide her surprise at how large he was. He also looked rather interesting for a wolf, having patterns of dark on his tawny fur slightly reminiscent of a German Shepherd. The girl was stunned. She had never been so close to a wolf, even at the zoo.

-

Yawning, Koga prowled over and looked at the space beside Kagome, and when neither she nor Inu-Yasha protested, his tail wagged and he sat beside her with a very cheerful expression on his face. Kagome looked at him, willing herself very strongly not to start petting him. She was immediately torn between her love of dogs and the knowledge that Koga was not actually one. She bit her lip and turned to Inu-Yasha, who cringed as his character was pushed into the water and lost a life.

"Shit," he said, and then held the controller out, asking, "Anyone else want?"

Kagome was about to decline, but to her right, an arm reached out and Koga said,

"Yeah sure, I'll give it a go."

The girl jerked and she whipped around to look at Koga, who looked relatively human again all of a sudden.

"How...?" she blurted.

Inu-Yasha and Koga both looked at her curiously.

"What?" Koga asked.

Kagome gawked for a moment.

"You're... You were a wolf a second ago," she stuttered.

He nodded and then rubbed his head and looked back at her shyly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you weren't used to that kind of thing," he admitted.

"Oh, no, it's okay," she assured him, smiling embarrassedly, "You still good for movies tonight?"

The youkai looked a little startled though he nodded readily and then looked to Inu-Yasha.

"You too?" he asked.

"Eh, maybe," Inu-Yasha lied.

He stretched a bit and then sat back against the couch. Koga stared at him quietly for a moment, finding himself trying to read the hanyou for a reason he couldn't quite understand. There was something different about him that the youkai couldn't place. He tried to puzzle out what it was for a few moments before turning back to the game, hoping the others hadn't noticed his (what he felt to be) awkward pause. No one made any remark, so Koga assumed he wasn't under any suspicion and he tried very hard not to let out any small noise of relief.

-

Within an hour or so the faint glimmers of sunset were upon the horizon and Koga and Kagome were preparing to leave the house. To Koga's surprise, Inu-Yasha elected not to join them, claiming he hadn't slept very much the previous night and wasn't up for an entire evening of movies according to Kagome's crazy scheme. Kagome had pouted, but accepted the fact after the hanyou had insisted they leave without him. Koga was stunned. He would have never expected Inu-Yasha to leave him alone with Kagome at all, and, being the stranger there, he couldn't really blame him. He kept it hidden, but the wolf was becoming a little irritated with the lack of trust, but this alleviated his frustration.

-

In fact, if Koga had known the real reasons for this new "trust", he might not have been so comforted. Inu-Yasha was not trying to be cruel, however. He was doing his best to trust the new youkai, but as his brother had mentioned, he had been being territorial, and now, as the night of the new moon approached, Inu-Yasha felt a slightly more prominent, and more human, sting of jealousy. He didn't enjoy the feeling, especially because he knew there was no reason for it. As the two left the house, walking up the road to catch a bus to the theatre, Inu-Yasha watched them from the window in the living room, his stomach in a knot.

_Kagome has every right to have more friends than just me_, Inu-Yasha thought, though it stung him a little more than he thought it should, _I guess... it would be better if I had more friends that I trust too, huh?_

He put his hand to his forehead and mumbled to himself,

"I'm really not very well adjusted, am I?"

"_What'd you say?"_

Inu-Yasha turned his head a little to see Buyo stroll into the room. The boy shrugged in return and finally moved away from the window.

"Nothing, just talking to myself," he said.

"_Oh, I thought people only did that on T.V.," _the cat said with a grin, _"You know, some people complain about that. They say it's not realistic. But here you are, proof that it happens in real life. Amazing."_

Inu-Yasha was unsure whether to laugh or not. He bowed his head a little and smiled, saying,

"Not realistic? Isn't it relative?"

oOoOoOoO

Koga and Kagome had only been waiting at the bus stop for a few minutes before the bus arrived, and they now sat together towards the back, Koga staring intently out the window. He looked fascinated, almost as if he had never ridden one before. Kagome watched him with interest. She remembered that when she had first met Inu-Yasha, he was fairly maladjusted to normal things as well. He didn't even have shoes on. She wondered if many demons were raised like that, or perhaps just demons raised by other demons in such a time, or orphans, like Koga.

-

Biting her lip, Kagome turned to Koga and finally, voiced a question she had been wanting to ask for a while.

"Koga... sorry, but... What did... you do, when you said you lived in the woods?"

Koga didn't stop gazing out the window, but he replied,

"Lived with wild dogs."

"Wild dogs?" Kagome repeated quietly.

"Yeah, there are just... you know, feral dogs, all over."

He shrugged and smiled a little.

"It was a hard life. But it was good. I felt bad to leave, but I thought if I didn't, I'd never be able to change back."

Kagome nodded and the look that briefly entered his eyes told her his reasons for wanting to return to the human world. In an instant, Koga looked vaguely cheerful again, the hint of vengefulness wiped completely from his expression.

-

They didn't talk much aside from that, though the silence wasn't really an awkward one. Kagome was a bit surprised: she had made a friend out of a second person; relatively quickly as well. She smiled a bit to herself and cast her gaze past Koga to out the window. It was getting dark. Kagome felt a small jolt in her stomach. Inu-Yasha said that he changed when the sun set. It was still cloudy, and a little hard to tell, but it was almost below the horizon now. She wished to be able to be with him as he changed, but she knew this was important as well. She looked at the oblivious Koga and felt a little bad again, but then took a deep breath and sat back against her seat comfortably. She pulled out her battered MP3 player and earphones, and then offered one bud to Koga. He took it, looking a little puzzled, and she laughed and said,

"You really have been out for a while. They're headphones."

"Oh," he said, startled.

She put her side in her ear, and he mimicked her, and then looked pleasantly surprised as she pressed play on the music, keeping the volume low for his sake. They still had a bit of a ways to go.

oOoOoOoO

Then sun was almost completely gone over the edge of the horizon, and the now pacing, agitated Inu-Yasha was all ready beginning to feel strong hints of changes to his body. He felt almost light headed, weak, and the insides of his ears burned. He turned, his feet skidding on the carpet of his room to stare out the window in annoyance.

-

In his reflection, he saw black seeping through his hair like the darkness brought with night. His eyes, too, went dark, to what he now recognized to be a sort of purple-blue: he supposed it came from his mother. He cringed as his ears went deaf for just a moment only to hear a disconcerting _pop_ a moment later. Inu-Yasha looked away as he felt his ears changing shape and his bone structure shifting. It didn't hurt (he wasn't sure why), but it sure felt weird as hell.

-

Inu-Yasha put a now clawless hand to his human ear once it had finished reforming. It was a strange sensation. He sighed to himself and plopped down on his bed unsure of what to do now. The realization that he couldn't merely sleep through the night made him feel suddenly exhausted. He forced himself to his feet and wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. He put the kettle on, boiling some water for coffee; he felt as if he all ready needed the caffein. Out of the corner of his eye, Inu-Yasha noticed Buyo, upside down on top of the fridge, watching him with curious eyes.

"_Can you still understand me?_" Buyo wondered.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied.

Buyo's eyes widened a little and he tilted his head to the side.

"_Interesting! ...Can't say it makes much sense though,"_ he mused.

"Does it really matter?" the boy replied.

Buyo smiled.

"_No, I guess not._"

The cat stretched and Inu-Yasha waited for his water to boil. He found himself immediately wishing Kagome was home. Things felt ridiculously mundane without her. In fact, it was hard for Inu-Yasha to recall a time when he had been "normal" without her. Prior to meeting her, he had been in a ridiculous emotional recession for over two years, and Inu-Yasha could barely remember himself before that. Thinking of it now, Inu-Yasha realized that that was actually quite depressing. He hadn't really thought about it much. Now that he did, he forcefully ejected the thought. He put a hand to his brow and then leaned forward, staring at the kettle as if that would somehow make it boil more quickly. He needed to find something to do. Badly.

oOoOoOoO

By the time the bus came to a halt at the stop outside the cinema, the sun was gone though the sky was still strangely bright, the glow of Tokyo reflecting back on the clouds. Kagome and Koga left the bus, thanking the driver, followed by another boy their age whose dyed red hair made him stand out quite a bit. The two paused at the stop as the other boy cut around them and headed towards the theatre.

"So, now that we're here," Kagome said, "Movie or food first? There are restaurants around here."

Koga looked a little startled.

"You... want to do both?" he asked, "Isn't this going to get expensive."

"It isn't really an issue," the girl replied, shrugging.

"You sure?"

When Kagome nodded and then stepped a little ways away from the bus stop, Koga said,

"I guess we should see a movie first," he said, and then quickly added, "If you're good with that."

Kagome smiled at him and nodded readily.

-

Inside the movie theatre, the air throbbed with the faint sound of bass and the music of commercials humming from televisions along the walls. Laughter and bright conversations were rampant, and the scent of fake popcorn butter was thick in the air. Koga stood a bit stiffly, his hand cupped over his mouth and nose, looking overwhelmed. Kagome watched him with amusement; she remembered that Inu-Yasha had had a similar reaction when he had first experienced the cafeteria system at her schoo

l.

"Take your time," Kagome told him.

Koga was relatively still for a moment before he cautiously lowered his head, breathing in slowly.

"I think... I'm okay," he said.

Kagome looked back at him a little proudly and then asked,

"What movie would you like to see?"

Koga pondered for a little bit and then, after looking at the posters as well, he suggested what seemed to be an action-comedy. Kagome agreed, and then left him to buy the tickets. He had protested, but she had reminded him that he was grossly underfunded.

-

Koga watched Kagome get in line to buy tickets from a little ways away where he stood, trying to keep out of the way, against the wall between a werewolf movie poster and a "staff only" door. Though Kagome seemed cheerful, the youkai felt as if there was something strange going on. He still couldn't understand Inu-Yasha's abrupt change of heart. He inclined his head, trying to read Kagome's body language, but he was still at a loss. He didn't bring anything up when she returned; he merely smiled at her and let her guide him through the building to the theatre where they would watch their movie. Koga was generally intrigued as Kagome showed him the theatre and they sat down in front of the large screen. He hadn't been the the movies since his mother had passed away. Koga felt a twinge of sadness, though he was jerked away from his thoughts as Kagome reassuringly patted his shoulder.

-

Koga's head jerked towards her with surprise, only to see her smiling at him.

"Wh... What was that for?" he wondered.

Kagome shrugged and said,

"I dunno, you just looked like something was bugging you."

Koga was startled by her perception. He smiled back weakly.

"Don't worry about me," he said, and then went quiet as the theatre lights dimmed.

oOoOoOoO

Struck with a mind-numbing boredom, Inu-Yasha sat, slumped on the couch, remote control in hand, staring blankly at a show on the television. He squinted. What in the hell was he watching? What was he _doing?_ He changed the channel once, then again, and again. He pressed down hard on a button on the remote and the screen flashed and then went black. Television was shit. What could he do that was productive? Anything? He had all ready gone through and completed all of Kagome's outstanding homework assignments. He wanted to sleep; be unconscious for this night where he barely felt like himself.

-

Inu-Yasha forced himself up and off the couch and stood, thinking.

_Is there anything I need to do_? he wondered.

He was drawing a blank. He found himself wanting to go for a walk, but that didn't seem to be a terribly wise idea after he thought about it a little longer: what if he were seen? He reluctantly abandoned the idea but compromised with himself and headed for the back door.

-

As he slid the glass door back and stepped out into the night, Inu-Yasha felt a gust of cool, autumn air brush him.

_Ah, right, tomorrow's October_, he thought.

The feel of the grass on his feet was nice, though as he peered off into the woods behind the house, his inability to see hit him like a blow to the chest. He took a deep breath as he felt his heart begin to pound. He let the light from the back window enter the edge of his vision and it reassured him a bit. He blinked to try to readjust his eyes and he headed around the side of the house to the dead tree that stretched up the wall next to Kagome's window. Placing a foot up against the side of it, he reached up into the barren branches and pulled himself up until the edge of the roof was within arm's reach. With relative ease, he grasped the side of the roof and pulled himself up and onto the top of the house. Forcing himself to actually think about where he was stepping for once, he edged up the roof and then took a seat against a protruding rectangle of brick that served to sturdy a chimney pipe. The sky towards the forest was dark, but glittered with stars, while in the other direction, the light from the city made the sky too bright to be anything natural. Inu-Yasha focussed his gaze above the woods, feeling rather content despite his situation.

-

After a while of nothing, Inu-Yasha's thoughts went to the day prior. He suddenly felt nauseous, and he took a long, deep breath, willing the feeling of illness to go away.

_What kind of person am I?_ he wondered, a frown crossing his face

Yesterday, he had killed a man. He had cut him in half. And yet, he was barely phased. So was this the norm of his existence.

_You are... a demon,_ a soft voice in the back of his mind said.

Inu-Yasha gulped and he put a hand to his brow.

_Monster._

Inu-Yasha shook his head.

_No, not a monster. I'm a... survivor. _

He clenched his fists, expecting the prick of claws that never came, and he leaned back, closing his eyes in thought.

_If I hadn't, my friends would be at risk, and I couldn't... I can't let that happen. And now with this... this war going on..._

He thought back to the words of his friends. They were both so idealistic. They wanted to save people. Inu-Yasha merely wanted to save _them_. But he supposed they were right. Some day, when they were better adjusted, stronger; when they knew what they were doing, the could save more people. Perhaps they could even fight this war, rather than just trying to exist through it.

-

Inu-Yasha smiled weakly to himself.

_Damn, I shouldn't be left alone to think about shit. Especially not on nights like this_.

He opened his eyes and stared off into the night, missing the usual glow of the moon. After a few moments, he noticed the gleam of red and green lights in the sky, and watched them with interest until identifying them as a plane. Again, the thought of how bored he was struck him and he was about to stand when, out of the corner of his eye, Inu-Yasha noticed something red. He didn't move for a moment, wondering if he was imagining things. A strange feeling suddenly shot through his being and he whipped around, but saw nothing. His dark eyes were wide and he felt his limbs shake a little. He could have almost sworn he had noticed someone sitting near him just barely out of the range of his vision.

-

The boy got to his feet and looked around cautiously, and, after a moment of unnerving silence, he managed to get out the word,

"Hello?"

There was no response. Inu-Yasha stayed very still for a few moments longer before his posture sagged a little and he put a hand to his brow. He was tired. He must have been imagining things.

* * *

A/N: Again, sorry for the huge giant time of no updates. I'm not dead or anything, and I'm not stopping the stories, I just have a lot less time to write. Thanks to all who have stuck with the story or are reading it for the first time, and I hope you're enjoying it! (Also, any blatant typos or if I left out a word in a sentence or anything dumb like that, which I do surprisingly often, feel free to let me know!)


	44. Red

Chapter 42: Red

The television flickered brightly in the living room as Inu-Yasha squinted, bleary-eyed, at the screen. He wasn't watching anything interest, just a dubbed 80's horror film that he couldn't place. He stretched his legs out far until he felt his back pop a little and then he resumed sitting cross-legged on the end of the couch, a bored look on his face.

x

After feeling a strange sensation on the roof, Inu-Yasha had returned to the indoors, feeling unnerved. Even now, he felt as if he was being observed. His initial reaction was to try to put it on his sense of paranoia, especially while human, but he knew that in his case, whatever was bothering him was most likely completely legitimate. Though he looked exhausted outwardly, his mind was alert, and he kept his diminished senses weary.

x

Upon entering the house, he had noticed something red out of the corner of his eye again, registering it as some sort of shape his mind couldn't place. Now, he waited for it to return.

x

A few minutes passed before Inu-Yasha felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to stand on end. His body tensed a little and a shape entered his peripheral ever so slightly. He didn't move and neither did it. Inu-Yasha pulled in a steadying breath and shifted in his seat slightly. The shape, bright red and quite large, seemed to shift forward, slinking almost like an animal towards him. He gulped, unsure of what to make of it. The red shape moved ever closer, as if by some greater sense of anticipation, always staying just at the edge of Inu-Yasha's vision. He grimaced, trying to keep his eyes from wandering and he stared ahead at the television until it (whatever the thing was) stalled beside him on the ground next to the couch.

x

It was then that Inu-Yasha struck. Still not looking directly at the thing, his hand shot out, grasping tightly to a portion of the shape as he flipped over the arm of the sofa, flipping the something over in the process. He was shocked to hear a feminine cry of surprise, and when he finally laid eyes on what had been stalking him, he was stunned to see that his hand had clasped around the scruff of a tiger-sized feline whose pelt shone an unnatural red. Inu-Yasha gawked as the upside-down cat creature began to laugh quietly before disappearing completely into a red fog, slipping away through the boy's fingers before vanishing completely. Inu-Yasha toppled backwards, shocked, his heart pounding.

"The fuck?" he gasped.

Did someone sneak drugs into my food?

The laughter echoed back through the kitchen, louder now, and, startling Inu-Yasha again, the cat emerged, her head inclined to the side.

"I'm sorry to frighten you," she said, again taking the boy off guard, "I was just watching out. I didn't think you'd be able to notice me, as you are now."

Inu-Yasha was baffled. He gulped.

"Who... Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

The cat merely bared fang in a grin and said,

"Say 'hi' to your brother from me, okay?" before vanishing completely, almost literally in the blink of an eye.

Inu-Yasha sat in place for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just happened. Eventually, he put his forehead in his palm, confused beyond reason.

_Why does all this weird shit happen in this house? First Kagome's giant spirit dog, now a red fog cat and-_

Inu-Yasha's heart stalled for a moment and his head shot up as his eyes widened.

_A Kouken-Konjou?_ he wondered, _Oh, shit! Can it be mine? I've never seen it before. Maybe Koga's? No, she said to say hi to Sessho-Maru._

Inu-Yasha's thoughts were racing.

"Well, fuck!" he cursed, heaving himself to his feet.

x

He walked into the kitchen, picked up the phone and purposefully dialled in his home phone number. The phone rang only once before it was picked up.

"What's wrong now, Inu-Yasha?" Sessho-Maru asked on the end of the line.

The man sounded more bored than irritated, for which Inu-Yasha was quite relieved.

"Do I have a Kouken-Konjou?" he asked.

"...What?"

"A Kouken-Konjou. Do I have one?"

"I... don't see why you wouldn't, most people have one, Inu-Yasha. Whether or not it can materialize is a different issue all together..."

He seemed puzzled.

"Why do you ask?" he wondered.

"There was a weird red cat thing in the house, she said some stuff about watching me, and then told me to say 'hi' to you," the boy answered hastily.

For a moment, there was no sound on the other end of the line. Inu-Yasha listened intently, but with human ears he could hear nothing.

"Sessho-Maru?" he said hesitantly.

"Did she tell you her name?" the youkai asked quietly.

"No," Inu-Yasha replied, confused, "Why?"

Again, there was silence, but after a moment he heard his brother sigh.

"No reason. You're right, it was probably just a Kouken-Konjou; nothing to worry about."

"Why is she here now?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Could be any number of things. If she was clearly darting in and out of your gaze, it was probably her first time being strong enough to come to this world. She may have just been testing, or she might have foreseen something. Then again, if that were the case, if she was a Kouken-Konjou, she would have let you know."

"Oh, okay..." Inu-Yasha said, feeling a bit reassured, "Thanks."

"Not an issue. Please don't call again unless it's an emergency: tomorrow's a school day."

With that, Sessho-Maru hung up. Inu-Yasha slowly did so as well. He had almost forgotten that Sessho-Maru had taken Rin into the house. The boy took a deep breath, still a bit shaken.

_Shit always happens when I'm human! Damn it,_ he thought.

He folded his arms to his chest and looked around, trying to will himself to be able to sense whatever was going on around him. Unfortunately, he felt nothing different. He gulped and then, tiredly, turned to the pot of coffee he had made earlier. It was lukewarm now. He poured himself another mug and dumped sugar liberally into it. He sighed. He hoped Kagome was faring better than he was.

oOoOoOoO

As the theatre emptied, Kagome trailed with Koga behind the other patrons, feeling pretty content with the action flick they had just finished watching. Koga seemed very excited and he eagerly retold his favourite moments, grinning and cheerful. Kagome was glad to see him so happy and seeming okay compared to earlier. She supposed the sleep had really been good for him. After the boy had finished his ramble, he looked at Kagome expectantly.

"What did you like most?" he asked eagerly.

"Um..." Kagome said blankly, "The explosion on the roof?"

"Oh yeah, that was really cool," Koga replied brightly.

They wandered through the theatre to an area near the food bar, towards a crowded group of tables and took seats at a small table next to a wall.

"So, what next?" Kagome inquired.

"Oh, we're still going?"

Koga seemed a little surprised and the girl faltered for just a moment before smiling and saying, "Yep, the plan was for all night." Koga looked confused for a moment before nodding.

"Right, I forgot," he admitted.

"Are you getting tired yet?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm okay," he said.

He gave her the thumbs-up and she snickered.

"I'm glad," she said brightly, "Want me to get us some food here? Or should we go somewhere else?"

Koga stared at her with a surprised look on his face and after a moment, he shrugged, indecisive. Kagome was glad that he hadn't settled on theatre food because, in all honesty, it wasn't very good and she needed to kill more time.

"Let's head out again," she decided, standing up again, "There's bound to be some places around."

Koga got up and followed her as she beckoned him towards the exit.

x

Outside, the night air was cool and refreshing. Kagome stretched her arms above her head contentedly and looked to Koga; she could tell he was much more comfortable outside. As she readjusted her jacket, she looked at the boy curiously.

_They really are like animals sometimes, aren't they?_ she mused a little fondly.

"What do you feel like?" she asked, "Burgers?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied.

The girl nodded and looked around, trying to get her bearings though Koga swiftly pointed up the road to their right.

"That way," he said.

"How-?" Kagome began, but then shook her head at her own forgetfulness and said, "Right, your nose."

He smiled a bit bashfully and the two began to walk again. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Koga eyed Kagome shyly.

"Hey," he said, "Thanks for this."

"Oh, no problem, movie nights out are fun," she replied with a grin.

"Not just that," Koga said, "Just... you know, in general."

"Oh," Kagome laughed and she was about to again mention how little of an issue it was when she was jerked from her train of thought by the wolf-whistle of a boy out the window of a passing car. The girl's reactionary middle finger went up despite her surprise and Koga bared his fangs and snarled almost as automatically.

"That son of a bitch, I'll-" he began, but Kagome's hand went to his shoulder and he looked at her in surprise as she laughed tiredly and shook her head.

"You know, teenage boys, assholes and such," she explained.

Koga looked at her and then up the road, though the car hand vanished.

"I could still catch them," he suggested.

"And do what?" Kagome asked.

She smiled.

"Thanks, but it's not a big deal," she assured him.

Koga looked a bit uneasy, nodded, but then drooped his head and mumbled something under his breath. Kagome looked at him inquisitively and poked him in the side and he grimaced a bit, blushed, and repeated, "What kind of brother am I to let some douchebag do that to my 'sister'?" Kagome's eyes went wide and she stalled in her tracks and, to Koga's surprise, burst out laughing and gave him a quick hug. His face went bright red and he hesitantly patted her shoulder, only to have her pull back and ruffle his hair.

"I like you," she decided, "Don't worry, you're a good brother!"

She grinned widely; it was contagious and soon Koga was smiling too as they began to walk again.

oOoOoOoO

As Kagome and Koga arrived at their destination, Inu-Yasha sat at home crunched up on the couch with a plate of Chinese food on his knees. He still felt odd and a bit paranoid as he watched television, but Sessho-Maru's words had reassured him despite the strange giant cat that had been in the house. Weirder things had happened, he supposed. He found himself thinking about Kagome and how she was doing once more, struck with an uncomfortable sense of jealousy as he unwillingly imagined the okami youkai sitting in a restaurant with her. He forced it from his mind as he stared blankly at the television.

x

The boy finished eating and, leaving the plate on the arm of the couch, he lazily went upstairs and into his room, trying to find something to do. Since his room had previously belonged to Kagome's younger brother, Sota, the books on the shelf above the desk were catered to a much younger audience. Inu-Yasha frowned and paused, wondering if Kagome would mind if he scoured her room for books. After a moment he decided that there wouldn't be an issue, he left his room and went into hers.

x

Immediately, not being able to smell the girl as normal bothered him and struck him with a sense of longing he hadn't anticipated. He grimaced a little as he stepped further into the girl's room. He noticed that her bed wasn't made and half of her blankets lay on the floor, as did her pyjamas. He could spy a bit of a shelf as a part of her end table, so he lifted the blankets away and shoved them back onto her bed. He knelt to the shelf to inspect it with curiosity. He was a little surprised to see that quite a few of the books were fairly girly mangas, along with some novels he didn't recognize and a few books in English. He dropped into a cross-legged position on the floor as he pushed books aside to look at their titles until he found one that didn't quite look like the others. It was small, but heavier than expected, and had no writing on the spine or the front. Inu-Yasha inquisitively pulled the book from the shelf and flipped it open, only to automatically realize it was a photo album as he was greeted with four blurry, amateur photos of Buyo inside a plastic sheet.

x

Inu-Yasha paused before turning the page. Was this too intrusive? He frowned.

_I dunno... was it really hidden? Did she not want me to see this? Maybe she just never mentioned it because it wasn't important?_ he mused, perplexing himself a little.

Curiosity took him and he flipped the page, only to see more pictures of Buyo. He smiled a little.

_No big deal, just cat photos,_ he thought.

He flipped another page and now came to more family oriented photos. He saw a picture of a much younger Kagome. Though she was smiling with Buyo on her lap, her eyes were on the cat and not on the photographer and she looked tired and vacant. A little strange for a girl of what appeared to be ten or so, but he supposed it wasn't that surprising considering her history. He saw a few more pictures of her: outside a shrine that he assumed was her other home, at school, at a park, always with the same, startlingly world-weary sort of expression, though she always seemed to have more life whenever her younger brother was in the photo with her.

_She must have had a hard time,_ Inu-Yasha thought a bit sadly, _She said her mom always used to travel, like she's doing right now. Kagome must have had to take on a lot of responsibility._

Inu-Yasha continued through the photo album, finding pictures of a woman who, judging by the small resemblance he noticed to Kagome, was her mother. There was also a very short. elderly man in a few of the pictures who seemed to always have a scowl on his face. One picture near the back of the album threw Inu-Yasha off however. In the picture he saw Kagome's mother, much younger, grasping a small, maybe two year old, Kagome in her arms as she stood side by side with a young man who stared at where the camera would have been with an uncommon fascination. They seemed happy, though, and Inu-Yasha was a bit startled to notice this strange man's resemblance to Kagome. This was most obvious in his eyes that were a bright hazel, like hers, and unlike her mother's.

x

The boy inclined his head curiously as he stared at the photo.

_"Kagome hasn't looked through that in years,"_ came Buyo's voice.

Inu-Yasha looked over his shoulder curiously as the cat prowled into the room and sat beside the boy, looking at the book more intently.

"Then why is it here?" Inu-Yasha questioned.

_"Dunno, she always has it in her room. Doesn't look at it, though. Another one of her habits."_

The cat seemed strangely pleased and the boy looked back at him with an inquisitive frown. He tapped the photo he had been looking at and placed the book in front of Buyo on the floor.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked, "Were you around back then?"

The cat leaned forward and squinted at the image.

_"Yes. I'm Kagome's age, you know,"_ he stated almost proudly, _"And I remember him."_

"Who is he?"

_"Why so curious?"_

"She mentioned to me one time that she suspected that her 'father' wasn't really her father, and... well, now that I see this guy, I sorta feel that way too," he explained.

Buyo looked at the man in the photo intently.

_"I remember him,"_ he repeated, _"His name was Hyougin. I don't remember a whole lot. Believe it or not, I wasn't always as sagely and coherent as I am now."_

He smiled jokingly and Inu-Yasha scoffed a little and patted Buyo on the head.

_"I remember I could speak with him, though. Not that I had anything interesting to say back then,"_ he said, _"I believe he vanished about 12 years ago."_

"Weird," Inu-Yasha mumbled, "Do you think... he could be Kagome's dad?"

_"I honestly couldn't say,_" he said, _"He was very kind though."_

Buyo frowned.

_"Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to him."_

Buyo tilted his head one way and then the other and then stood, mumbling something to himself as he paced about in a circle.

"What's up?" Inu-Yasha asked as he turned to watch.

_"I just... It's weird, I never really wondered where that man went before,"_ Buyo admitted.

He looked almost ashamed until Inu-Yasha reached out and roughly ruffled his ears.

"Well, you are just a cat," the boy said jokingly.

_"Oh thanks."_

Buyo batted at Inu-Yasha's hand playfully. The boy poked the cat on the forehead and then, carefully, he closed the photo album and returned it to its place. Instead, he pulled out what seemed to be some sort of fantasy novel, judging by the strange hellbeast on the cover.

x

As Inu-Yasha returned to the main floor to read on the couch, he couldn't help his mind from wandering. Who was that man in the photo? Why had he vanished so suddenly? It became so distracting that he often had to trace back and reread a few pages as his eyes had been following the words but his mind did not acknowledge them. It took him another thirty minutes before he realized that the book was not a fantasy, but was a mystery novel. He then paused to wonder about the cover image, and then began to wonder why he was wondering about the cover image. He slammed the book shut and leaned his head back, grumbling out, "Fuck it," before heading upstairs to his room.

oOoOoOoO

Koga had been sitting with Kagome in a restaurant for almost an hour and he could tell that, for some reason, she was stalling. She had ordered them three rounds of appetizers before dinner and after that had done everything rather slowly. Though Koga enjoyed spending the time with her, he couldn't help but find her behaviour odd. Kagome seemed like a person who was almost always in some sort of rush, from the way she did things to the way she spoke. Even when she was eating dinner, he could see her forcing herself to slow down. She was also keeping track of time meticulously. The combination of the two was very strange indeed.

x

Koga tried to puzzle through what Kagome was thinking, even after she had paid the bill and they left, heading back towards the movie theatre to catch the next general batch of showtimes.

"So," Kagome said to him as they strolled along the same sidewalk they had walked up before, "What do you think? Got any ideas for the next movie?"

"Not really," Koga said absently.

"Hmm..."

Kagome pouted her lips a little and frowned in thought; Koga looked at her, feeling almost as if he could see the gears in her head turning as she made some unknown calculations that were rightly extended by how tired she seemed all ready.

"What about the new one about a wolf-man?" she asked after a while, flashing Koga a grin, "that should be funny for you, huh?"

As the okami looked a little surprised, he couldn't help but notice that under Kagome's breath, she said, mostly to herself, "It's pretty long, too."

"Well... yeah, okay," Koga agreed, and the girl's face automatically brightened.

The boy was a bit confused though. It felt almost like she was trying to distract him from something, though he couldn't figure out what. He could see how tired she was, and yet she still wanted to stay out... and away from Inu-Yasha as well. He found this particularly strange, especially considering how attached the two of them seemed.

_Could she be trying to keep me out of the house? I wonder why?_ Koga mused, _Did I do something wrong?_

He was snapped out of his thoughts suddenly by Kagome calling his name. She had stopped walking and was looking at him curiously. He too had stopped rather unconsciously, probably following her.

"Sorry, what?" he asked dazedly.

Kagome inclined her head and then laughed a little before lightly bopping him with her fist before continuing to walk. He followed hurriedly.

"I said, what sort of movies do you usually like? Next time we can do more planning and try to find really good ones or something," she said.

"Oh! Um... I dunno, actually, I haven't watched a whole lot of movies," he admitted as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You'd like martial arts films," Kagome decided.

Koga watched her closely, noting the way she forced her eyes to go wide as if to shock herself back into "awake-ness" as she made herself hold in a yawn. She must have been tired as well. Was there something back home he wasn't supposed to know about? Koga decided to test his theory. He yawned pointedly and then said, "Actually, you know, I'm getting a bit tired. Do you think we should call it a night?" He saw Kagome panic briefly, her eyes going wide as she put her hands up a little, but then she forced a grin.

"Oh, are you sure? The wolf-man movie seemed like it would be pretty good. We could get coffee, that should keep you up."

Koga smiled a little. Of course she would try to keep him here.

_I wonder what's going on?_ he thought.

"Is there a place around here?" he asked.

"We passed one on the way," the girl said.

She lifted her small MP3 player from her jacket pocket and looked at it to check the time for what seemed to be the twentieth time that night.

"We have time," she said quietly as if to reassure herself.

The youkai inclined his head, noting that Kagome had probably forgotten that, no matter how quiet she spoke, he would always hear her. He nodded and followed as Kagome began to head back the way they had come, away from the theatre and towards and the coffee shop.

oOoOoOoO

After sitting for a while in a small, late-night, chain coffee shop, the two headed back to the theatre. Kagome's tired mind was racing. She felt like, somehow, Koga was catching on. She wasn't sure what to do, but she was becoming exhausted. She still had almost four hours to kill and she was unsure of what to do. She checked the time on her MP3 player again groggily only to realize that she had forgotten the showtimes back at the theatre. Silently cursing herself, she continued ahead, unaware of Koga's eyes on hers as if he were trying to read her thoughts.

x

Soon, they were back in the highly illuminated entryway of the movie theatre. Kagome winced in the light and tried to see the playing times of the movies. The last one would be in half an hour. She sighed in relief, still unaware of Koga's probing gaze. When she looked back to him he looked off absently and said, "You seem really tired, are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Um... Yes, yes! Definitely!" the girl insisted, forcing herself to brighten, "I'm okay, I could keep going all night!"  
Koga fought to hold in a "that's what she said," and smiled a little to himself before looking in her direction again, only to find her gone. He was a bit startled, but then noticed her heading towards the ticket desk again. He felt a sense of guilt that she kept paying for everything but, in all honesty, he had very little money. He doubted he would have even been able to cover half of this night's expenses. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and looked a bit troubled, but then looked back at Kagome. She was just being handed back two tickets by a young man who looked a bit high. She turned to head back to Koga, nearly bumping into a boy with bright red hair on her way. She apologized hurriedly and scurried back to her friend's side, blushing a bit with embarrassment as she handed him his ticket.

"We still have a little while," she said.

He saw her try not to yawn again and couldn't help a faint smile from crossing his face.

x

They returned to the table at the side near the concessions (which was now closed) and sat once more, though this time the area was bereft of patrons.

"So," Kagome said, a little unsure of what to talk about.

"So," the demon agreed, smiling a little, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go home now?"

Kagome wanted to answer yes, he could see it, but she smiled back at him as if she thought he was joking and raised her eyebrow, saying,

"Don't be silly, I all ready paid for the tickets!"

"Right, right," Koga said, nodding.

He leaned his chin on his hand and Kagome stifled another yawn.

_She really wants to keep me here,_ he thought, bemused, _What secret is she trying to keep? It must have to do with Inu-Yasha, why else wouldn't he have come?_

Kaga was surprised that he hadn't come to that conclusion sooner. He sat up suddenly, startling the girl across from him, and then gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry," he said, "But did you see a washroom anywhere?"

"Oh! Yeah, over that way."

She turned and pointed behind her where Koga saw a small hallway in the distance marked by a sign with a basic human figure on it.

"Thanks," he said quickly.

He got to his feet, saying, "I'll be right back," and then headed towards the washroom.

x

Koga ducked into the room quickly. It was wide and bright with tiles, and was relatively clean. It was obvious to the youkai that there was no one else inside and so, quickly, he began to look for a way out. His curiosity was getting the better of him, and almost at once he spotted a small, high window on the far wall that he could see what appeared to be a bush through in the dark. He paused to think. Getting out would be simple, and he could get to Kagome's house and back within just a few minutes. He bit his lip. It didn't feel quite right, but he really wanted to know what was going on. He stared at the window, wondering. Koga cast a glance over his shoulder, and then looked back towards the window. He bit his lip and then stalled, rubbing his brow.

_Nah, I can't just leave her. That's not fair._

He let out a sigh and turned back to the door of the restroom and walked back outside.

x

Kagome was still sitting at the table and leaning her head on her fist, looking very tired. She smiled obliviously upon seeing him and he grinned back as he sat with her again, though he immediately felt guilty for thinking of leaving her. She looked so sleepy that she seemed close to collapse.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Kagome blinked heavily at him before lifting her wrist as if to check her watch, only to realize she wasn't wearing one. She dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a battered MP3 player, pressed a button on it and stared at it before saying, "A bit past 12:40." Koga eyed her curiously and then said, "Seriously, you look tired. Did you want to head home?"

As he had expected, Kagome jolted with surprise and suddenly seemed more awake. She shook her head and laughed nervously.

"Um, no, no I'm okay," she said.

Internally, she felt drained even as she said it, but she kept smiling, unaware that Koga could tell that she was forcing it. The okami patted her shoulder and said, "Okay. But this is the last one."

x

After leaving the concession area, they walked back into the hallway lined with theatres, found the theatre listed on their tickets and wandered in. The dark inside emphasized Kagome's drowsiness and she stifled a yawn once more. Even though the stairs in the theatre were lit up, she stumbled in the dark. Koga grabbed her gently, guiding her to an aisle seat easily. Kagome plopped down and smiled at him gratefully as he ducked by her and took the seat to her left. The screen was still displaying a pre-show of still ads for cars and candy, and due to the lack of brain stimuli, Kagome's head began to droop a little. Koga looked a little amused and nudged her with his elbow. She jerked up a little and laughed shyly.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," she admitted.

Koga nodded understandingly. The girl looked embarrassed, though she was quickly distracted by Koga's eyes. Interestingly enough, his iris was a little enlarged and she could pick out a tiny black dot in the center of the blue.

"Weird," she whispered in awe.

Koga shot her a questioning glance.

"Oh, sorry, I was just looking at the change in your eyes," she said, "Do you have very good night vision?"

"Detail-wise, I don't notice a difference between in here and outside," he explained simply, "Same's true for most of us."

"That's awesome," she said.

Even after the trailers started, Kagome was still visibly more interested in watching Koga's eyes than the screen despite the fact that her own eyelids had started to droop. Koga was rather oblivious to this until he noticed Kagome starting to lean toward the aisle in an odd manner. Looking at her face, however, he automatically saw that she had dosed off. Quickly, the boy grabbed her, trying to sit her back up, but she merely slumped against him instead of falling from her seat. He vainly tried to prop her back up, but she fell back against him with no signs of waking. Koga blushed unwittingly and he looked at her with shy curiosity. He wondered if he should try to wake her up at all. He considered it carefully and was about to try when the movie began to blare. He cringed a little, waiting for his ears to adjust. He turned his gaze on Kagome soon afterwards. She was still sound asleep. The youkai sighed, slumped a little, and then dipped his right shoulder a little so she could be a little more comfortable as he sat and stared absently at the mildly ridiculous film playing on the screen before him.

oOoOoOoO

It was nearing the hour of 4am and Inu-Yasha sat in the dark, his back to the largest tree in Kagome's backyard. His eyes were closed and he was letting his mind drift. It was the closest to sleep he would allow himself to get. He had been there for almost an hour and a half and had come outside again after getting bored of video games. Buyo had all ready gone to sleep. Though Inu-Yasha envied the cat, his own sense of paranoia wouldn't let him rest. He listened to the sounds of the night in relative contentment until a new sound, a thud on concrete, sent a chill of surprise up his spine.

x

The boy's eyes snapped open and he squinted through the dark and got to his feet. He could hear footsteps and, very cautiously, he edged up against the side of the house and peered around to the front. To his immediate relief, he saw Koga standing on the walkway to the front door, carefully lowering a very sleepy-looking Kagome from his arms.  
"Oof, thanks," he heard her say tiredly.

"It was quicker, I think," the wolf said brightly, though he too sounded rather groggy.

Kagome approached the door and he saw her disappear into the house. Koga paused outside the door for a moment, looking confused. Inu-Yasha could see him testing the air and the boy froze utterly, trying not even to breath. After just a few moment, Inu-Yasha heard Kagome's questioning call to the other demon, who pushed away his suspicions and went inside, closing the door behind him. Inu-Yasha quietly let out the air he had been holding in and edged back around the house.

x

Inside, Kagome discarded her jacket and boots in the closet by the door. Koga followed her lead and looked around. He didn't see Inu-Yasha around, though he did see Buyo, asleep on the couch. He also noticed that something in the house smelled a little funny, though he couldn't quite figure out why. He shrugged it off, not seeing anything suspicious, and then yawned.

"I think I'll go to bed," he decided.

"Good call," Kagome said with a quiet laugh, "Good night!"

"Yeah, goodnight. And... you know, thanks again."

He smiled at her and she returned his tired but cheerful expression, giving him the thumbs up. She watched as the boy scooted upstairs and then she looked around curiously, wondering if Inu-Yasha was lurking about. She didn't see him in the living room anywhere, but then it struck her that she might not be looking for the right hints: Inu-Yasha would look different tonight.

x

Very quietly, she edged around the living room, though she still saw no one but Buyo. A little puzzled but not overly concerned, Kagome went upstairs just in time to see Koga, his lights off, close his bedroom door. The girl smiled a little, generally in a good mood and a bit proud of herself, though she did feel a little bad for falling asleep on Koga during the wolf-man movie, even when the projector had malfunctioned halfway through and caused a good twenty minute delay. She unwittingly blushed just a little as she headed into her own bedroom. Inu-Yasha was not inside but she was a bit surprised to see that he had obviously made her bed. There was also a piece of paper on her night-table. Curiously, she picked it up, only to find that it said, _"I looked at your photo album and borrowed a book, I hope you don't mind."_

"Oh," she said to herself, a little surprised.

She had almost forgotten she had a photo album in her room. She was almost tempted to look at it herself now that her memory had been jogged, but she immediately realized that it would keep her awake and decided against it.

x

The girl changed out of her clothes and into baggy grey slacks and green t-shirt for pyjamas. She rubbed her eyes tiredly on the back of her hand and then decided to do one more pass for Inu-Yasha. She left her room, stifling a yawn with her hand. She saw Inu-Yasha's lights were off and his door was ajar, though when she peeked in she didn't see him in there either. Frowning a little Kagome turned, only to bump into the chest of the boy she had been looking for.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "Sorry-!"

"Sorry!" he replied, overlapping her, grasping her shoulders lightly to steady her, and then laughed a little, "Sorry, I was trying to see what you were looking at."

Kagome laughed a little and took a step back, but was a bit stunned by what she saw. Her hanyou now had dark hair and eyes that seemed almost violet, and looked, for all intents and purposes, human. He looked at her a little shyly, noticing that she had begun to stare at him with surprised curiosity.

"I was looking for you," she said, though her tone was absent as her mind was obviously on other things.

She edged up to him, her eyes locked on his. Cautiously, she raised her hands to his face and guided his head sideways, inspecting him as he flinched in embarrassment. She drew her fingers through his hair and then leaned up closer to his face, studying the colour of his eyes before pulling a bit of his hair forward and then staring at it as well.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little shyly, only to shudder when Kagome ran an inspecting finger along the edge of his ear, "Ah!"

Kagome pulled back, smiling apologetically, but she laughed a little upon noticing a bit of pink on his cheeks as he straightened his neck and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, it's just... you look human! It's weird!"

She said this cheerily, her expression full of fascination.

"I bet you look like your mom, huh?" she said.

Her smile widened and Inu-Yasha looked startled, but he laughed a little and said, "You remembered about that?"

Kagome nodded and then took his hands in hers, looking at them curiously. She recognized his hands, undoubtedly, but she couldn't help but think they looked a little strange without claws. Inu-Yasha followed her gaze and he felt his face heat up a little. He edged a little closer to her and asked, "So... did you have an okay time?"

"Oh, yeah," Kagome said, but she still seemed very interested in his hands, and then after a moment of quiet, she looked up at him with a fond expression, "You should come next time."

She released him and patted his shoulder approvingly as he nodded. She went silent again, looking at him with unspoken fascination, seeming as if she wanted to ask him something until he tilted his head and said, "What is it?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just... wondering what it's like to make a change like this," she said, "You don't mind me asking, do you?"

He shook his head and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Well the thing is, this has happened for as long as I can remember, so... I mean, I guess it's normal for me. It can be kinda... annoying."

He shrugged and Kagome nodded as if urging him to continue, though she began heading into his room and he followed, putting his hands into his pockets.

"It feels like I'm sick. Because... you know, I'm weaker, can't smell, all that."

He shrugged again as Kagome began to look worried.

"It's only one night," he said reassuringly, and the girl nodded.

x

Though she had been heading to sit on the bed, Kagome turned back to the boy, leaned forward and hugged him around his chest tightly, and, startled, he stared at her for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. His embrace was a little less sure than usual, though Kagome also felt like his grasp on her was quite light. She was a little confused by this, but she grinned and snickered.

"You're so brave," she said, "Hanyous are really fascinating, you know?"

Inu-Yasha blushed and, as Kagome pressed a little closer and rested her head against him comfortably, the boy felt his heart begin to beat faster and, shuddering a little, he hugged her just a little tighter. Before he could even attempt to stop himself, he whispered, his voice soft, "I missed you." Kagome, surprised, pulled back a bit and took him by the shoulders, tilting her head, but then smiled and leaned forward to kiss him gently. Inu-Yasha felt his head spin unlike it had ever done before, his heart pounding as he kissed the girl back, cupping the back of her head and stroking her hair. When he drew back, his heart was still beating much too quickly and he couldn't help but pant just a little, his eyelids drooping. Kagome pet his head reassuringly and before he knew it, she had guided him to a sitting position on the bed, where she knelt down to be at his eye level and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y... Yeah, fine," he breathed.

Kagome bit her lip, concerned, until Inu-Yasha's blueish gaze locked on her and, despite his embarrassment, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, when I'm... like this, I get.. um, I overreact."

Kagome blinked with a blank expression, but then nodded as if she understood.

"Ooh, so you become more like... a human guy," she snickered.

She laughed even harder as she saw her boyfriend's face turn red, but then quietened herself as she recalled that Koga was trying to sleep in the other room.

"It's funny," she said quietly, "It's... interesting to see you as a human."

She smiled, though Inu-Yasha was silent. After a moment, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Is it… okay…?" he asked quietly.

Kagome looked surprised and she leaned forward towards him again, blinking blankly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"This… You… I mean, you don't mind, do you?" he asked.

He gestured to himself. Kagome was taken aback. He almost sounded timid.

"Mind? No, I don't mind," she assured him, "It's just a part of who you are."

She grinned at him and he looked back at her shyly.

"So, you… Do you… prefer… this?" he asked cautiously.

The girl stared at him blankly.

"Prefer…? No, I don't prefer you looking human, Inu-Yasha, I prefer you being… however you like!"

She laughed and patted him on the head as he looked back at her with wide eyes.

"I like you and your hanyou self looking like a hanyou."

She smiled and hopped up onto the bed beside him, bonking him on the head.

"A hanyou who looks like a human isn't any fun, yeah?"

Inu-Yasha looked a Kagome blankly for a moment before he nodded and smiled.

"Yeah…" he agreed, "Thanks, Kagome."

Kagome inclined her head and her grin widened.

"You're such a dork, you know that?" she said.

She kissed his cheek and he grinned at her and leaned his forehead tiredly against hers.

"Hey," she said gently, "You know, we have about three hours before we have to get ready for class. I think it'd be safe to sleep, huh?"

Inu-Yasha pulled away a little and shook his head.

"Not until I'm hanyou again," he said.

Kagome pouted and bonked him on the head with her fist again.

"What could possibly happen in three hours?" she demanded.

"Anything," Inu-Yasha replied simply, "I told you: I never sleep while I'm human."

"Not even… just this once? You look exhausted," said Kagome with a pitying frown.

Again, Inu-Yasha shook his head, bowing his head tiredly and pushing his bangs out of his face.

"No. The one time I fall asleep like this is going to be the one time something goes to shit," he said.

"You think?" Kagome wondered.

"It's just the sort of luck I have."

Kagome shrugged and patted his shoulder before flopped back, sprawling sleepily. Inu-Yasha looked at her quizzically and said, "You going to sleep then?"

"Yep. You try too, when the sun starts to come up, okay? Maybe you can at least get an hour or so in."

Inu-Yasha nodded a little and Kagome grinned at him approvingly before yawning, stretching, and then curling up on the bed and waving him closer. Confused, he leaned towards her and she poked him on the nose while sticking her tongue out. He smiled tiredly and she patted his shoulder before snuggling down into the blankets and closing her eyes.

x

Kagome seemed to doze off quickly, as Inu-Yasha suspected she would. He cast a glance at the window and his heart leapt when he saw that the sky was starting to brighten just a little. He knew that, now, changes would be gradual until the sun actually hit him. He looked ahead absently, bored of reading and even more bored of trying to stay awake, but he knew it wouldn't be much longer. He turned his gaze onto Kagome and watched her fondly.

_She's so cute..._ he thought, but was automatically taken aback,_ Whoa... never actually put that into words before. Shit._

A second aspect of his inner voice began to laugh at him, saying, You're such a sap, while a third volunteered that it was just the tired human in him talking. Despite the fact that no one could hear his internal chatter, Inu-Yasha blushed a little and looked up to the ceiling. He would be normal soon.

x

An hour passed strenuously by, with Inu-Yasha feeling his power slowly ebb back into his body. The sun seeped through the window and the hanyou's groggy gaze flitted towards it, his eyes brightening to their normal golden as the light hit them, his hair bleaching under the sun's rays. He cringed just a little at the feeling of his ear system rearranging, and closed his eyes and attempted to ignore the feeling of his ears completely shifting and changing shape. When he opened his eyes, he was a little startled to see Kagome's eyes open just a crack, looking at him sleepily.

"Uh... Kagome, are you-?"

"Yeah, I'm awake," she said in a soft, groggy voice ,"I just..."

She yawned.

"I just was curious about what happens when you change."

Inu-Yasha nodded a little and, finally, flopped backwards onto the pillow. Kagome let out a sleepy laugh and clung closer to him.

"You're such an interesting creature," she chuckled.

Inu-Yasha felt a little embarrassed, but he couldn't help but relax as she lazily patted him on the head.  
"Let's try to sleep for an hour at least, yeah?" Kagome said.

"Good call," the hanyou answered.

He was really was tired. Beside him, the girl hugged him contently and stretched up to kiss him gently. He happily returned the gesture, pleased without the human anxiety he had felt only a little while before at the touch of her lips against his own, and then clung to her sleepily. Before he could think of anything more, his eyelids drooped closed. The black was a comfort on his mind and he was unwilling to pull himself out of it. He dozed off within minutes.

x

Kagome watched the slumbering hanyou for just a few moments. He looked peaceful again, which inevitably put a small smile on Kagome's face. She stretched her back tiredly and, after smothering a yawn, snuggled down into the blankets and against Inu-Yasha's side and wrapped her arms around around him to pull him close.

oOoOoOoO

"Wow..."

"Koga, that's just the caf-"

"Wow."

"It's not really that special-"

"Wow!"

x

Kagome's face was pulled into a tired smile as she put a hand to her brow. Beside her Koga, startlingly alert, his eyes wide and excited, looked at the rooms and the people throughout the hallway of the high school with cheerful interest.

"I haven't been inside a high school. It's cool!" he said brightly.

Behind them, Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, folding his arms against his chest but he was a tad amused by Koga's exuberance.

"I can't believe you're so awake," he muttered.

"I think I'm running on tired-high," the youkai admitted.

"Lucky," Kagome laughed.

She still looked rather tired from the night before, but her smile was cheerful despite the dark circles under her eyes. The three wandered down the hallway and Kagome searched the lockers for hers but, to her own embarrassment, she couldn't remember the number. She paused, causing the boys to stop along with her, and backtracked a bit, trying to find the locker until Inu-Yasha approached one and pointed to it.

"1316," he said, and then laughed a little and said, "Maybe you should write it down?"

"Oh, well..." Kagome said embarrassedly.

She took the lock in hand and paused again, staring at it blankly. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes at her and bumped her aside, turning the dials and popping the lock open with ease.

"Stupid," he chided at Kagome jokingly.

"Shut up," she whined, shoving him.

He began to laugh and stepped aside for her to grab her text books from her locker. She put them in her bag and then shouldered it before slamming the locker and locking it again. Inu-Yasha inclined his head as he watched her shift her bag on her shoulder and a look of concern flashed across his face.

"How's your back feeling?" he asked quietly.

"Fine," she replied brightly without missing a beat.

"Why, what happened to her back?" Koga asked, alert and sounding worried.

Inu-Yasha leaned over to him and said quietly, "She got shot."

"Hey!" Kagome yelped, but Koga looked at her with shock and dismay.

"That was you?" he barked.

"Shhh!" she said, clapping her hand over his mouth, "No one gets shot in Tokyo! People will make a big deal!"

Koga nodded quickly and Kagome pulled back and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as Inu-Yasha snickered a little.

"Hah, okay, let's get to class," she insisted, nudging the hanyou with her elbow.

Inu-Yasha nodded and put his hands in his jacket pockets and they began to walk. Koga hurried along behind them and put a concerned hand on Kagome's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Kagome nodded and smiled at him brightly, though he pulled his hand away from her and shoved them in his pockets shyly when Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at him.

x

They went down the hallway until they arrived at the art room they had frequented several times before and Kagome picked the table near the back of the room and plopped down in a chair, leaning back and putting her feet up with a grin. The teacher hadn't arrived yet but there were a few other students meandering about in the room. Inu-Yasha dropped down beside her and Koga, still looking around curiously, sat on her other side.

"What class is this?" he asked.

"Art," Kagome replied.

She rocked back and forth on her chair a little, but then yelped as the chair went back a bit too far. Inu-Yasha put his hand against the back of it, steadying it without any effort and laughing a little.

"Watch it," the hanyou chided.

Koga tried not to laugh as Kagome looked back at Inu-Yasha with a shy smile. She put her feet on the ground and he released her. She slumped forward and made an exasperated sound.

x

Within moments, the teacher walked into the room and looked around. When her eyes landed on Inu-Yasha and Kagome, she looked quite startled, and reasonably so: neither of them had been to class in over a week.

"Higurashi-" the woman began, sounding surprised, but Kagome looked up at the sound of her name and then jumped to her feet.

"Oh! Hi! I have a note for you," she said hurriedly.

She ducked around Inu-Yasha and, digging into her pocket, approached the teacher and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Kagome bit her lip and tried to straighten out the note before she passed it over to her teacher with a timid grin.

"Sorry we weren't in class," she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at Inu-Yasha, "And um..."

As the teacher read over the note and her mouth slowly began to hang open in shock, Kagome fished the other note about Koga joining the class and passed that to her as well. The woman all but ignored it and looked at Kagome with shock.

"This... This can't be true," she said quietly.

"I wish," Kagome joked, "Um... I mean, you can call my doctor, though if you-"

"Are you okay?" the teacher asked, her voice hushed.

Kagome smiled shyly and nodded. After the teacher hesitantly took a look at the second note and then handed them back, Kagome awkwardly headed back to the table and sat back down between her friends. She folded her arms on the table and put her head down on top of them and, beside her, Inu-Yasha mimicked her.

"Oh hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied, "So... I have a question."

"Hmm?"

"Am I still blind or what?"

Koga looked at them with a confused expression on his face, though Kagome looked contemplative and raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm... I dunno. I mean... what do you think?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and they both looked to Koga. Before they could ask, he shrugged and shook his head quickly.

"I think, maybe, yes," Inu-Yasha said.

"Okay," Kagome agreed, "Saves some explaining."

She reached out to him and patted his baseball cap clad head. He stuck his tongue out at her and then sat back up. He saw other students starting enter the room, giving them passing but relatively disinterested glances before continuing on with their own business. He tried to remember where he would look when he couldn't see, but, obviously, he had never been able to watch himself.

"Where should I be looking?" Inu-Yasha asked, hushed.

Koga looked at him with puzzlement and Kagome stared at him, thinking back to when Inu-Yasha had been blind. She recalled that his eyes were actually fairly alert, especially when someone was talking to him and he had even been able to hold eye contact rather consistently. When not directly talking to someone, she recalled that his gaze was mostly blank, like a person whose mind was lost in thought. She was about to convey this to him, when the teacher began to start the class.

x

Kagome was a bit disappointed when the teacher pulled down a white screen at the front of the class and turned on a projector to teach them art history; it meant that she couldn't really chat with her friends during the class as usual. She nudged him with her elbow.

"I'll tell you after," she whispered.

He nodded and then rested his chin in his palm. Kagome began to take notes and Koga, seeming actually interested and excited about the class, borrowed a pen and paper from her to take his own notes. Inu-Yasha almost did the same, but Kagome nudged him away, reminding him he wasn't supposed to be able to see. The hanyou felt a bit bad that she had to take all the notes, but he was also a little relieved: he was too tired to be able to concentrate on what the teacher was saying.

x

At the end of the class, Kagome packed up her things, as well as the notes Koga had taken. She couldn't help but notice, as she watched the other students leaving the room around them, that there was a specific absence of Cho. After what the girl's mother had told her, Kagome was a bit curious about what was going through Cho's head. Was there a reason the girl had told her mother that she and Kagome were friends? It was rather strange, but Kagome decided it wasn't really worth dwelling on too much.

x

She stretched her arms above her head and Inu-Yasha stood up from his chair. Koga followed, looking rather cheerful.

"Your first high school class, Koga," Kagome said, "What did you think?"

"It was pretty interesting," the wolf said brightly, "I kinda like this, are most classes like this?"

Kagome nodded and then took Inu-Yasha's hand. He looked a bit surprised but she whispered, "Blind," at him and he mumbled, "Oh, right," with embarrassment.

"There are also some big assignments sometimes, and gym is different. It's mostly just running around," the girl explained as the three of them began to head out of the room.

"And so, we just walk around and go to all sorts of classes?" Koga asked, eyeing the hallway curiously again as they stepped out.

"Yeah. It's not like a normal school though, experimental learning and all that; when we move back to the shrine, it's more like... you stay in one room and the teachers come to you though."

"My school was like that," Inu-Yasha stated, "Though I like walking around between classes... I'm also really lazy."

Koga laughed a bit and nodded his agreement and Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Dogs," she scolded jokingly, "I like walking around."

"But you're so tired!" Koga exclaimed, seeming surprised.

"I like stretching my legs," she said brightly.

They proceeded to their language class next, only to find it in disarray. Students were rushing around the crowded classroom, and there was a group two boys and a girl hurrying to set up a DVD player as well as a television set and a bristol board with pictures of cakes taped to it.

"What's going on?" Koga asked curiously.

He looked to Kagome and Inu-Yasha, though Kagome merely shook her head in bafflement and the hanyou was doing his best not to let his eyes follow anyone.

"Presentations?" Kagome suggested.

"Yes, Higurashi, not like you would know," an unfamiliar voice said from behind them.

Kagome jumped though the demons around her didn't, though Koga turned with an interested expression on his face.

x

Behind them, seeming unusually imposing and tall, stood a woman in her forties with her prematurely greying hair tied back in a tight bun and her face pulled into an annoyed scowl. She folded her arms as observed the three teenagers before her as the rest of the class ran rampant behind them. Inu-Yasha blinked blankly, as did Koga, as Kagome froze and then fumbled in her pockets for a moment.

"Oh!" Kagome said, "Sorry for missing class!"

Before their teacher could chastise her, she pulled out the notes she had given to her previous teacher and handed them to her, looking at her hopefully. She read them, her brow furrowed, and looked to Koga.

"Your brother?" she asked a bit skeptically.

Koga nodded quickly and Kagome smiled sheepishly. She looked down at the notes, her frown deepening, and then she said, "You three will have to catch up on this assignment, then."

"Yeah, of course," Kagome said as her friends nodded along with her, "Um... what is it?"

The teacher rolled her eyes and handed Kagome's notes back to her.

"Take a mundane subject matter and make it interesting in any way you can. Now take a seat."

Quickly, the three scurried to some empty desks at the back of the room. Koga, as always, sat very carefully due to the tail he had to hide under his clothes. Kagome and Inu-Yasha flopped in their seats and Kagome automatically slumped onto her desk. Inu-Yasha leaned over to her and whispered, "What a bitch!" He laughed a little and Kagome put her finger to her lips and then snickered.

"What are we gonna to about the assignment?" Koga inquired curiously.

Kagome was about to answer, but the rest of the students had finally begun to settle down and the three they had seen rushing around at the start had gathered at the front of the class.

"We'll figure some shit out later," Inu-Yasha said quietly.

Kagome nodded her agreement. At a glare from the teacher, the class finally went silent and one of the boys at the front of the class began their presentation: it was about choosing what cake to buy from a store. Beside Kagome, Inu-Yasha folded his arms on his desk and rested his chin on them, muttering, "Mundane," to himself. The girl tried to hide a smile as she put her elbow on the desk and leaned her cheek against her palm, bored. Even the excitable Koga seemed rather uninterested.

x

After a little while, Kagome looked between her friends and had to hold in a laugh. Here she was, sitting between two youkai of unimaginable power who were nodding off in a high school language classroom. She smiled a little to herself, amused with how ludicrous it still seemed to her when she really thought about it.

x

By the end of class, there had only been three presentations shown; the other two had been equally boring: one had been about combing a dog while the other had been about tooth brushing. It seemed as if making something boring into something interesting had been relatively unsuccessful in all three cases. As the teenagers in the classroom began to hurriedly gather their belongings to flee, the teacher stood up and in a loud voice said, "You three", while pointing to Kagome, Inu-Yasha, and Koga.

"You three will go on Thursday," she said.

"Wait, what?" Kagome barked, only to be drowned out as the bell rang loudly and the sound of her fellow students became all but a roar.

The teacher slipped from the room before she could even pick her out amongst the gathering people.

"Well, that's not fair," Kagome said huffily.

"Pain in the ass," Inu-Yasha agreed, rolling his eyes.

They both glanced at Koga, wondering if he would spout something optimistic as he had with most of the other school-related incidences, but he merely shrugged and said, "Kagome, I don't think the teacher likes you."

Kagome was a bit surprised and she began to pout despite herself while beside her, Inu-Yasha took one look at her expression and began to laugh loudly.

"Hey," she whined, whacking his arm with her knuckles.

He snickered, took a deep breath to calm himself, and grabbed her hand with a grin.

"Let's get lunch," he said brightly.

"Lunch!" Koga echoed, grinning immediately and Kagome's face lightened as well.

She nodded and puffed out her chest a little, striding in front of Inu-Yasha and pulling him along with her.

x

As they went down the hall towards the cafeteria, Koga watched his two new friends with a sort of fascination. He hadn't really spent time in the company of humans in years, and he had never met another demon before. He couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have found Kagome. She seemed, to him, to be uncommonly kind. It was this that made him think that what had happened the previous night wasn't anything malicious. Still, he was puzzled by it, and he was just beginning to contemplate asking Inu-Yasha about it when they arrived at the cafeteria.

"Everyone okay with eating in here?" Kagome inquired.

Inu-Yasha nodded and Koga agreed as well, and Kagome looked at them both intently.

"Noses okay?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha gave her the thumbs-up while Koga nodded readilly, so Kagome smiled and led them through the wide, bustling room to an empty table against a wall. Inu-Yasha sat down on the bench with his back to the wall and looked to Kagome expectantly, though she had paused with a startled expression on her face. She slapped herself in the forehead with her palm.

"I forgot to make lunches," she said, "Um..."

She patted her pockets and searched inside them while the hanyou before her began to smirk. He fished inside his own pocket and then grabbed her arm.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, only to have him put a few bills into her hand.

"There, you nincompoop," he laughed.

"Ooh, thanks, I'll be right back!" she said cheerily.

She pranced away towards the back of the cafeteria where food was sold as Inu-Yasha watched her with an amused smile on his face.

x

Koga looked a bit puzzled but then sat tentatively on the bench a little ways away from the hanyou and looked at him curiously. He was about to voice the gnawing question that had been on his mind since the night before, but instead he looked away in embarrassment; he felt like he was intruding far too much. Inu-Yasha inclined his head and his brow furrowed a bit.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," the youkai replied quickly.

Inu-Yasha stared at him with probing eyes for a few seconds before he shrugged, folded his arms to his chest and closed his eyes tiredly.

"I have no idea how you two have so much energy," he muttered.

Koga said nothing, though he span his thoughts around in his head a few more times before looking to the hanyou with a determined expression on his face.

"Hey," Koga said a bit awkwardly, "Look..."

"Hmmm?"

The hanyou opened one eye curiously.

"I don't know what was up yesterday," Koga said slowly, but then smiled a bit, "But, seriously, just ask me to go out for the night."

He laughed as Inu-Yasha inclined his head, seeming a little surprised.

"Oh, so you... knew?" the hanyou wondered.

"I figured something was up," Koga replied, shrugging.

"It's nothing against you," Inu-Yasha said simply, "It's just... some personal stuff for me, it's nothing that big. It's only one night a month."

Koga nodded and though he was a bit curious as to what exactly happened once a month, he didn't press the matter.  
"So, are things... I mean, we're cool, right?" Koga asked hesitantly.

Inu-Yasha looked at him inquisitively for a moment, but then began to laugh a little.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he assured the other demon, "Did you guys see that new werewolf movie?"

"Yep."

"How accurate was it?"

"Not at all."

Inu-Yasha smirked a little and Koga seemed increasingly cheerful. The hanyou closed his eyes again and leaned his head back against the wall. The wolf folded his arms on the table and looked to Inu-Yasha, raising his eyebrows. Before he could ask why the hanyou was so tired, Kagome stumbled back over to their table carrying three trays of food rather precariously in her arms.

"Oh hi guys," she said, and Koga stood and took two trays from her and passed one over to Inu-Yasha.

"Oh, shit, I didn't know you were getting so much," Inu-Yasha said, "If you asked I would have-"

"You're "blind", don't worry about it," she said.

She slid onto the bench on the opposite side of the table and dropped her own tray down, unable to stop a yawn.

"I'm going to bed at like, seven tonight," she announced.

"That sounds like a good idea," Inu-Yasha agreed as he began to eat.

"What about that assignment?" Koga asked.

Kagome groaned and thumped her forehead down onto the table. The wolf looked a little embarrassed while Inu-Yasha smiled sympathetically and patted the girl on her head. She slowly looked up and let out a sigh.

"Any ideas?" she asked.

The hanyou shrugged and Koga looked a bit downtrodden as he shook his head. The three were quiet for a moment, trying to think of what to do until Kagome began to giggle a little. Inu-Yasha inclined his head and Koga seemed confused until Kagome said, "It's weird to be worrying about school again." Her boyfriend smiled at her a little forlornly but laughed quietly despite himself, only to go rigid for an instant as he picked up an unmistakable scent.

"Oh, there she is," he said with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Kagome was about to ask who when Inu-Yasha straightened up as if to get a better view around him and then nodded his head towards the entrance way to the cafeteria. His nose told him that the tall, exceedingly thin girl in tight clothing with her hands on her hips and a disapproving scowl on her brow as she observed the crowd before her was Cho. Inu-Yasha had never seen her before to it was a little odd to match her face to the scent.

x

Though Koga seemed totally baffled, Kagome turned to look over her shoulder and simply said, "Oh." As if Cho had heard her, the girl's eyes shot to Kagome and she immediately began striding over. Kagome nearly jumped and turned back to the table, her eyes wide, and she put a hand to her head.

"I think she saw me," she said.

Inu-Yasha ducked down a little and muttered, "What do you think she wants?" as Koga looked back at the approaching Cho and then to his friends, looking perplexed. Within seconds, the other girl arrived at their table and stood at the end of it, placing her hands down heavily on the tabletop. Strangely, her eyes were locked on Kagome.

"Higurashi, I need to talk to you," she demanded.

Kagome looked startled and glanced at her friends and then back to Cho. She noticed Inu-Yasha looked rather worried, and she frowned up at the other girl in confusion.

"What about?" she asked.

Cho's preened eyebrows bent into an annoyed frown and she folded her arms tightly to her chest.

"Private!" she said, rolling her eyes.

Kagome bit her lip, looked between the equally confused Inu-Yasha and Koga, and then shrugged and got to her feet.

"Okay, fine," she said with a shrug.

Cho seemed a bit relieved and then beckoned Kagome to follow as she headed back out of the cafeteria. Kagome looked back at Inu-Yasha, who mouthed "What the hell?", to which she simply shook her head in bafflement, jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and then turned and hurried after Cho.

x

Inu-Yasha frowned a bit as he watched Kagome go. This seemed very out of character for Cho. He also couldn't help but think that she looked a bit ill. Beside him, Koga looked to him, still seeming confused, and said, "A friend of yours?"

"No," Inu-Yasha said, and he scratched his head a bit, "That was weird."

"Should we follow them?" the wolf asked, sounding concerned.

The hanyou shook his head and sighed, leaning forward to rest his chin in his hand on the table, wondering what the strange girl wanted.

x

Out in the hall, Cho guided Kagome to a wall out of the way of passing students and folded her arms to her chest tightly, frowning at the other girl intently. Kagome was utterly confused and looked back at Cho with an expression that conveyed exactly that.

"I need to ask you something," Cho demanded, "And I need a really, really honest answer, okay Higurashi?"

Kagome inclined her head, her eyes wide, and she pointed to herself, saying "Me?", as her mind reeled a little and the girl across from her nodded.

"Why me?" Kagome asked.

"It's personal," Cho answered, effectively not answering a thing in Kagome's mind.

"Are you joking or something? Because... I don't get it," Kagome said, scratching her head.

"No, listen, I need to ask you a personal question," she said, "I need it to be you.

"Why me? Why not one of your zillion friends?" Kagome asked, "Don't you pretty much know the whole school? Look."

The girl pointed across the hall to a boy standing, facing a poster on the wall, and Cho looked at him as well.

"You probably know that random guy better than you know me. So what's going on?"

Kagome raised her eyebrow and the other girl looked a bit flustered. She stared into her eyes before seeming immensely frustrated.

"I can't just talk to anyone! They're...!"

The girl drooped and seemed, for once, at a loss for words. Kagome raised her eyebrow until Cho finally said, "Sheep."

"Sheep?" Kagome repeated.

"Well, yeah! They, you know, follow the crowd, meaning... well, me," she said, and though it was a very Cho-ish thing to say, Kagome felt a surprising lack of narcissism in her comment.

After all, it was true. Cho was at the height of popularity within the high school setting, to the point where she actually had what could only be described as "cronies" at her beck and call.

"I just... I need someone who will be brutally honest with me," the girl said, "And, I figured, since... you know, you don't like me, you could-"

"Tell you the truth?" Kagome asked, a bit confused, but then said, "Sure, Cho, what do you want?"

The other girl paused and put a hand to her chin. She looked as if she was trying to find the words and Kagome waited patiently.

"Am I, um...?" Cho said hesitantly, but then shook her head, "Nevermind, it's stupid."

"Just ask me, will you?" Kagome said, rolling her eyes.

Cho, startling, wilted a bit and mumbled something to the ground that Kagome couldn't hear.

"Sorry, what?" the girl asked, confused.

"Am I... Am I fat?" Cho asked quietly.

She looked at Kagome with surprising intensity. Kagome blinked at the girl in response and stared at her blankly for a moment before saying, "No. No, you're not. Are you okay?" Cho's face flushed and she folded her arms to her chest, seeming to almost cling to herself for a moment before she frowned at Kagome.

"You're lying, you're-"

"Cho, listen, if you were any thinner, I would think you didn't eat food," Kagome said, still confused.

Cho bit her lip and was silent for a while, causing Kagome's heart to sink.

"Oh, my god," she whispered, "You're not-"

"Oh, no, no, not... I mean... I haven't gone that far," Cho replied quickly, "No, it's just... I don't know, some new man comes waltzing into my mother's life and suddenly I'm some little nothing in the background, and then..."

She paused and looked somewhat cynical and then rolled her eyes at herself.

"Why am I even telling you this?" she wondered.

Kagome shook her head and shrugged, but then said, "Look, I know we... you know, don't really get along at all, but if... it ever gets to be too much, you can come over to my place. I know what that's like, believe it or not."

Cho seemed taken aback for an instant and Kagome felt her face flush, and she was surprised to see Cho smile a bit.  
"That explains a lot," she muttered, but before Kagome could call her on being rather rude, she said, "Thanks, Higurashi, I actually really appreciate it."

x

Kagome smiled hesitantly and nodded, and the other girl seemed to automatically perk up, her eyes brightening and she said, "Great! But I'm still getting Inu-kun!" before striding off down the hall towards a group of girls rounding a corner towards them, though Cho couldn't seem to resist shooting Kagome a genuine smile (probably the first the Kagome had ever seen on her face) over her shoulder.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha's ear twitched as he picked out the sound of Kagome's breathing back towards the door and he opened his eyes a little to pick her out of the crowd. A little while previously, Koga had hopped across to the other side of the table and had finally crashed. He was now napping with his head on his folded arms. Kagome now approached and sat down with a sigh where the wolf had been previously and stared at his empty food tray for a moment before realizing that hers was still across the table; she switched them and took a bite out of her cheap sandwich.

x

"Welcome back," Inu-Yasha said, blinking heavily and forcing his eyes open, "What did she want?"

"She was having family troubles, I dunno," Kagome said, still looking a bit confused.

"Oh," the hanyou replied, feigning understanding, and then he inclined his head, "So, what did she need you for?"

"Just to... listen, I guess. I forgot to ask her why she told her mom we were friends. Oh well," she mused quietly, and then stuck her tongue out, "Ugh, this sandwich is terrible. Do you want it?"

"Yes, yes I do."

Kagome smiled and passed him the food, which he scarfed rather neutrally as she checked the time on her MP3 player. She groaned a bit and then shoved it in her pocket and slumped on the table. Curiously, Inu-Yasha slumped beside her and looked into her face with his eyebrows raised.

"Got any ideas about the project yet?" she asked.

He shook his head and she sighed.

"I'm bored," she explained, "I want to go home, but I know that's a bad idea."

The hanyou nodded and Kagome made a "blah" sound and then leaned into him and hugged him around his middle tiredly as if wanting to use him like a pillow. He put his arms around her almost immediately and she smiled and huddled up to him. She thanked him very quietly and he grinned to himself. To her surprise, he lifted her up as he slid backwards to lean up against the wall and he plopped her into his lap. He began to run his claws through her hair contentedly and she glanced back over her shoulder a little to grin at him.

"Haven't done this in a while," she commented, and before he could say anything, she said, "Don't ask if I mind. Because I don't."

"Good," he replied.

x

Kagome quite enjoyed the feeling of his claws through her hair, though it made her eyelids droop. She eventually closed her eyes and leaned back a bit, to which he smiled and clutched her to his chest. She felt instantly safe and secure in his grasp, and her mind felt foggy and tired; for an moment, she almost fell asleep, completely forgetting she was at school. Behind her, Inu-Yasha smiled a bit at her as she slumped in his arms, though he envied her a little. He was quite tired as well after last night and though he said nothing, Kagome patted one of his arms and leaned her head back as she opened her eyes to look up into his face, saying, "Sorry, you must be way sleepier than me."

"Nah, I'm fine," he said, though Kagome gave him a knowing smile and sat up and off him.

She turned around on the bench as he released her and she leaned up to him and put a cautious hand under his hat to rub his right ear.

"Kagome," he scolded jokingly, his face flushing, and he batted her hand away, "Not in public!"

The girl pouted for a moment but then smiled, nodding.

"You're right."

She hugged him around his shoulders instead and he felt a blush creep across his face again as he embraced her in return. Kagome grinned a bit. He didn't seem very hesitant to hold her like he had been the previous evening.

"This is much better than last night!" she joked.

Inu-Yasha inclined his head curiously.

"What do you mean, was I doing something different?" he wondered.

"Well," Kagome said, pulling back, and then lowered her voice to a whisper, "When you were looked human, you just seemed a bit more shy, you know? You were holding me really lightly."

Inu-Yasha looked surprised but then a blush crossed his face and he smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry," he said.

"What?" Kagome asked, laughing.

"No, it's just..."

The boy bit his lip. It was a little complicated to explain, but he grabbed her hand in attempt to give an example of why he had acted the way he did.

"Feel this?" he asked, squeezing her hand a little, "Feel this amount of pressure?"

"Um, yes?" Kagome said.

She looked at him with puzzlement.

"Why?"

"I'm trying to explain," the hanyou laughed, "This is how much I'm used to exerting when dealing with humans."  
Kagome nodded but still looked curious and confused.

"If I were to exert the amount of pressure that is considered "normal" strength for me, your hand would be broken."  
The girl's eyes went wide and Inu-Yasha smiled shyly.

"That's why... I was so light yesterday, that's what I'm used to doing," he explained.

"Well... well, jeez!" Kagome exclaimed, "That's... Wow. You're really strong, then. Is that hard to do, I mean-?"

"No," he interrupted, "It's... pretty easy, I've never had any problems controlling my strength."

"I think Koga did, he was breaking a wall when we were on the run when I met him," Kagome said quietly.

Inu-Yasha tried not to laugh but felt a little twinge of superiority, though he said nothing.

"Well, it happens," he confessed, shrugging.

Kagome smiled at him with a sort of admiration that confused him and he felt himself blush a little.

"You're so cool," the girl said fondly.

x

Inu-Yasha knew he was blushing now and he looked to the table, letting out a shy, "Nah..." Kagome didn't argue with him, but she continued to smile at him in a way that told him she knew better. He said nothing more but he silently appreciated her words.

x

Soon enough, the school-bell sounded to alert them to the change of classes, so after waking Koga up, the three teens left the cafeteria. To Kagome's dismay, their next class was math: she had forgotten how utterly boring it was. She showed her notes of absence to her teacher and then sat through the rest of the class with the two demons by her side. Koga seemed to be as perplexed as she was by what they were being taught; despite Inu-Yasha being completely bored, he was the only one of the three who knew what was going on. Afterwards, gym class was dismissed: literally. After explaining to her final teacher why she had been absent, the woman had adamantly refused to let Kagome participate on the grounds of injury and had dismissed them from class. It was all for the best, however, because, as Inu-Yasha pointed out, Kagome had forgotten to turn in her poetry assignment, an issue that she quickly rectified before the three left the school and got into Inu-Yasha's car to drive home.

oOoOoOoO

In the car on the way back, Koga was obviously interested in interior fixings of the vehicle, while Kagome was simply happy to be sitting in a seat that was not made of hard plastic. As they drove towards home, Kagome bounced on her seat just a little and looked to Inu-Yasha. He drove rather casually, but she noticed he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and that his steering wheel was bent strangely in two places.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the dents.

"I broke it," the hanyou replied absently.

Koga leaned up from the back seat and looked at the wheel curiously.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Probably had to do with when Kagome met you, actually," the hanyou replied, and before either of them could ask, he elaborated, "I can feel the basics of Kagome's emotions, and when she freaked out, so did I."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Kagome said quickly, and Koga nodded his agreement, saying a swift, "Sorry!" as well.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and laughed just a little, saying, "Don't worry, it's a pretty old car. And it's my own fault for being jumpy as hell." Kagome smiled a little and Koga sat back and looked out the window as they neared their street. After a few moments of quiet, Kagome voiced,

"I kinda wanna drive."

"Me too," Koga agreed.

"Gotta be eighteen," Inu-Yasha said.

"You're not," the girl said, poking his shoulder.

"Yeah, but I thought I was," he laughed, and as Koga leaned up to ask, Inu-Yasha answered quickly, "Weird, I know, but I didn't know my real birthday until recently."

"Oh... Well, fair enough," the wolf replied, leaning back again, "I don't know my real birthday either."

"What?" Kagome asked, turning in her seat to look at him and pouting a bit, "But I thought you said it was the same as mine!"

"That's the day my mom found me," he said, smiling, "I'm... probably a few days older, but we just stuck with that date anyway."

"Aw," Kagome whined, "I'm the youngest again."

Koga smiled apologetically and Inu-Yasha laughed. She stuck her tongue out at him and then looked out the window. She could see they were nearly home and she felt rather excited to get there and lie down on the sofa. Inu-Yasha glanced at her briefly before he pulled into their driveway and parked; he could see how tired she was.

x

As he switched the engine off, Kagome hopped out of the passenger seat. He left the car rather quickly as well, followed by a stumbling Koga, only to notice Buyo up on the roof. He was huddled up near the chimney and did not seem at all happy. Confused and inclining his head, Inu-Yasha walked closer to the house and called, "Hey, cat!" Buyo hopped up a bit, wide-eyed and Kagome waved at him. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, Buyo hurried to the edge of the roof closest to the teenagers.

_"There's something in the house,"_ he said swiftly.

Inu-Yasha felt a jolt of irritation more than anything else, but the sight to the smile completely falling from Kagome's face into a look of fear made him frown deeply. Koga looked incredibly startled and asked, "What is it?" loudly, putting a hand near his face as if to bite on his nails.

"I don't smell anything," Inu-Yasha commented, frowning.

_"It's... a cat... thingy,"_ Buyo volunteered, _"I really don't know, it might be a ghost, I... I don't know!"_

He leaned forward and put a paw to his face. Kagome edged closer to Inu-Yasha and grasped his hand tightly, looking to him for some sort of reassurance. He frowned a bit and said, "I'll go check it out."

"Let me come," Kagome voiced automatically, but Inu-Yasha shook his head.

"Give me just a minute to make sure it's all safe."

Kagome bit her lip and Koga looked at them worriedly. The hanyou pulled away from Kagome but patted her shoulder reassuringly before he walked quickly into the house.

x

Inside, the house seemed just as they had left it (rather messy and with half of the lights on), except for there was a faint smell of fresh food coming from the kitchen. This in itself was strange, but Inu-Yasha was also concerned about not being able to scent any sort of intruder. With caution in his step, he walked into the kitchen and was startled to see a large plate of expertly crafted riceballs on the table, accompanied by a folded piece of paper with a smiley-face on it. Very carefully, the hanyou walked around the table, eying the room fully as he went before he picked up the paper and opened it. There was a note scrawled across it in very neat writing, though the characters were in an older form than he was used to. It read: "_Dear Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry for startling you last night. My name is Akai and I have been appointed to protect you, though I'm not all that good at manifesting yet and I will only be able to see you in person every three months or so. Nonetheless, I thought you should know that I mean only to help you: you can ask your brother about it, he'll confirm, I'm sure. Be sure to mention my name. Please stay safe, and enjoy the riceballs!"_ The letter was signed again with the name "Akai", and accented with a heart-shape. Inu-Yasha was stunned. As he came back to his own thoughts, he found his pulse to be racing; he took a deep breath to steady himself. Glancing around one last time, he then looked down at the letter in his hand.

_So, she must be one of these spirits,_ he thought.

He decided he would confirm with Sessho-Maru, as she had suggested in the letter, but he felt altogether relieved. Quickly, he walked back outside, only to see Kagome, Koga, and Buyo clinging to each other in the front yard, all seeming rather scared.

x

Upon seeing him, Kagome's eyes went wide and she broke away from the group and rushed up the front steps to him.

"So?" she demanded anxiously.

"Kouken kanjou," he said simply.

The girl replied to him with gawking expression and she asked, "Fluffy?" to which Inu-Yasha shook his head and replied, "No, I think she's mine. She just learned to manifest."

"So, it's all okay, then?" Koga asked shakily, squeezing Buyo in his arms tightly.

Inu-Yasha nodded and the group let out a collective sigh and Kagome, grabbing his hand, walked into the house, though he quickly showed her to the kitchen and the letter as well. She grabbed it and read it curiously while Inu-Yasha grabbed one of the riceballs and bit it tentatively. Finding it rather good, he ate it without trepidation as Koga scurried inside behind them and peeked into the room. He released Buyo onto the table and Inu-Yasha looked at him curiously.

"Did you see her?" he asked.

Again, before Koga could question, Kagome placed the letter into his hands for him to read as Buyo nodded.

"Yeah, it was like... this weird... cat-ish thing and then a girl with red hair. I freaked out, especially 'cause I couldn't smell her," the cat explained.

"She was a ghost," the hanyou explained.

"A ghost?" Koga repeated, looking concerned.

"It doesn't matter," Inu-Yasha said with a sigh, offering Koga a riceball.

The wolf took it hesitantly and sat down at the table, where Buyo returned to him and flopped in front of him.

"Is this normal?" Kagome wondered.

"It's probably more normal than you think it is," the hanyou replied.

He tossed a riceball at her and she, fumbling a little, caught it and tasted it. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Inu-Yasha, I like your ghosty."

He smiled a little and sat down at the table as well.

"Okay, so... I'm definitely going to have to call my brother about this," he said.

"And we have to work on that weird project," Koga added.

Kagome, sitting down, flopped on the table with an "awwww", making a face that clearly displayed her disappointment.  
"But you guys, I wanna sleep," she whined.

"We'll have to do the whole thing tomorrow," Inu-Yasha said, "And... you know... decide what to do."

Kagome whined and thumped her forehead onto the table.

"We could just... film a whole bunch of stuff and claim its something," Koga suggested, "I mean... we sort of have more important stuff to worry about than school assignments. Like ghosts. And evil government agencies. Right?"

_"That's the spirit,_" Buyo joked, rolling onto his side.

"Sounds like a plan," Inu-Yasha agreed, "We'll just work on it tomorrow. We can go see my brother and film there."

"Oh, yeah, and I can ask him about my zappy powers," Kagome said brightly, looking up.

_"Spiritual powers,"_ Buyo corrected.

"Whatever. That's a good idea," the girl said, pointing to Inu-Yasha as if to somehow congratulate him.

He shrugged and Kagome reached out for another riceball.

"These are delicious," she said, "Fluffy never cooked for me."

"Fluffy?" Koga repeated with a confused frown.

"My doggie-man ghost," Kagome replied brightly, and then pointed to Inu-Yasha, "You wouldn't even believe how much his eyes looked like yours, my friend."

Inu-Yasha felt a strange sense of deja vu that didn't seem rational to him and he shrugged it off, asking, "Why, was he a demon or something?"

Kagome nodded matter-of-factly and though Koga still looked a bit lost, he said, "That's pretty cool," a bit absently before hiding a yawn behind his hand. Kagome made a face as if trying not to do the same and then stood.

"I think I'mma nap," she announced.

"Good. I'll go out and buy a camera," Inu-Yasha said.

"Cool plan," the girl said, offering her hand to him for a high-five.

He slapped it and she repeated with Koga and then waved to them and wandered, yawning, from the room.

x

The two youkai waited for a short amount of time after she left, and then Koga looked to Inu-Yasha with a worried expression on his face.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

The hanyou nodded.

"Yeah, she's just... she's human, you know, her body can't take as much stress."

"Right, right..."

Koga looked a bit disheartened and Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrows a bit.

"You thought of her more like a youkai," he said, a little surprised.

"Just sometimes," the wolf admitted, "I forget, sometimes, that there's a big difference, but... You, I mean... you're half, right? So I guess you're a lot more aware of human stuff."

"Feh," the hanyou scoffed quietly, and he got to his feet, "I guess I'll go out and buy us a camera."

"Do you mind if...? I mean, can I come?" Koga asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and nodded. Koga practically leaped to his feet and he automatically perked up. Inu-Yasha found this rather amusing. He headed to the front door and Koga followed. After putting on their shoes, they went back out to the car; Koga eagerly hopping into the passenger-side while Inu-Yasha stared at his driver's side seat for a moment, wondering how soon he should try to get a new car or if he should at all before getting in.  
"We'll go to the mall, I guess," he announced as he started the car.

x

As they pulled out of the driveway again, Koga did his seatbelt up quickly and he looked to Inu-Yasha, a slight frown on his face. He wanted to ask about Kagome. He was worried about her, but the hanyou didn't seem overly concerned. The youkai sat back as they began to drive, playing over his question in his mind a few times until, beside him, Inu-Yasha smirked just a little and said, "If you have a question, just ask."

"Is Kagome really okay?" Koga asked without missing a beat, though he immediately seemed embarrassed.

He hoped he hadn't seemed too forward.

"What? Yeah, I guess. She's just tired," he said, raising one eyebrow a bit, "Why?"

"No, I mean... Well... I guess, her back. Is it really okay?" the demon asked, worry clear on his face.

"Her back?"

Inu-Yasha was a bit surprised but he nodded nonetheless.

"The wound still bugs her a little sometimes... Hell, it's only been like, two weeks since it happened. I'm glad it's not worse, you know?" he said.

Koga nodded though he still felt pangs of worry in his chest. He had known humans weren't as durable as youkai, but he supposed it hadn't really sunk in until now. Beside him, Inu-Yasha cut his eyes in his direction.

"You really like her, huh?" he asked.

Red streaked across Koga's face and he turned his gaze to the window beside him.

"She's my first real friend," he said, "After what happened when we met, I dunno, I just kinda want to know she's okay, you know?"

Inu-Yasha said nothing, but again, Koga surprised him. He understood though, probably more than the youkai could comprehend.

"Yeah," he said after a moment, and the wolf turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"How long have you known her?" Koga asked curiously.

"A... month. Wow, is that really it?" the hanyou mused aloud.

Koga seemed completely blown away and all he said was, "Wow," before he put a hand to his head and said, "Sorry for all the questions."

"Forget it," the hanyou replied with a shrug.

They sat in silence for a while until, Koga, still rather curious, piped up again with, "Sorry. Another question. Can I ask... what happened?"

"A guy shot her," Inu-Yasha said.

His voice was bland, but it was easy to see that he was suppressing a long-past anger. Koga's face flushed a little.

"I mean... what happened?"

He stared at Inu-Yasha, who looked over at him briefly before turning his eyes back on the road and letting out a short, tired laugh.

"Long story," he said, and when Koga continued to stare at him, he laughed again and elaborated, "Almost two years ago, I was caught and nearly killed, and the fuckers held some sort of vendetta or something when I got out. I was caught and injected with a chemical that blinded me at the end of August, but I got away again. I met Kagome and she, being the ridiculous person she is, took me in. But we quickly got too close, and she sort of got involved in all this shit. Worst part is, she didn't even know why. I hadn't told her I wasn't human. Anyway, I got ambushed in a fucking grocery store of all places, and we ended up having to hide out in the woods for a few days. This dude, who I sort of maimed or something two years ago, made it all really personal and he went out of his way to try to kill Kagome. He shot her. I killed him."

He shrugged, unaware that Koga's face had paled and he looked a bit sick.

"So, basically, it's all my fault," Inu-Yasha said.

"Kagome'd hit you if she heard you say that," Koga said quietly.

The hanyou shrugged. He peered awkwardly up through his windshield, seeing a sign for the mall, and he made the final turn it would take to get them to their destination.

"It's true," he said simply.

Koga was very quiet until they finally pulled into the parking lot of the mall. When the car finally stopped, he said,  
"Sorry. I didn't know you had it so hard."

Inu-Yasha merely shrugged and then got out of the car. Koga followed hurriedly as if he didn't want to be left behind.

x

In a way, the mall astounded Koga at first sight. They were at Shiro Mall, a huge building that towered five floors into the sky, with a shining white bird on its side. The paved walkways around it were swarming with people. rushing and loud, and even more people were visible inside beyond the sliding glass doors. Even as Inu-Yasha casually strolled ahead, Koga felt overwhelmed and he hurried to catch up.

"This is huge," he said, awed.

"Never been?" the hanyou asked.

"Not since I was a kid," he replied, gazing around, "Hey... Are we safe out here like this?"

"Everyone's too busy with their own crap to care what some teenagers are doing," Inu-Yasha replied with a grin, "Even if we do look a little... abnormal."

Koga understood immediately and nodded, smiling a little to himself. He normally wasn't one for crowds, but he knew this was much safer than being alone. Inu-Yasha was thinking similarly. It annoyed him, however, that he had to be thinking about safety so much, even when just going to the mall.

x

The two youkai headed inside the mall and began to wander, looking for a store to buy a camera from. The wolf still found the place utterly fascinating; Inu-Yasha found it rather fun just to watch him peek in all the stores and become excited once he found what was in there. On the second floor, they found an electronics store that sold cameras, among countless other technological devices stocked along tall shelves and long counters. As Koga darted around, reading the specs of different cameras at one end of the store, Inu-Yasha found a separate outlet in the store that sold cell-phones. After searching through the different makes and plans, he purchased three phones on his credit card; he did have a cell phone at home, but it was old and unreliable. He thought that each of the residents of the house (minus Buyo) should probably be keeping a phone handy, just in case.

x

When Inu-Yasha returned to Koga near the cameras, he found that the youkai was writing camera make-numbers on his hand with a blue pen rather enthusiastically.

"Having fun?" the hanyou asked.

Koga looked at him and his expression was very serious.

"There's a lot of cameras," he said, "I've written the best ones within all the different price brackets down."

He showed Inu-Yasha his hand and the hanyou stared at it blankly as Koga continued to say, "I'm not sure how much money we have. This one is the best, though."

He pointed at a slightly smudged set of numbers on the top of his list. Inu-Yasha squinted at the numbers.

"Can you show me?" he asked a bit embarrassedly.

Koga nodded and lead the hanyou to the cameras, where they picked up one that was rather expensive and high-end for a consumer model, along with some tapes to film on.

x

When they left the store, Koga was more than excited to begin working, having never actually used a camera of any sorts before, though he was concerned about how expensive it had been. Inu-Yasha brushed it off: his money came from his brother's seemingly endless funds, so he wasn't worried in the least.

"This'll be cool," Koga proclaimed when they reached the parking lot once more.

"Well... maybe, for a school project," Inu-Yasha admitted.

He shoved his hand in his pocket to search for his car-keys as they strode across the bustling parking lot and back to Inu-Yasha's car. He walked to the driver's side door and unlocked it. Koga hopped in on the other side, grasping their bag (which was wrapped around four rather large boxes) of purchases tightly in his lap. As Inu-Yasha got in and started the car, Koga was struggling to pull the camera box out of the bag without dropping the cellphones. The hanyou started the car but waited, watching Koga until he got the box out and placed the bag between his feet on the floor before he actually began to drive. The wolf fiddled with the box carefully, reading the sides with wide-eyed curiosity before opening it to stare in awe at a remarkably thick manual.

"So cool," he murmured, and then began to read.

Inu-Yasha smiled just a little and turned on the radio to let some music play. After a few songs passed them by, Koga looked up from the manual and said, "Sorry I'm ignoring you," with an embarrassed look on his face. Inu-Yasha shrugged and made a dismissive "feh" noise.

"How's the camera?" he asked.

"It's cool. Seems pretty easy to use," Koga replied.

He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Being back in the car jogged the memory of the conversation he had had with Inu-Yasha on the way there. With all the excitement, he had unwittingly put it out of his mind. However, he knew the story the hanyou had shared with him must have been rather personal. He felt bad; he hadn't told where he had come from, really, to either of his new friends yet. It wasn't that it was a huge secret, but it was still very painful for him to think about. Nonetheless, he wanted them to know. Quietly, he packed the manual away and closed the box.  
"You know, what you told me before?" Koga said, "Thanks."

"Well, you're part of the group now, ne? It's better to just make it common knowledge," the hanyou replied, shrugging again.

Koga felt surprised, but he nodded and said,

"Yeah. I wanted to say... I want you to know what happened to me, too."

Inu-Yasha's eyes went wide with surprise and he looked to Koga briefly until he realized he should have his eyes on the road and promptly began steering again.

"Why me? I'd expect you to want to tell Kagome," he said.

The wolf was quiet and he frowned a little as if in thought and then stated quite confidently, "Because I want you to trust me."

Inu-Yasha smirked just a little and he nodded.

"All right. Shoot."

"Okay, um... where to start?" Koga pondered aloud, and then continued, "I was raised by a human. My mom was a teacher who found me outside her work one day when I was just a few days old. She raised me as human, until I was ten. I guess I was pretty inconspicuous, and out of the way until then."

He looked rather sad for a moment and Inu-Yasha turned onto their street finally.

"Hang on, nearly there," he interrupted.

Koga waited until Inu-Yasha had pulled up into the driveway and parked. The hanyou then looked at the wolf with interest, but said, "You don't have to tell me."

"I feel like I should," Koga said, "Anyway, sometime then... when I was ten and whatever, these dudes noticed me. I didn't know who they are or what they wanted, but I know now they were from the same group that tried to kill us the other day. They followed me home, and I'm not too sure what happened after that, but they set my house on fire."  
Grief and anger crossed the youkai's face and Inu-Yasha automatically felt sorry for him. He said nothing, though, and Koga continued.

"My mom was killed. I was sent into foster care. It was good, actually, my foster parents were really great people, but then one day, I noticed more people like the ones that killed my mom, and they were following me again. I ran away from my foster parents, because... you know, I didn't want them to get hurt. And then I turned into a wolf and moved in with some feral dogs until... well, you know."

He looked almost embarrassed and looked to Inu-Yasha. The hanyou's face was rather neutral except for his furrowed brow, but Koga could tell somehow that he was upset.

"I'm sorry," Inu-Yasha said.

Koga nodded and smiled a little.

"One day, I'll avenge her. My mom, I mean," he said.

The hanyou nodded and grinned a little.

"Yeah. You will."

oOoOoOoO

It wasn't long before the two went inside with their new electronics. It was obvious from the quiet that Kagome was still asleep, so both of them did their best to be quiet. When Koga went upstairs to quietly fiddle with the camera, Inu-Yasha picked up the phone downstairs to call his brother. However, as he waited for an answer, sitting on the table cross-legged and chewing on another riceball, the hanyou was surprised to hear the voice of a young girl answer a bright, "Hello?" after just one ring.

"Rin, is that you?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah. Inu-Yasha-kun?"

"Yep."

"Oh, cool," the little girl replied cheerily, "You want to talk to Dad?"

Inu-Yasha smiled and tried not to laugh.

"Yeah. Thanks, kid."

He heard feet scampering and a faint call of, "Daddy, phone!" before there was a scuffle and Sessho-Maru's voice asked, "What now?"

"Hi to you too," the hanyou laughed, "Is it cool that we come over tomorrow around... 3 or 4 in the afternoon?"  
"Why?"

"I need to talk to you about some crap and Kagome wants to ask you something," he explained.

"We're talking now," the youkai replied a bit sharply.

"Well, it's more like I have something to show you. The kouken-kanjou left something," he said, "She left a message for you."

Sessho-Maru was silent for a long while and Inu-Yasha began to drum his fingers on the table impatiently.

"So?" he asked.

"That's very annoying," he replied, "Fine. I'm at work until 2:30, so don't bother coming before then."

With that, he hung up just as the word "thanks" was leaving his brother's lips. Inu-Yasha held the phone away from him and frowned at it grumpily and then sighed.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

Oh well, Kagome'll be happy, he thought.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha didn't spend much more time awake. After helping Koga program their new camera and eating dinner, the hanyou couldn't find much to keep himself busy. He was still rather tired after the last few days, so proceeded upstairs shortly after the sun had set. When he turned into his room, however, he was surprised to see that Kagome was sprawled, asleep across his bed, her small frame somehow managing to occupy most of the space due to the way she was lying. Electing not to move her, the hanyou simply took a change of clothes from the dresser and switched into her room instead. Her bed was a bit smaller than his, but he didn't mind: he often curled up as he slept anyway.

x

Once he hit the bed and got under the covers, the hanyou was promptly asleep. For several hours he lay, his body beginning to quake: he knew nothing of the nightmares that had begun to plague his mind until he awoke in the dead of night, panting and trembling with the sound of his heart pounding in his ears and a faint, phantom scent of blood stinging his nostrils. Fear struck him and he didn't even want to open his eyes to the darkness of the room, as if his mind somehow believed that that was not what he would see there. He knew it was irrational, and yet he still couldn't shove his fright aside.

x

The sudden noise of his door creaking made his entire body jump, but a faint light on the back of his lids allowed him to push through the fear for just a moment, enough to force himself to look into the squinting, bleary eyes, he could see Kagome, dragging a blanket with her, seeming almost to be sleepwalking. She hobbled over to the bed, a fist rubbing at her eye, plopped down and slumped onto her side, whispering, "Shove." Inu-Yasha moved over without question and Kagome, with quite a bit of effort, tossed her blanket over them awkwardly and then hooked her arms around Inu-Yasha's chest.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Sleeping," she replied bluntly as she huddled close to him.

"Oh," he said groggily.

"Why you in here?" Kagome mumbled.

Inu-Yasha paused for a moment to think where else he could have been, but then remembered Kagome's take-over of his bed in the other room.

"I didn't want to move you."

"Neh... move me."

Inu-Yasha laughed tiredly and Kagome smiled just a little. She squirmed up and looked him in the face, a light, puzzled frown on her brow.

"It's just... I dunno. I felt like you needed..."

Inu-Yasha's eyes opened a little wider and he looked back at her with confusion. She smiled sheepishly but then put her hands behind his head, drew him towards her and kissed his forehead very gently. He tried to hide his surprise; she didn't seem to notice at all because she simply clung to him again and closed her eyes.

"Eh... Nevermind. Good night," she said tiredly.

x

Inu-Yasha watched her with puzzlement, his heart beginning to beat at a more fevered pace. Had she known? He said nothing, however, because the sound of her breathing had rapidly calmed and he could only suspect that she was all ready asleep. He sighed quietly, though he could still feel his body shaking a little; he was glad Kagome hadn't seen him like he was. He hugged onto the girl cautiously, hoping his trembling wouldn't disturb her and he closed his eyes tightly as if trying to force sleep to come back to him. The girl in his arms held him even more tightly and, to his surprise, began to lightly rub his back with one hand. After a few moments, he quietly whispered, "Thank you," but got no response. She was asleep.

_There... really is something special about this girl, isn't there?_ he thought,_ She's starting to be able to read me like I can read her._

Despite this, he wouldn't tell her about his nightmares. He had faltered just once and told her too much. He didn't want what lived in the back of his mind to become present in hers as well.

oOoOoOoO

The next morning, Inu-Yasha remembered little of what had occurred during the night; Kagome recalled none of it, so was startled to find herself waking in a place she had not fallen asleep in. Shortly after, downstairs, the two discovered Koga, wide awake, filming Buyo from the kitchen table. Inu-Yasha explained his short discussion with Sessho-Maru from the previous day, which excited Kagome greatly: she was eager to start learning about her powers. Koga, too, was anxious for this to happen, not only to continue trying out the camera, but Inu-Yasha had mentioned Ah-Un in passing and he was more than eager to meet a dragon.

x

That day, they progressed through the normalcy of school with the anxiety of waiting for the extraordinary. Kagome, in particular, had trouble sitting still even for twenty minutes at a time. Something about school bothered her much more than it had before. To sit in class between two demons still made her head spin, and to know that there was so much out there she didn't know about; to know that there really were extraordinary things, and that she may be one of them... it was a bit too much. She felt like school wasn't worth it. She felt like she should be doing something more. She didn't know how to explain it, however. She wanted to express her feelings to Inu-Yasha, but she didn't know how much of it he would really understand, and she didn't want to come off as insensitive.

x

Regularity hit Kagome squarely on the head during math class, however, where future career surveys were passed out in accordance with the principal's and guidance office's wishes. The form asked about skills and experience, as well as school and general likes and dislikes. She was at a bit of a loss. She watched as Koga tried very hard to answer the multiple choice question blocks while Inu-Yasha filled out the blocks in a manner that would form a frowny-face. She, on the other-hand, was at a loss and had barely began to fill out her form when they were collected again. The three of them left the school soon afterwards, missing their physical education class once more in favour of starting the drive to Sessho-Maru's house. They hurried out of the school and into Inu-Yasha's car as soon as they were able to.

x

"I totally failed that test," Kagome whined as they pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Failed it?" Inu-Yasha laughed.

"Can you even fail it?" Koga pondered from the back seat.

"It was all personal preferences, I don't think you could fail it, Kagome," the hanyou said with a slightly concerned frown, "It isn't like that trigonometry test you probably failed two weeks ago."

Kagome pouted and frowned, and then folded her arms to her chest, grumbling, "But I couldn't even finish this one..." before she yelped involuntarily as the car hit a pothole. As Inu-Yasha let out a hurried, "Sorry!", Koga laughed a little. He leaned up from the back seat and poked Kagome's shoulder.

"Why didn't you fill it out?"

She looked at him a bit embarrassedly and scratched her head absently.

"Well, I didn't really know how to answer most of it," she admitted.

"What, there isn't anything you wanted to be when you grew up, Kags?" Inu-Yasha asked, cutting his eyes at her.

"I didn't have plans," she replied quietly.

"No?"

He sounded rather cynical, and Kagome began to snicker a little.

"Well, when I was little I wanted to grow up to be a bear. Or a fireman. And then I wanted to be a ballerina, and then a vet. I guess I never really grew out of that one."

She laughed and rubbed the back of her head as Koga snickered along with her and Inu-Yasha smiled.

"But the thing is, I'm not really... good at anything," Kagome admitted, "Not at school, really. I suck at math and science and I'm mediocre at everything else. I guess all I could really say was I like animals."

She shrugged and looked out the window, though she smiled a little to herself.

"What about you guys?"

She turned her gaze on Inu-Yasha and Koga leaned forwards, and the hanyou looked just a little embarrassed.

"I never really thought about it," he admitted, "I always was sort of under the impression that I should lay low and not bother."

"Oh..." Kagome said, looking disappointed.

She understood immediately, but still, she felt bad that he had never considered much of a future for himself.

"You could... be an author?"

"I can't write for shit," Inu-Yasha laughed.

"So? Neither can a lot of authors," the girl replied, giggling a bit despite herself.

Koga smiled widely and though Inu-Yasha said nothing, he grinned just a little. He appreciated the sentiment.

"I wanted to be a teacher," Koga voiced brightly, "Like my mom. I... never really got a chance to look into it. I don't even know if I'd be any good."

"That's nice," Kagome said, smiling, "I bet your mom would be proud."

Koga's face flushed and he smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Thanks," he replied.

"What does Sessho-Maru do?" Kagome asked.

"He's the head of a lot of corporations," Inu-Yasha said, "I can't really say specifically but he does management stuff. And he works with a lot of other demons, in security and technological stuff. It's all pretty secretive shit, though. Because of, you know... being a demon, and all."

Kagome began to grin after a moment. Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrows as if to ask "What?"

"I find that very funny, for some reason," she said.

"Why?" Koga asked.

"Think about it. There is literally a demon at the head of several large Japanese corporations. Just... think about it for a second."

There was silence for just a moment, and then the car erupted into laughter. Kagome was glad; it felt good to laugh like that again.

oOoOoOoO

Arriving at the large house in the middle of nowhere struck Kagome with just as much awe as it had the very first time she had seen it. Looking at Koga, she could tell he felt the same. Inu-Yasha seemed a bit blasé on the outside, but the girl knew that he was pleased by the familiarity of this place. When they got out of the car, Koga with camera in hand, Inu-Yasha took off his hat and looked around, his ears perked up high.

"Watch out," he warned, but before either of the others could asked what he meant, the huge, two headed beast that was Ah-Un rushed from behind the house and charged towards them.

Koga stood, mouth agape, but Inu-Yasha approached her and grinned widely when she pushed against him, putting one of her heads on his shoulder and nuzzling his forehead with the other. He laughed and hugged her around her right neck, saying, "Good to see you again!" Kagome grinned widely and rushed to pet Ah-Un's left head as the dragon said, _"Welcome back, both of you!"_ Her other head turned to Koga and grinned.

_"And welcome to you!"_

Koga was simply aghast, stricken dumb by the sight before him.

"A dragon?" he breathed, his eyes like saucers in his head.

Inu-Yasha grinned and patted the dragon before pulling away.

"This is Ah-Un, she lives with my brother," he explained.

She nuzzled up against him contentedly. Shyly Koga extended his hand to Ah-Un's closest head, and she rewarded him with a lick on the tip of his fingers and she pressed her nose to his palm. The youkai let out a quiet and disbelieving laugh as Kagome grinned.

"I can't believe it," he whispered.

He rubbed her snout and she opened her mouths, grinning. Kagome smiled and looked to Inu-Yasha with a curious expression on her face.

"So what now?"

"We should get Sessho-Maru, I guess. He's inside," the hanyou suggested.

"Oh, okay, cool," she said brightly, "Let's get him."

She looked to Koga, who was, despite his stunned expression, petting Ah-Un slowly as if hypnotized. Kagome giggled and the hanyou rolled his eyes.

"We'll start filming," Inu-Yasha announced, "If I can pry him away from Ah-Un. Here."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and passed it into Kagome's hand.

"Get him to read this. And you'll have to ask him about your powers and stuff. I can't guaranty he'll say yes, though."

"Fair enough," Kagome said, and she smiled and gave him a quick hug, "Thanks!"

As she turned to hurry to the house, Inu-Yasha couldn't keep a smile off his face. He then turned to Koga and lifted the camera away from him.

"So, let's start this shit."

x

Behind the boys and their dragon, Kagome hurried over to the house and tried the front door; it was unlocked, so she stepped inside cautiously. Unlike her last visit, however, the lights in the main hallway were on and the house seemed more alive than the sleepy lair it appeared to be before. Looking around cautiously, Kagome closed the door slowly behind her and stepped in, treading lightly along the expensive carpet. She peered into the room to her right where Ah-Un had burst from on her first visit and, seeing nothing but some large, well crafted cabinets she turned to check the living room. When she turned, however, she bumped straight into something she couldn't identify. She yelped and hopped back to see Sessho-Maru, garbed in what seemed close to casual business attire, standing before her with a painfully neutral expression on his face.

"My brother said you wanted to talk," he said.

Kagome felt her face flush with embarrassment. Fumbling, she unfolded the paper Inu-Yasha had given her and held it out to the youkai, her hand trembling unwittingly.

"Inu-Yasha said to give this to you," she said.

x

Sessho-Maru's expression didn't falter and he lifted the paper away from her with two fingers. His eyes skimmed the message and Kagome watched with shy curiosity. The man's eyes conveyed a certain disturbed wideness for just a moment as he finished reading, but the expression was swiftly erased as if it had never existed and he looked to Kagome with his cold golden gaze. He said nothing, though he turned and headed back through the house towards the kitchen, gesturing for her to follow. She stalled, startled, for just a moment before trotting after him. He turned on the kettle as he entered the kitchen and then turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised. She looked back at him a bit nervously, until he said, "Well?"

"Well?" Kagome repeated dumbly.

"You had something to say?"

One eyebrow arched a bit and Kagome blushed again, feeling a bit awkward, but she really did want his help. After taking a deep breath, she said, "So, I'm having some trouble with my, um... spiritual powers." Sessho-Maru stared at her in a very disinterested way and she tented her fingers and looked back at him, wide eyed and pleading.

"I was wondering if you could... help?" she asked.

"No."

Kagome's face fell.

"I'm a demon," he said in a very tired sort of way and when Kagome continued to stare at him, he elaborated, "I don't have spiritual powers, obviously."

"Yeah, but you made me fire a-"

"No."

"-laser last time and I thought-"

"No."

"-maybe you could-?"

"No."

"Oh, come on!"

Kagome, to his unexpressed surprise, grabbed his hand and gazed into his eyes.

"Help me, Sessho-Maru, you're my only hope!" she insisted.

The youkai stared back at her and slipped his hand away.

"Quoting _Star Wars_ won't help you," he said, turning away.

Kagome, a bit stunned that Sessho-Maru had seen any movie at all, let alone Star Wars, scuttled around in front of him.  
"There isn't anyone else!" she insisted, "I don't know a single person who can get my powers to come out like that, and this whole thing with the agency of bad guys is getting dangerous and I really want to help Inu-Yasha and I don't want to be a burden and I-"

"Fine," Sessho-Maru said suddenly.

"Wait, what?" Kagome asked.

"Your use of the run-on sentence is astounding. Give me fifteen minutes, then meet me by the stable," he said, and before Kagome knew it, he had disappeared.

Still shocked and trying to quell her excitement, Kagome rushed from the kitchen and out the back door.

x

Outside, she spotted Koga, still holding the camera and looking considerably less shocked, and Inu-Yasha sitting in the grass with Ah-Un's left head in his lap as he pet her mane.

"Hey Kags."

Inu-Yasha greeted her with a smile and she grinned in return.

"Guess who said yes," she said in a sing-song voice.

Inu-Yasha looked a bit surprised and Koga whipped around, the camera still held to his eye as he said, "That's awesome!" Kagome nodded readily and then plopped down onto the grass beside Inu-Yasha, reaching out to pat Ah-Un.

"How did you manage that?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"I dunno, I probably just annoyed him or something," she admitted, "But I doubt I really did anything, Sessho-Maru wouldn't do anything if he didn't want to."

"Very true," the hanyou agreed.

Kagome grinned and then looked to Koga.

"So, whatchu filming?" she asked curiously.

"Just stuff," he said absently, turning the camera on her.

She laughed and reached up to push the camera away. The youkai lowered the camera and stuck his tongue out at her while Ah-Un raised one of her heads and stuck her snout up into the lens, inclining her head from side to side.

_"How interesssting,_" she commented, ears perking.

Koga merely grinned and pet her nose again, and while he was distracted, Kagome jumped up and whisked the camera away from him and began pressing buttons on the side.

"What do these do?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno but the red one records," Koga volunteered.

x

Kagome saw no red button so she turned the camera around with the lens facing her and inspected the object. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of Kagome's shirt, yanking her down to sit beside him. She let out a disgruntled, "hey!" and the boy took the camera from her, spun it around, and pressed his thumb to a large button above a small red light.

"The button wasn't red," the hanyou scolded.

"Sorry, I meant there was a light," Koga tried to say, but he was buffeted by a nuzzling Ah-Un and was quickly distracted as he ruffled her mane and said, "A dragon, I can't believe it."

Kagome grinned and took the camera back from Inu-Yasha, asking, "So, what are we filming, exactly?"

"Anything, we're just gonna bullshit this thing. It's not like it matters."

Kagome looked at the hanyou, a little surprised, but she supposed he was right. She sat back a bit and folded her hands in her lap as she watched Koga frolic away, playing with Ah-Un.

"You don't think school's worth it, huh?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Not right now," he said, but then his ears drooped and he said, "I mean... Kagome?"

He looked suddenly serious and Kagome felt a jolt of panic hit her for just a moment before he said, "Do the marks... matter to you? We can actually try, if you want..."

"Oh! No, no, don't worry," she replied hurriedly.

She took his hand in hers and smiled widely at him. The boy's face fell into a soft frown and his cheeks went red with embarrassment. He wanted to tell her, "don't give up your future for my sake", but he clenched his teeth, winced a little and then lifted the camera up again.

x

As he fiddled with the buttons, looking at gain settings and other technical terms he couldn't understand, he tried to ignore the fact that he could see Kagome smiling in a sort of consoling way from the corner of his eye. She knew he felt bad without either of them saying a word. After while of quiet, Kagome took in a deep breath and said,"I'd rather be saving the demons of Japan any day." The boy smiled just a little and gave the camera back to her as Koga flailed back towards him with Ah-Un at his heels.

"Why so serious?" he asked, plopping down beside Inu-Yasha.

"Who's serious?" the hanyou retorted, elbowing Koga just hard enough to send him flopping sideways into the grass.  
Kagome laughed as Koga huffed and Ah-Un trotted up to him and lifted him by the collar of his shirt.

"Well, shit," the wolf laughed.

Kagome hopped to her feet and, a little puzzled, Inu-Yasha rose with her. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, saying, "We're supposed to meet your brother near the stables." After Koga freed himself from Ah-Un, all four of them headed towards the long, rectangular building on the other side of the property that served as a stable. As they approached it, Ah-Un's tail began to wag happily and she took off at a gallop towards the building's large, open door.

"What's in there?" Kagome wondered, looking to Inu-Yasha.

"Lots of bedding and water troughs and stuff," he said, "She sleeps in there, usually, so... I guess it's all her stuff."

"Oh," the girl said.

x

As they got closer, she jogged over to the door and peeked inside. Amber lights hung from a well-crafted wooden ceiling. The walls were also wood paneling with shiny objects imbedded in various spots, the floor was made of some copper-coloured stone tile that looked very expensive. There were troughs, like Inu-Yasha had mentioned, of water and one filled with what seemed to be raw meat against one side of the building and a sort of open stall against the back, where Kagome could see Ah-Un sprawled comfortably on a bed of what looked like grass and hay.

"Wow," she breathed.

Koga poked his head in behind her and his jaw dropped. His eyes automatically darted to the amber sparkled off the things in the walls, and he pointed to them as Inu-Yasha joined them.

"What are those?" he wondered.

"Jewels, mostly," the hanyou explained.

Kagome and Koga looked at him with surprise, to which he answered, "She's a dragon."

The two continued to look at him with an awed but questioning look and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't you people read? Dragons love treasure and that sort of shit."

The girl and the wolf let out a collective "oooh," of understanding. Again, Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.

"Entertained by the shiny objects, are we?"

x

The three teens turned to see Sessho-Maru, now wearing a casual blazer and jeans, observing them with an expression akin to watching grass grow. Despite this, Kagome grinned and hurried over to him.

"Thanks again for this," she said quickly.

"Yes, yes, fine," he said, "What is it exactly that you need to know?"

"Um... everything," she said.

Sessho-Maru looked at her with a slight hint of irritation. Before he could answer, Inu-Yasha called, "Is Rin here?"

"She's at a friend's. I have to pick her up in two hours, so may we proceed?" the man replied, looking irritatedly at his brother.

Inu-Yasha stuck his tongue out but Kagome nodded readily.

"Well, I suppose I'll start with the basics," he began, and as Kagome listened intently, Inu-Yasha sat down in the grass and rested his chin in his hand and Koga quickly dropped to the grass beside him, "You are a miko. Obviously. Most likely hereditary. Do you know anything about that?"

"My grandpa taught me about traditional herbal things and sutras and stuff, when I lived at Higurashi Shrine," she replied.

Sessho-Maru's eyebrows raised just a little. He seemed to approve.

"Higuarshi Shrine..." he repeated.

He paused for just a moment, seeming to reflect on something while the three teens watched him inquisitively, but he merely continued to say, "So you're not helplessly clueless. Good. Then you should know that anything mystical he'll have told you about was not bullshit. You can talk to animals, as is indicated by your relationship with my brother-" to which Inu-Yasha replied, "Hey!" indignantly. Sessho-Maru smirked just a little.

"Also, you should be aware of powers of purification and of barrier creation."

"I think I did that once," Kagome said, nodding, "It was by accident."

The youkai before her frowned.

"You're projecting a barrier right now."

"What? Right now?"

Kagome looked around as if she expected to see something and then looked back at the youkai with a startled expression.

"Where? What?"

Sessho-Maru inclined his head and then pointed to Inu-Yasha.

"Over him. There's an aura-masking shield," he explained.

"What?" Kagome and Inu-Yasha voiced in tandem, though Kagome seemed much more shocked than her boyfriend did; his brow furrowed in confusion and he looked between her and his brother.

"You also project it within a few feet of your body. You really haven't realized this at all?" Sessho-Maru inquired, staring at Kagome with a mixture of cynicism and a little surprise.

"No!" Kagome blurted.

Koga, his hand to his chin, seemed lost in thought and only then said, "You know... that sort of makes sense, actually."  
"Really?" the girl asked, looking to him with eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah. I remember... that day those guys kidnapped your neighbour. I could feel my aura being tampered with until I got within a few feet of you; after that, I felt like I was safe," he explained.

He shrugged as Kagome stared at him with shock. Inu-Yasha was a little startled as well, but then something in his mind clicked and he said,

"Oooh, so that must be why they couldn't detect me."

"Look at you, putting things together," Sessho-Maru said, looking at the teenagers with a small smile on his face.

"So... So wait, I can do the talking to animal thing, this barrier thing, and that laser thing," she listed, counting on her fingers, "And-"

"Purification of evil," Sessho-Maru explained, "Meaning youkai."

Inu-Yasha and Koga looked at Kagome with surprise, and she in turn gave the same shocked expression to Sessho-Maru.  
"But...!" she began, and Sessho-Maru shook his head.

"Rest assured it is not something you can do by mistake, so relax," he said, causing all three teenagers to look relieved, "It also works against "tainted things", like dirty water and disease."

"So it's almost like healing in some cases?" Kagome asked, her eyes brightening.

"It takes a lot of practice to heal," the youkai told her, "Purifying tainted water or earth is something you should be able to do without much effort, however."

Kagome nodded readily.

"Okay, I can practice those things, except... the purifying demons thing," she said.

"You can practice on Inu-Yasha," Sessho-Maru suggested, "He's a hanyou, it can't possibly kill him."

"No, I won't," Kagome said quickly, causing the boy behind her to look very relieved, "What about the laser thing?"

Sessho-Maru sighed, looking a bit tired with her complete lack of knowledge, but he continued anyway.

"Physical spurts of power can be accessed two ways. The one you will have to use until you become more powerful will be demonically triggered. As I said, you constantly draw power from the environment without effort, but you are not strong enough to release it at non-demon targets without help. In this instance, you'll need to trigger a release by using the auras of one of those two," the youkai explained, gesturing to Koga and Inu-Yasha, "Once you become more powerful, and with a lot of practice, you can use the memory of the feeling of a demonic assault to release energy without help."

"Okay," Kagome said, nodding readily.

"Try it now," Sessho-Maru said.

The girl looked surprised and then looked back at her friends, who both wore similar expressions of confusion. Inu-Yasha looked at his brother, his ears drooping.

"Maybe you should do it this first time, so we can watch and see what you do," he suggested.

The older youkai rolled his eyes.

"Figures," he grumbled.

x

He approached Kagome and she felt his relatively passive aura begin to build around him. Before she could ask, he said, "Hang on, I need to synch up my aura to yours."

Behind them, Inu-Yasha leaned forward, paying close attention.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"You don't need to, whelp, you're all ready synched with her," his brother replied.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said a bit dumbly.

Within seconds, Kagome felt the odd sting of energy enter her body and she drew in a breath sharply. The youkai beside her took her by the wrist and she cringed as she felt his energy billow around her.

"This will hurt less when it's Inu-Yasha you're using as a trigger," Sessho-Maru said, his voice almost sounding reassuring, "Now, relax. Let me guide you through this."

Kagome bit her lip and nodded readily. She felt, rather suddenly, Sessho-Maru's aura assault her senses and a weight came over her. She cringed, but within seconds, she could feel her own energy building and her hands burned with a strange cold-heat that made her skin tingle.

"Good," Sessho-Maru said.

He took a step away from her as her body began to shake.

"And release," he said, though as soon as the words left his mouth, Kagome let loose two pink spheres of energy that struck into the ground a few feet in front of her with a dull, but crackling thud.

x

She jumped back, shocked as dirt and turf scattered into the air, and when she looked back at Sessho-Maru she was surprised to see a faint smile on his face while her two friends gawked at her in shock. She looked back at where her energy had impacted the earth. She hopped up and down and pointed to the holes.

"Oh shit! I did it!" she squealed.

She laughed excitedly and, to the shock of the three demons around her, she rushed to Sessho-Maru and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

Inu-Yasha gawked and Sessho-Maru's eyes went wide until Kagome darted away to the hanyou and she grabbed his hands.

"Did you see?" she exclaimed as she pulled him to his feet, "Holy crap!"

Inu-Yasha bobbed his head in a nod and she hugged him tightly as well.

"So cool!" she squeaked happily.

The hanyou smiled fondly and put his arms around her shoulders. She laughed and then darted away again, saying, "Thank you, Sessho-Maru! I think with some practice I could really get a hang of this." Sessho-Maru, still looking uncharacteristically startled, finally relaxed his face and he looked to Koga, who perked up curiously.

"One more thing I should explain," he said, "It's impossible for anyone but Inu-Yasha to completely synch their aura with Kagome. Therefore, the physical contact is needed."

Koga looked a bit surprised, but then nodded eagerly and looked to Kagome, wagging his tail.

"Glad to hear I can help you too," he said brightly.

"Thanks, Koga," the girl replied with a grin.

"So, wait," Inu-Yasha voiced, frowning a bit, "So, I don't have to touch her to help her do that?"

"No," Sessho-Maru said simply.

The three teens looked at Sessho-Maru, each seeming rather confused when he didn't elaborate. They all stood in silence for a moment until Inu-Yasha finally asked, "Why?"

"Your auras all ready match," the youkai said, and when Inu-Yasha merely stared at him blankly, he sighed, "You really are dense. You are what humans call "soul mates". In demon terms, this is taken much more literally. Therefore, your auras are permanently compatible. You don't need to make contact with her to synch your aura with her."

"Oh!" Inu-Yasha said, surprised, and then looked to Kagome, who smiled back at him, "That's pretty cool."

She nodded readily and beamed at him.

"I knew you were special!" she said.

Inu-Yasha stuck her tongue out at her and she poked him playfully. Sessho-Maru rolled his eyes.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha, Kagome and Koga didn't stay much longer, though they ran around the property with their camera for a little while. None of them really knew what they were doing, however. Nonetheless, Kagome was completely elated about what she had been taught, and made her friends promise to practice with her later.

x

When the teens finally decided to head home, speeding away in Inu-Yasha's car, Sessho-Maru watched with an unspoken curiosity from inside the house. His attention then turned to the note Kagome had given him. He had held it in his pocket, feeling a strange sense of anticipation and foreboding at the thought of looking at it once more. He reread it nonetheless. It chilled him to realize that he recognized the handwriting. He felt like he hadn't seen it in centuries.

_This doesn't seem possible,_ he mused, _And yet... here it is._

He sighed and folded the note in his fingers. He held it for just a moment and then placed it in his pocket gingerly. He would find out more. He couldn't lose something so important.


	45. It Gets Worse

Chapter 43: It Gets Worse

* * *

"Three... two... one!"

A loud _boom_echoed as dirt and turf flit into the air and Kagome jumped back from the pink flash of light that had shot from her own hand. Beside her, Inu-Yasha shielded her in his arms almost instinctively, only to have her begin to laugh and hug him around his shoulders.

x

It was a bit past 8 o'clock at night and the two teens stood in their backyard near the large dead tree against the side of the house, eyeing the crater Kagome had created. They had been outside, practicing with Kagome's spiritual energies for about two hours since they had returned home from Sessho-Maru's place. It had taken quite a while for Kagome to be able to shoot off an energy blast like she had when Sessho-Maru had been triggering her. She had managed four so far, very small and very weak,but this last one had been the strongest of all of them yet. It was a little difficult using Inu-Yasha opposed to his brother: the older youkai's energy was much more violent, and Inu-Yasha's barely felt like an attack.

x

Kagome looked at her crater (which was probably about the size of a football) with pride.

"So! I can blow chunks of dirt into the air: this isn't too bad," she said proudly.

"It's pretty cool," Inu-Yasha agreed.

The girl grinned and then plopped down, cross-legged on the ground beside the hole, running her fingers through the dirt.

"Pretty cool?" Kagome laughed, "It's freaking amazing!"

She shook her head.

"I can still barely believe it."

Inu-Yasha sat beside her as she leaned back, supporting herself on her palms. She was quiet, contented for a moment, looking up at the tiny sliver of moon amongst the stars above.

"I can hear bats," she said after a while, quiet awe in her voice, "They're talking about the wind, and the bugs, and the trees."

She shook her head again.

"I can't believe I went my whole life without these little voices. And now, I can't believe I can hear them."

She tilted her head and smiled at Inu-Yasha.

"You're so lucky to have been tapped into this your whole life," she said.

The boy merely smiled shyly as a response, his ears drooping backwards just a little.

"Do you think there are a lot of other people like me?" she asked.

"Yeah, definitely," Inu-Yasha said, "I've heard that people with powers like yours usually have them dormant unless there are demons around, which... well..."

He pointed to himself and Kagome grinned.

"I see," she said.

"You said they started when that dog-ghost gave you a "gift"? Well, he's a demon, right?" the hanyou said, "So, maybe he just sort of jump-started you. That would kind of make sense."

Kagome nodded, and he continued,

"I've heard that, because demons are so powerful, humans had to get these sort of powers or we would have killed them all. Or something like that."

"Would you really have?" Kagome asked, surprised, "But all the youkai I've met have been pretty nice."

"Dunno, it's just what I've heard from older youkai, like the ones that Sessho-Maru knows," he explained, "I guess things were pretty different a long time ago."

Kagome nodded solemnly.

"I guess that's why Tsuyomaru seemed so... wild, and stuff, when I knew him," she said.

She had to hold back a bout of sadness and she took a deep breath; the hanyou patted her shoulder reassuringly. She took a deep breath and forced a smile, and then scooted around to face him better.

"Show me what you do with your claws," she said.

He responded with a look of confusion and she laughed and took one of his hands in hers, squeezing his palm as she stared at his nails.

"You know, the power things that you can do," she insisted.

The boy seemed a bit surprised, but then automatically, his fingertips began to glow a gold so bright that it illuminated both of them. Kagome breathed in in awe and stared, mesmerized, into the light until it dimmed down to nothing. She blinked in the dark and then looked up to Inu-Yasha, who smiled back at her with a mixture of pride and uncertainty.

"Still not scared?" he asked.

Kagome frowned and bonked him on the head with her fist. He jerked back a bit and then began to laugh quietly, rubbing his brow with his palm, saying,

"Okay, okay!"

"What does it do?" she asked.

"What?"

"That glow thing, does it do anything special? I remember you could shoot the red one. Does the gold one do anything?"

Inu-Yasha scratched his head.

"Well, I find it lets me break things better," he said.

Kagome giggled.

"Break things? Like what?"

"Rocks."

"Rocks?"

"Yeah."

"You can cut rocks with your nails?"

"Sure."

"Wow."

She looked at him with her eyes all but sparkling with awe and he couldn't help but laugh, and he patted her playfully on the head.

"You're weird," he joked.

He hopped to his feet, dodging a whack to his side, and grinned a bit smugly as he stretched his arms up above his head. Kagome frowned jokingly at him and pushed herself up with her palms.

"More training?" she asked eagerly.

Inu-Yasha's ears tilted towards her as he gave her a look of puzzlement.

"What? No," he said, "You should take a break."

The girl looked back at him with a cow-eyed stare, as if he had just began to speak in some sort of gibberish language.

"What? But why?" she asked a bit sharply.

He smiled at her almost as if with sympathy and patted her shoulder.

"Kagome, think about it. Today is the first time you've ever consciously tried to use your powers," he said, though she looked back at him a bit indignantly and asked,

"So?"

"So," the hanyou replied, seeming amused, "You'll just tire yourself out and end up fainting again. What do you think you are? A superhero?"

Kagome's face flushed a bit and she raised her pointer finger and opened her mouth as if to protest, but when Inu-Yasha merely raised his eyebrows in response, she drooped and nodded.

"I'm such a sissy," she whined.

"_No_, Kagome, you're just a human, and you need to pace yourself," he said reassuringly.

He nudged her with his elbow and pointed to the house.

"C'mon, inside, I'll make you some soup or something. You're probably hungry."

Kagome was surprised. She hadn't realized, but she was rather hungry. She nodded, blushing just a little: she was embarrassed that the boy knew more about her condition than she did. He had done it before, even when he hadn't been able to see. However, when he grinned at her, she found herself immediately smiling in return.

"Fine, you're right," she agreed.

"I know," he replied smugly.

She whacked his shoulder and he retorted by flicking her forehead and then vanishing towards the house at a speed she couldn't even follow with her eyes. She whirled, startled, and saw him near the backdoor, waiting for her as he slid it open and beckoned her inside in a surprisingly chivalrous manner. Smiling, she trotted over the threshold and he stepped inside behind her, wiping his bare feet on the carpet as he closed the door behind them.

x

In the living room before them, Koga sat on the couch, perched on the arm and hunched over the digital camera they had purchased, looking strangely similar to some sort of buzzard. Kagome walked to the sofa and sat down on it with a cheerful air about her, forcibly ignoring the lightheadedness she felt as she turned to him and asked,

"So Wolfy, how is the everlasting struggle with technology?"

"Well," he said, holding the camera up in the air and squinting as Inu-Yasha vaulted over the back of the couch to sit beside Kagome, "I got it to rewind the tape!"

He smiled and looked rather proud of himself. Inu-Yasha clapped slow and sarcastically, though he had the hints of a genuine grin on his lips before he said,

"I guess that's what we get for leaving the forest hermit in charge of the technology, ne?"

Kagome elbowed him and he nudged her back, and Koga frowned jokingly but then nodded, saying,

"It's true."

He passed the camera to Kagome and though she smiled, suddenly, she lurched forward: so suddenly, in fact, that she nearly toppled face-first to the floor. However, Inu-Yasha reached to her shoulder and pulled her to him in a quick motion, frowning in what must have looked like pure irritation; he was, in fact, more concerned than irritated, though he wished Kagome had heeded his warnings a little more closely. Koga reacted with a split-second delay of complete shock and then demanded,

"Kagome, are you okay?"

"She's unconscious," Inu-Yasha grumped.

"What?"

"She _fainted_."

The hanyou rolled his eyes.

"I warned her. She never listens."

He took the sliding camera from her lap and placed it to the side.

"From the spiritual training?" Koga demanded, frowning, "You shouldn't have let her push herself so far."

Inu-Yasha scoffed out a "feh" as he lifted Kagome up and into his arms.

"Wait, where are you going?" the wolf barked.

"I'm going to put her on her bed," he said, looking at the wolf with a glare that said he was annoyed with all the questions, "Problem?"

Koga drew back a little and shook his head.

"Good."

Inu-Yasha cracked a bit of a smile and then continued on his way, carrying Kagome up the stairs.

x

Inu-Yasha placed the girl on her bed carefully and turned to leave, to get her a glass of water, only to see Koga there with just what he was seeking. The wolf offered him the glass and Inu-Yasha hid his surprise with a pleased, "thanks," and took it to set it down on the end table beside Kagome's bed. He looked down at her fondly for a moment but placed a hand to his brow and breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Crazy girl," he grumbled.

"So, what exactly happened?" Koga inquired, frowning a little.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said, turning to him, dropping his hand and looking back at the boy with a tired and worried expression, "She pushed herself too hard with the..."

He waved his hands as if trying to pull a word he couldn't find from the air.

"...Zappy zappy?" Koga asked.

"Yeah that," Inu-Yasha agreed, "Nothing more complicated than that... I hope."

He looked back at Kagome, his brow furrowed with worry.

"I'll grab some ibuprofen," Koga suggested.

He left the room and Inu-Yasha sat on the bed beside Kagome and laid a hand against her forehead. Within less than a second, however, her eyes shot open and her gaze darted around as if in panic for just a second before she sat bolt upright. Inu-Yasha began to say her name in surprise, but she simply squeaked, "Bathroom!"

Before the hanyou could even ask her what was wrong she rushed from the room and was out of sight, the sound of the bathroom door slamming behind her echoing through the house. Inu-Yasha winced and got up to follow immediately, grabbing the glass of water on the way, but stopped outside the bathroom door to the sound of the girl retching.

x

He rapped his knuckles on the door and asked,

"Hey, you okay?"

"Fine. Fine. Just nauseous," Kagome replied weakly.

He heard her cough again and rolled his eyes, opened the door only to see her sitting on her knees in front of the toilet, looking ill but seeming not to have been so. The hanyou sat on his knees beside her on the cold tile floor and looked at her with concern. She looked both embarrassed and ill, her face red, breathing heavily. Inu-Yasha's ears drooped and edged closer to her and brushed her hair from her face, and as she took a deep breath he handed her the glass of water. She didn't drink at first; just held the cool glass in her hands and rocked back and forth gently.

"Oh man, I feel terrible..." she mumbled.

"Need to puke?" Inu-Yasha asked.

She shook her head and before she really replied, Koga was in the doorway behind them, barking,

"Oh my god, Kags, are you okay?"

She laughed weakly and nodded. Inu-Yasha looked at the youkai, who looked quite upset, but he held two small red pills in his hand. Inu-Yasha held out his hand and Koga tossed the pills. Inu-Yasha caught them and then passed them to Kagome. She looked surprised but then took them and downed them with a tentative sip of water.

"I'm okay," she insisted, "It's just... the fainting. That's what it was. Right?"

She tried to stand but her knees were wobbly. Inu-Yasha got to his feet and held her up and Koga moved in closer as if ready to catch her just in case.

"Thanks guys," she said, looking between the two, "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, whatever, let's get you back to bed," Inu-Yasha said, bonking her head very gently, "Unless you have to throw up."

"I don't have to throw up, I'm okay now," she insisted.

However, she proceeded to shoo the demons from the room and closed the door behind them.

The boys looked at each other with confusion, but Inu-Yasha soon shrugged as they heard the sink faucet starting to run.

"I guess we should give her a minute," he said, though his ears pressed back to the sharp sound of the shower starting as well, and corrected, "Maybe a few minutes."

Koga looked worried, but he nodded and, looking between the hanyou and the door, shrugged and headed back down the stairs. Inu-Yasha paused for just a second and then followed, but headed into the kitchen.

x

After searching the cupboards, he found a can of simple chicken soup and emptied it into a pot on the stove. He turned the heat on under the pot and then sat down at the kitchen table with a tired sigh. He felt bad for Kagome, though despite that he was a bit proud of her. She had come a long way since he had met her, though she still had a long way to go. Her powers startled him a bit, though he was unwilling to say so: he had never seen a human's spiritual powers used before. He was also well aware of what they could do to someone like him. As he turned to check the soup over his shoulder, he smirked a little to himself, his ears folding back as he realized that he must be feeling like she did about his abilities. He felt a little embarrassed.

x

After a little while, he got up to check the soup. In the other room, he heard, Koga call,

"I want some soup, can I have some soup?"

"Fine," he said, "Come get it."

"Aw, I have to get up?"

"Yes."

"Can't you bring it over?"

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and looked around the open doorway only to see Koga, trying to hold the camera up and away from two raccoons that had crawled onto his legs. The hanyou's eyebrows shot upwards immediately.

"You didn't think mentioning raccoons in the house would have helped your case?" he asked.

"I thought it was normal or something," the wolf replied as the fatter of the two stretched higher, his little black hand grasping for the camera.

Inu-Yasha shook his head, wondering how they kept getting into the house and turned only to see Buyo leaning over the pot of soup curiously.

"Don't you shed in that," he warned, and Buyo looked up with a shy grin and backed up a few steps.

_"Sorry,"_ he said, _"Smelled good though."_

He hopped away to avoid the hanyou taking the pot off the heat and switching off the stove.

_"Cat food time?"_he asked.

Inu-Yasha made a sort of frustrated huffing sound and pulled a can of cat food from the fridge and dumped its contents into a shallow dish, which the cat promptly buried his face into.

"Soup?" Koga whined from the other room.

"Come get it," Inu-Yasha said

He heard the wolf let out a groan of disappointment, and after just a second heard the sound of the shower stop as well. Inu-Yasha snickered a little but then abandoned the pot to check on Kagome. He saw her emerge from the bathroom, scrubbing damp hair with a towel and he intercepted her at the doorway to her room. She yelped with surprise and then whacked his chest, saying,

"Don't do that!"

"Well _sorry_," he said sarcastically, "How are you feeling?"

Kagome sighed and lowered her towel, grasping it in her hands in a sort of uncomfortable way as she eyed the floor.

"Still crappy. You can't feel that?"

"Vague emotions only," he explained.

She turned her gaze on him and smiled just a little, saying,

"I'm jealous."

"I don't even know how it happened, I think it was some aura malfunction thing," he said, "Never mind. I made soup. You should have some."

Kagome titled her head and frowned as if thinking very, very deeply about the situation.

"Yeah, I guess," she decided.

He nodded approvingly and followed as she headed down the stairs.

x

In the kitchen they found Koga, a raccoon on his shoulder, with a bowl of soup in his hands and another few on the counter with raccoons slurping at them.

"Where did they come from?" Kagome asked, startled.

"Attic?" the wolf suggested, shrugging one shoulder.

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and poured Kagome a bowl quickly and passed it to her. She smiled gratefully and began to eat, thought she proceeded slowly; she still wasn't feeling quite right. She hoped Inu-Yasha wouldn't notice, but she could see him watching her closely from the corner of her eye. She wondered if he could feel illness like he could feel her emotions, despite what he had said. She didn't know if he could sense it or not; demons confused her quite a bit.

x

Inu-Yasha kept his eye on her a bit discretely for the rest of the night until she slunk off to lie on her bed, still feeling almost as if a flu was coming on. She didn't like it at all, but she couldn't help but feel it was worth it. She couldn't help but want to keep trying with her spiritual powers. It was so deeply satisfying to produce something tangible; something she had never imagined being able to do at all. However, it certainly wasn't helping her sleep. Uncomfortable, sickened and cold, Kagome rolled around on her bed in the darkness of her room, her ears trained on the telltale steps of Koga downstairs and the animal sounds and chatter from outside. She groaned and put a pillow over her head, and tried to huddle in her blankets.

x

In the room beside hers, Inu-Yasha lay on his own bed with a table-lamp on nearby, peering cautiously at Kagome's photo album once more as he kept his ears trained on her. Her lack of sleep disturbed him a bit, though he knew there wasn't much he could do, and he didn't want to intrude on her space unless she felt like she wanted him around, especially with how sick she was feeling. He listened to Koga rummage around on the floor below; humming to himself some catchy pop song that had been on the radio all week as he played with the camera, and Buyo, once again. He was amused by how easily preoccupied the wolf was. He sometimes wished he was like that; he was bored much too easily.

x

He looked through the last few pages of the photo album once more, pouring over the family images. He didn't know why, but he really liked them. Though the unknown man puzzled him, the pictures of such a family was a sort of comforting thing to see. He knew no such pictures of him existed. He sighed despite himself, a little envious, turning away from the book towards the door as he heard Kagome's feet in the hallway outside. Within seconds, Kagome stumbled in the room, yawning, and then flopped down on top of Inu-Yasha, causing him to grunt with surprise.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked, flailing her limbs around in attempts to steady herself.

Alarmed, not wanting her to fall, he grabbed her with one hand to keep her on the bed and passed her the photo album with the other.

"Just... looking."

Kagome took it with surprise and then rolled off him to the empty mattress on his right, sitting up with the book in her lap. She opened it curiously and cringed upon seeing a grimy old photo of a much younger version of herself, looking painfully tired.

"Ah, why you looking at this? It's so embarrassing," she whined.

He sat up and flipped a few pages for her to the one strange family photo he had seen a few days prior. He tapped the picture of the man.

"Who's that?"

Kagome inclined her head, tapping the photo with her fingernail several times, a deep frown on her face as if she were trying to grasp a faint memory that wouldn't quite come into the light. After a while, she confessed,

"I really don't know."

"He doesn't look familiar to you?" he asked.

"He does, a little," she admitted, "Why?"

The hanyou shrugged. He was a little reluctant to admit his theory. He was afraid that it would make him sound ridiculous. Kagome turned her confused gaze on him now as if trying to probe his mind, but he merely lay back again and folded his arms casually behind his head. The girl pouted a bit, but then turned her attention back on the photo. Inu-Yasha watched her stare at the photo for a little while longer, taking note as she unconsciously, and very gently, brushed her fingertips over the photo before closing the album. She sighed very quietly and the hanyou raised his brows and sat up a bit more, asking,

"Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just... thinking," she said.

She leaned forward and flopped over Inu-Yasha to place the book carefully on the floor and the sat back to curl up on the bed, pulling one of the disheveled blankets over herself.

"Cold?" he asked.

"I still feel all woogy," she complained.

"Woogy?" he repeated, trying not to laugh at her, "Okay."

He patted her head lazily and she grumbled and struggled in the blanket to elbow him, remaining fairly and awkwardly unsuccessful. He laughed and was about to sit up, thinking maybe she might like a bit more room, but she latched onto him almost immediately, forcing him to flop back onto the bed with a grunt.

"Don't go, stay here: you're warm," Kagome insisted.

Inu-Yasha was a little surprised. He nodded and said, "Fine," though he was happy to stay. He felt quite content, actually, as she cuddled up against his side, and carried a secret pride within himself.

"Love you," she whispered to him.

A small smile passed across his face and he dipped down to kiss her forehead lightly as a response. She giggled quietly and then lay, flopping her arms across his chest. She was there for a while as the hanyou lay awake, staring up at the ceiling with little on his mind until, to his surprise, the girl grumbled a bit incoherently and then slid herself on top of him and slumped, lazy and cat-like. Startled, Inu-Yasha held onto her tightly, worried that she might fall, but she, on the other hand seemed completely relaxed.

x

Kagome lay on his chest, her eyes closed, though despite her stillness she remained awake. Her mind was very tired and it was a relief to relax. After just a little while, she felt the arm that was steadying her loosen just a little and a second hand rest on her head. Clawed fingers traced through her hair in a very absent and gentle way; Inu-Yasha must have assumed that she was asleep. Far too lazy and comfortable to move, she lay there, drifting in and out of a drowsy unconsciousness until her mind snapped back to the sound of a very quiet tune. She was surprised: Inu-Yasha was humming. She didn't recognize the song. It was strange, almost foreign, and a little sad, but pretty. She hadn't realized that he was able to carry a tune, but then again she supposed that it made sense: he had expressed that he used to play an instrument or two when he was younger.

"What song is that?" she mumbled tiredly.

Her eyes opened just a crack and she tilted her head to look at him. He was blushing just a little but his expression was rather still as if he had been in thought until she had interrupted him.

"Dunno, really. Something my mom used to sing to me," he admitted, "Just sort of came to mind."

"Will you sing it to me?" Kagome asked half-jokingly.

Inu-Yasha grinned just a little.

"No. I don't remember the words anyway."

She stuck her tongue out at him but she smiled and closed her eyes again.

"It's pretty."

Inu-Yasha scoffed quietly though couldn't help a blush from passing over his face as the girl snuggled up closer to him. He found himself running his claws through her hair again, and then, quietly, he muttered,

"I hope you don't mind."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Kagome smiled sleepily.

"Tell me more about demons," she said.

Inu-Yasha's ears perked with surprise and he inclined his head.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Anything."

The hanyou shifted a bit, unsure of what to say. Before he had to come up with something, thankfully, Kagome asked,

"Can you do what people say you can? Like, possessions and stuff."

"Um, I think so," Inu-Yasha said, "I've heard of it happening, but it was mostly, like... way back when demons still ate people."

"Oh, gross," Kagome said.

"Don't get nightmares," Inu-Yasha joked.

"I won't. Can you do that?" she wondered.

"I don't think so," he replied, "Never tried. Wouldn't want to."

"Interesting," Kagome said.

"We also have spit that kinda disinfects stuff. Sometimes. I mean, Sessho-Maru can do some really weird stuff. He can spit acid or... poison, or whatever."

"Ooh, that _is_weird!" Kagome agreed, laughing just a little.

She flopped to his side again and curled up, still trying to fight off the chill she felt. After a few moments of quiet and as she realized she was drifting in and out of consciousness, she sleepily mumbled out, "goodnight".

x

Inu-Yasha patted her head as a response, but kept his eye on her worriedly despite the fact that she seemed pleasantly asleep. He frowned a little and his ears folded back a bit. He noticed he was starting to feel a little ill himself. This puzzled him, as he had no real reason to, unless it was the presence of Kagome's spiritual energies. He hadn't anticipated that it would actually effect him, and in a way it sort of annoyed him that it did. He had sort of thought that because of how close he was with Kagome that her energies wouldn't damage him; maybe 'hoped' would be a better word for it. It was a silly thought, he supposed, like hoping to be impervious to a favourite cat's claws. Sighing, he hunkered down in the bed a bit and relaxed, finally.

oOoOoOoO

It was around 1 in the morning when Kagome was roused from her sleep by a sort of ill feeling deep in her gut. Her eyes cracked open in the dark of the room and she cast her gaze around cautiously before sitting up. Inu-Yasha's profile stood out just a little to her side and as she moved, he let out a snorfing sound and rolled to the side a bit. Suddenly very aware of the creaking of the bed, Kagome bit her lip and, very, very slowly slid herself out of the blankets and off the bed. The cool air on her body out of the blankets sent an extra chill shooting through her and she almost immediately put her arms around herself.

x

Feeling a desperate need for water, the girl crept down the hallway in the dark, and then stuck a hand out towards the wall to guide herself to the bathroom. Once she found it, she turned on only the shower light to illuminate her way and blinked sleepily, cringing, into the light. Even though it was dim, it still felt to bright for her. She sighed and took the empty glass from the counter near the soap and put it under the faucet. Still wincing in the light, she turned it off again and blinked, readjusting to the dark. She went back to her glass and groped around in the dark until she found both it and the handle to turn the water on. She brushed her hair away from her face and turned the faucet on just a little, to keep the sound low for her sleeping demon friends and began to fill her cup. She stood in the dark for a little while until the glass was full and she raised it to drink, trying to keep the turning of her stomach in check. However, through the glass, she noticed a bit of movement reflected from behind her. She felt herself go rigid and, very cautiously, she lowered the glass and stood very still. After a second, she took a deep breath and turned off the water.

_Probably just Buyo,_she thought, trying to reassure herself

She placed the glass down and turned to head back to the room, though she didn't make it far as what had looked to be only a shadow lashed out and struck her neck.

_How-?_she thought in shock as she simultaneously and involuntarily let out a feeble shriek as she collapsed to the ground.

Her mind seemed to freeze and she neither could nor would move as she blanked out, a familiar yelp and a body falling down the stairs echoing in her mind before she was aware no longer.

oOoOoOoO

It was a raid. It had to be. In the dark of his room, Koga gulped deeply, unable to make his body move. The sounds of his friends left him paralyzed with fear.

x

When his door flew open to show him twin strange, green lights glowing from the face of a living shadow, it was all he could do to draw back towards the window. It wasn't a way to escape, really, not one he had thought of. It was too late, anyhow. He heard a bang and it was like ice went through his blood from his head down and felt a very odd . He heard a crash and the shrill sound of breaking glass sprinkling around him, and darkness clouded his vision very quickly.

x

WIthin moments, he wrenched himself upright, gasping desperately. He tried to stand, only to realize that he was on four paws, sitting on cold concrete in a pool of blood, his tawny fur died copper-brown all over his right side. He blinked heavily and shook his head, feeling a dull pain on the right side of his head. An odd clinking noise caught his attention and he followed it with his eyes only to see, to his shock, a gory bullet rolling across the floor. It bumped into an unfamiliar cardboard box and, after a moment of utter confusion, he cast his panicked gaze around the dark room he was in. He could see a silver car, piles of boxes and tools lined up on a disused wooden table. The unfamiliarity shocked him and he jumped upright, backing up, only to see an awkward, wolfsized hole in the wall behind the car and a streak of blood along the ground from it, a morbid trail that lead from outside to his own paws. Koga gulped deeply, only now noticing how stone dry his tongue felt.

_How long have I been here?_he wondered, terrified.

He followed the trail quickly and shoved his head through the hole only to have his eyes assaulted by flashing red lights. He squinted through the brightness and his jaw dropped to see Kagome's house, an upper storey window shattered, with three police cars in front of it. A frightened and tired looking human couple stood, talking nervously with an almost equally nervous looking officer. Koga cast his gaze around, his eyes wide.

_Kagome? Inu-Yasha?_

He let out an involuntary whimper and then forced himself back through the hole he had obviously come through, ignoring the mess he had left a neighbour's garage in. He shook his fur and looked around frantically, and then lifted his nose to the wind. The scent of blood and gunpowder was bitter and rank, almost overpowering the scents of his friends. Gulping again, he rushed to the road and put his nose to the ground.

_Where are they? Where are they?_

x

_"Koga?"_

Koga's head jerked up to the sound of his name. Through the flashing lights, he saw a skittish form sprinting through the grass. He squinted and Buyo darted, almost a blur, out from under a police car and ran, his fur bristling, into Koga's front legs, trembling.

"Buyo?" he demanded, "What happened? Where are the others?"

"Taken... Taken," he said, shuddering.

"When?"

Buyo looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes, and his jaws parted in a sort of desperate pant before his gaze shifted and his brow furrowed just a little as he repeated,

_"When? Not more than seven minutes ago."_

"I have to find them," Koga said, trying to stop his voice from sounding too choked.

_"Wait,_" Buyo said, _"Come with me."_

"Buyo, there's no time," he started to say, but Buyo hissed loudly, shocking the youkai.

_"Just do it, this is important,"_ he insisted,_ "Can you even smell them? Demon or not, you can't track them through all this mess."_

Koga's mouth opened as if to debate, but his ears pressed back and he felt his chest tighten and he almost wanted to howl with sorrow, though the cat nuzzled his legs again and then nudged him and jerked his head back towards the house. Koga gulped and nodded and Buyo scampered away, giving the house a wide berth as he headed towards the backyard. The youkai followed him very cautiously as they ducked out of the light as he tried to swallow his fear; he couldn't believe any of this was happening. He sucked in a gulp of air shakily and watched as Buyo rushed to what seemed to be a large and still form in the bushes near the back door of the house. Koga hurried, dipping back into darkness just as the light in the house was turned on.

x

When he arrived, however, he had to hold in a loud yelp of shock when what he saw in the bush was a young man, red haired, facedown in the dirt.

"What is this?" he demanded.

_"I broke his neck jumping off the roof,"_ Buyo whispered,_ "Now that I know what they wanted, I almost wish I could say I did it on purpose."_

He hissed, his ears pressing back and his lip curling a bit. He walked over the corpse, turning the head a little as he passed, and put a paw down on the spreadeagled left hand, using his other paw to bat at a black and pristine watch around the wrist. Koga tried to ignore the sense of familiarity at the sight of the human's face. It set a deep dread pounding inside him, knowing that he had seen this person before. He couldn't recall where, but he knew he had seen him. He bared his fangs, but then turned his attention back to the cat.

"What are you doing?" Koga asked quietly.

_"It's a GPS, it was keeping track of the truck they brought before it got here,"_ Buyo said, intently batting at the face of the watch, and then frustratedly yowled, _"God damn it!"_

"Shhh!" Koga hushed, his ears pressing back.

_"These fuckers took my Kagome,"_he snarled.

"In the truck?"

_"Yes, in the truck! I couldn't catch... I couldn't..."_

Koga sighed and touched his nose gently to the cat's neck and nudged him away and then, hunkering down in the bushes at low as he could, he reassumed his regular form. Though he didn't notice, Buyo gawked at the blood that stained his skin and clothes, and he popped the face of the watch using his fingers to see that it was displaying a sort of screen that was indeed tracking a moving object. Koga's heart leapt and immediately, he took the watch from the body and attached it to his own wrist.

_"Are you okay?"_Buyo asked.

"Fine," Koga said, hushed,.

_"You have a hole in your head."_

"I know. Quiet."

Buyo looked up at him, staring with quiet, disturbed wonder and he whispered,

_"Please, save them."_

Koga nodded and, cringing, reassumed the form of a wolf, sure to keep the GPS watch tight on his forearm. Buyo's ears drooped and he crossed the body once more and nuzzled against Koga shakily; fearfully.

"I'm going," he said.

Buyo sniffed plaintively and nodded, backing away from the wolf. Koga forced a smile and then, double-checking the GPS, set off at a run, darting around the house and down the road as fast as his legs could carry him, giving a figurative "fuck you" to the notion of remaining inconspicuous.

x

Koga felt an eternity of the absolutely worst case scenarios looping through his brain like the most unappealing of metaphysical visions as he ran, ignoring all but the tracker on the GPS and his own, desperate attempts to pull the scent of his friends from the veritable swamp that was the smells of Tokyo; the effort was utterly futile. It wasn't until he was forced into the open by the progression of highway that he realized he had to stop.

x

It hadn't been until then that he realized he was crying. On the side of the road, he collapsed back onto his haunches, his vision blurring in the headlights of passing cars. Panting with such gulps as if he were drowning in the air, Koga tried desperately to steady himself. He knew he would be no use to his friends in such a state, but his body was cold and shaking as if pulled from ice and it was hard to breathe. His paws were bloody below him, his head ached and his body begged for water. He had no time, however, and before long forced himself to run again, keeping to the side of the highway with all his thoughts focussed on a single, overriding urge to defend.

x

A long trip soon had all notions of the city begin to disappear as the trail ran into a southern mountainous area, the foliage getting denser and denser. Koga again began to feel a deep sense of dread as darkness began to creep in upon him and the relative quiet of the forest set in to replace the thunder of the city. He could hear no truck. He could hear no vehicles of any kind out on this deep forest road. It was utterly chilling to him, especially because so little of the forest was making noise. He slowed to a trot down the center of the road, perking his ears and lifting his nose. Each second he stood seemed to drag on for far too long, and he knew he needed to hurry; it hadn't really occurred to him until that moment that his friends could all ready be dead. His chest tightened painfully and he tried not to think of it.

x

A strange humming caught his attention, but it was so far away that he didn't know whether it was significant or not, but, as the wind shifted ever so slightly, a faint waft of diesel teased him. He wasn't sure what to think, but it was his first discernible lead and it was reassuring. He bent his head to double-check the tracking on the truck, only to find that it was much closer than he could have hoped: within just a few miles. The news left him feeling refreshed despite everything and he took off at a sprint again, back paws hitting the pavement behind with such force that it left it cracked.

x

As he delved deeper, he found himself being lead off road, the first hints of his friends's scents guiding him along with a strange, unnerving metallic smell and a sickly sweet smell like stomach medicine mixed with expired marshmallows. The worry he held was building and making him feel ill, though his anger was also welling up inside.

_I'm not letting you destroy my family. Not again._

He ducked quickly into the brush , squinting against the low bracken whipping against his face. His eyes began to water to the point where he had to stop. Snorting, he came to a stumbling halt and brushed his eyes with his paws, and then, checking the GPS quickly, looked around. The device told him that the truck had to be somewhere close.

x

Keeping low, he sped across the forest floor until he saw the trees give way to what, at first, appeared to be a metal wall. The wolf crouched down and came to a standstill, looking through the brush at what, as he came closer, stood out as very out of place; almost surreal. A large building, cold grey and windowless, spread off into the woods. Obviously out of its element and not caring a shred, it spread out towering lines of barbed wire fencing around its perimeter. The maw of spikes stabbed upwards at the sky and out at the surrounding trees, exuding a sickening sense of aggression and confidence in one. Koga shuddered at the sight, but more so at the scent. The metal of this place smelled like the dead.

x

Careful, Koga looked around the perimeter just a little, seeing a barred gate and the back end of a large, black truck. He slunk back just a bit and raised a paw, looking at the tracking device. His heart leapt to his throat when he seemed to be sitting almost exactly on top of the blinking dot. He was breathing very heavily now, his heart pounding his his chest so terribly that he was afraid he would break down in tears. He tried to calm himself, furrowing his brow a little and panting more purposefully, trying to cool himself down. He let his eyes roam around the perimeter fence, picking out the small cameras along the outside wall.

"Okay," he whispered aloud, trying to reassure himself.

He braced himself, tried to calm his breathing, and then hunkered down until his belly was barely above the forest floor and began to prowl through brush. He was suspicious about the fence: he knew it was covered in barbed wire at the top; that wouldn't be a problem. He was worried, however, that they might be implementing a similar demon-detecting technology that he had experienced at Kagome's house. He edged just a little closer to the fence and sniffed delicately. Though the place had the metallic, rotten stink of death about it, he couldn't discern much else. He tentatively approached the fence, though still hiding in the cover of bushes. He knew he would recognize the feeling of his aura being read and tampered with, and even though he was quite close to the building now, he felt nothing strange except for his own fear. He took a deep breath and hurried a little farther back into the woods.

oOoOoOoO

_Ooh god, I feel sick._

As light hit Kagome's eyelids, she winced a little. Her thoughts flopped around fuzzily for just a second before she remembered her bathroom. She felt no pain, but her blood turned to ice almost instinctively and her thoughts replayed the sharp cry Inu-Yasha had made before she had heard him fall down the stairs. It only took a few seconds for Kagome to realize what had happened. She held in her utter, gut-wrenching panic and tried to steady her breath, listening as two sets of feet walked around the tiled floor. She was on the verge of tears; she could only assume that Inu-Yasha had been taken, and she had no idea what had become of Koga.

x

Very, very carefully, Kagome allowed her eyes to open just a crack. She could see through blurred eyes just a vague image of a tall, thin woman with a very downturned and serious face, dressed like a nurse, in a sterile, white room at the foot of her bed. It looked like a hospital room, including the white curtain around two sides of her bed, but it didn't smell like one. It smelled like blood.

"So," the 'nurse' said, speaking obviously to the other person Kagome couldn't yet see, "Is it ready yet?"

"30 seconds," the other woman said, "Good thing she's still out. This isn't going to be pleasant."

Kagome heard a nail flicking glass and a cart with wheels squeaking across the floor. Kagome's heart began to pound and, unsure of what else to do, she let out a groan and shifted in her bed, pretending to wake up. She noticed the woman at the foot of her bed freeze and remedy her grumpy expression to one of falsified kindness. Kagome let her eyes open all the way and she blinked heavily and looked around, croaking out,

"What happened? Where am I?"

She sat up, cringing in real discomfort as her head throbbed, and she put her hand to her brow. The woman approached her, her eyes wide and wearing a very strange smile.

"It's a miracle," she breathed, "Honey, welcome back. Do you know how long you've been out?"

Innocently, Kagome shook her head and the woman donned a look of pity and rested a hand on her shoulder cautiously. Kagome felt a twinge of pain as she did so, a muscle ache as if she had been stung by something. The girl's mind automatically went to an unknown injection, just as the woman said,

"You've been in a coma for six months."

Kagome raised one eyebrow sarcastically, but then almost immediately corrected herself, becoming wide-eyed and quivery.

"H-How?" she asked.

"It was a car accident," the woman replied sincerely.

"Where's my mom?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know, honey, but I could have someone call her?" the nurse asked.

Kagome nodded stiffly and watched as the woman turned to leave. The girl was puzzled and almost wanted to laugh: had that woman actually thought that what she had said was plausible? She paused in her bed, trying to figure out what she should do. She bit her lip and then checked her right shoulder. She cringed to see a pinprick of red in a patch of bruised, swollen skin.

_What is this? What did they do?_she wondered, worry welling up inside her.

She scooted forward on the bed and peered around the room cautiously. She saw there was a white wall to her right, and that the woman who had talked to her was standing, mostly concealed around the corner and whispering very, very quietly to someone else. She heard the sound of wheels again, approaching this time and she immediately sat back in the bed, trying to look dazed and groggy as a second woman, younger and dressed in a similar fashion, came up to the bed with a metal trolley covered in instruments much like one might see at a dentist's office. There were also three needles, cotton swabs, and a plastic container of unidentified pills. Kagome eyed them suspiciously and the woman smiled at her.

"Hello there," she said, "I've just got some things here: some antibodies for you."

She grabbed a needle containing a suspect liquid from the trolley and a cotton swab, and daintily approached Kagome's right side.

"Will you pull up your sleeve for me?" she asked.

Kagome wasn't sure what to do, though she knew immediately that she should not let whatever that substance was into her body. She shifted away, just slightly, though before she could say anything, the other woman grabbed her closest wrist roughly and pulled her back.

x

Kagome reacted before she even had time to think, or even time to consider what she was doing. As if on its own accord, her other hand clasped tightly onto the wrist holding the needle and she launched herself forward through the curtain, knocking the nurse to the ground in a flailing, screaming girl wrenched the needle away and, sitting on the woman's torso, pointed the needle squarely at her throat. The woman looked back up in horror and footsteps rushed back into the room as the grumpy-faced woman rushed back in and gasped at the sight.

"Wait-!" she said, though was cut off as Kagome, her mind racing, demanded,

"What's in this?"

"Don't- Don't," the woman below her begged.

"You were going to kill me! I heard you! Don't play stupid. What's in this? What did you do to me?"

The two nurses looked at each other.

"That's, uh-"

"Anesthetic," the standing woman voiced, "To numb you. For the change."

"The change?" Kagome repeated.

When neither wanted to answer her, clearly, Kagome moved the needle closer to the woman's throat. She didn't actually intended kill her, no matter her anger, no matter what these people had been going to do to her, but they didn't know that. The threat seemed to work, and the woman to the side said, very shrilly and hurriedly,

"We injected you with a... a serum to awaken your latent demonic traits so that... disposing of you would be "no strings attached".

Kagome felt a deep sense of shock and offence, and she wondered what latent demonic traits they were talking about. Frustrated and trying desperately to hide her fear, Kagome nodded at the other needle on the tray.

"That?" she asked, and both women nodded.

Kagome's gaze lingered on the needle, almost entranced, but this was an immediate mistake, as the woman under her shoved her up and off. Kagome shrieked as she felt the needle scratch against the skin of the other woman as she toppled backwards, banging her head on the side of the bed. The nurse scrambled to her feet, though stumbled across the curtain on the floor as the other tried to assist her. Kagome was up on her feet faster than she could have imagined and, frantically pushing the closest person to her, sent the two flying the short distance to the wall across from them. Kagome was shocked as they crumpled to the floor and the one who had actually hit the wall slumped and didn't get back up. The closest woman groaned and began to stand, though Kagome, her heart racing, rushed to her and grabbed her arm.

"Sorry lady," she said quickly, and pushed the needle into her shoulder.

The woman yelped and let out half of a curse word before she slumped, unconscious to the floor. Kagome took a deep, shaking breath and the needle dropped from her trembling fingers and, after a few, painful seconds, Kagome slumped to her knees, her body shaking with quiet sobs. Panic rushed through her and she held her head as she curled up and cried with terror and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Her worry for her friends made her entire body ache.

x

It took Kagome, crying quietly to herself, several minutes before she was able to gather her wits and shoved herself to her feet. She sniffed deeply and rubbed at her wet and itchy eyes with the back of her hand. She cast her gaze around the room, and, seeing little, not even a door, she walked with heavy legs around the corner she had seen the women talking behind earlier. What she saw stunned her. There was what looked to be a counter, made of metal and coated with buttons, probably about two meters across underneath a large, blue screen of data mounted in the wall. To the right of that was another counter, laden with strange vials and medical equipment.

x

Staring for just a moment, the thought of cameras suddenly occurred to Kagome and her heart sank. She looked to the ceiling, and to her surprise, saw nothing. Curious, wiping her eyes again, Kagome traipsed back across the room, minding the unconscious people, and inspected the ceiling and walls closely. There were no cameras that she could find, which struck her with an intense sense of relief. She returned to the giant computer and looked at it with curiosity, and then mulled over the weird medical things, unsure of what they were. There were odd, wicked-looking blades lined up along the table, as well as more unknown drugs. Kagome shuddered, not wanting to think what these people might have wanted to do to her before they intended to kill her. She then returned to the computer and laid her fingers along the keyboard, and tried typing something in, only to have a window asking for a password appear. Kagome sighed.

_If only I could use this,_ she thought, frowning, _Maybe I could see where they're keeping them. Oh god, I hope they're okay._

Kagome took a deep breath as another panicked shudder passed through her body.

_If they didn't kill me, some "disposable" person yet, they can't have killed Inu-Yasha. No way, never. But Koga... Koga... oh god, I hope they didn't get Koga._

She took a deep breath, nodding as if to reassure herself, and then paced passed the computer on its left side, only to see a white door that blended quite well with the wall. The girl's heart leapt and she immediately reached for the door handle, only to find that it was locked.

x

Kagome rolled her eyes at her own stupidity: of course it was locked. Frustrated, the girl punched the door, startling herself with the loud noise, but making herself even more surprised to see that she had dented the door, just a little. Shocked, she looked at her hand. It looked a little swollen, but other than that, it seemed perfectly normal. Cautiously, Kagome tried again, punching the door as hard as she could. The door caved in just a little under her fist, and the girl pulled back, staring in shock at her hand.

"No way..." she breathed.

It dawned on her just a moment later what must've happened. She was stricken with rage, a sense of violation and disgust that her body had been so altered. The injection had changed whatever Tsuyomaru had done to her; warped it into something visible and incorrect. Despite the anger, though, she couldn't help but allow her mind to go to a very dangerous place. What if she injected herself with more of the serum? What would happen? She was all ready stronger than she should be, could more of the serum give her enough strength to escape this place, and find her friends?

x

Immediately, she denied herself, telling herself that she was unequivocally insane.

_I have no idea what that stuff will do to my body. I could become a crazy monster or something!_

She bit her lip and rubbed her forehead, unsure of what to do. Her eyes traced to the needle on the tray that she had seen earlier.

_But how else will I get out?_

She cringed and then turned and took the needle up off the tray. She stared at the strange, grey liquid sloshing inside and gulped involuntarily.

_You're going to regret this,_she told herself sternly.

She bit her lip again and then, carefully, her hands starting to shake a bit, she pulled up her right sleeve. Kagome stood, frozen, for a moment, and then took a very deep breath before plunging the needle into her skin. She was right. She regretted it immediately.

x

Kagome was instantly hit with extreme nausea and her arm began to itch and burn. She cried out in pain and watched, shocked, as her right hand began to swell almost to the point where Kagome couldn't hold it up properly. The girl collapsed back against the wall, breathing heavily and watching, transfixed, as the muscles all up her hand and arm began to bulge. She gasped with pain as her fingers began to lengthen and the nails at the end of each grew thick and black and long, like the claws of a bird. Kagome clutched her arm, wincing in pain, panting and trying to gulp back tears as the muscles continued to swell and the skin darkened. She felt her shoulder bulging and heard a tear in the back of shirt. Her mind was rushing with various, panicked curse words and she dropped to her knees, her purpling, clawed talon slamming to the ground, the claws actively breaking through the tiles with a loud splintering sound that made her wince. The pain subsided after just a moment and Kagome finally relaxed the dragon-arm, lifting it to look at it. She cringed and flexed the fingers and despite how completely foreign it looked, it was still undoubtedly hers.

"Oh god," she breathed.

She felt sick to her stomach as she touched the purple skin on her arm and felt scales, and then took a deep breath to steady herself. She forced herself to her feet and clenched her fist, though it actually threw her just a little off balance. She grasped the control panel with her talons to steady herself and took another deep breath.

"Okay," she said, trying to reassure herself.

She wanted to faint, or rather, to wake up from fainting again, in her own bed. Having this be real made her mind ache.

"_Okay_," she insisted again.

She ran her fingers over her arm again and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Well, at least it was only my arm," she told herself.

She didn't really believe it. Again nausea took her, and before she could help it, she was sick on the floor. Disgusted and breathing heavily, she stumbled back, coughing and watery eyed, she wiped her face on the back of her hand awkwardly and then hurried to the small sink in the counter amongst the pointed instruments. She cleaned herself up carefully, taking extra long to wash her right hand due to its size. As she did, she traced her fingers over the scales. The strangeness of it disturbed her, and she hoped to god it was reversible.

x

Her mind then went to Inu-Yasha and tears pricked in her eyes. She had no idea of his whereabouts; she didn't even know how big the place was. Again, she went to the computer and tried typing something with her human hand as a password, she tried "youki", "youkai", and "hanyou 153": the only words she knew in relation to what was going on at all. Nothing worked. She let out an incoherent whine in frustration and paced in front of the panel.

_What could I do?_ she wondered, _I'm no good with computers. Would spiritual powers help? No, that's stupid. What about demon powers? So my right arm is stronger now, what the heck am I gonna do? Smash it? Stupid!_

She grasped her face in her hands and sighed despairingly.

_Think, Kagome! Can't you remember anything anyone tells you? What can demons do?_

She paced again when a sudden, dangerous thought shot through her. She looked at the computer with wide eyes.

_What about possession? Could a demon possess a computer?_

She raised her demon arm and looked at it curiously and then, very carefully, put it on the computer.

_Tsuyomaru, please, I need your help,_ she prayed, _I don't know what to do. This arm is yours, isn't it? Please, help me!_

She closed her eyes and concentrated very hard, like she did with her spiritual blasts, trying to force the demon in the arm to work. She felt nothing for a while except a slight change in energy flow, and she was about to give up when, to her utter shock, by it's own accord the demon arm locked its claws into the computer panel. Kagome was so startled by this that her eyes shot open only to see a black fog ebb from the scales, and before she could even cry out, she felt her consciousness take a very strange turn and her vision faded from the real world to some sort of immense data stream. She wanted to laugh aloud.

_Did it actually work?_she wondered.

Though she could make neither heads nor tails of what she was seeing, the rushing numbers and symbols before her seemed to switch their flow and colour based on her thoughts. This reassured her.

_Okay, she thought,_ steadying herself, _I need to change the password._

The figures flashes and spun, rippling into a shape almost like a box one would type a password into. The figures in the box changed to Kagome's thoughts at a speed her eyes couldn't even begin to follow until she focused her energies. The word then came to "buyo" and stayed, before becoming a set of asterisks.

x

Kagome could hardly believe this was working.

_Okay, now I need a layout._

She forced the password again and the stream of data reappeared, opening and shutting what seemed like hundreds of files until it displayed a long and relatively detailed map of the building. It was too much, however, and Kagome fell back onto the floor almost immediately. Her eyes now saw the exterior of the computer and her head hurt with such a headache equivalent to "brain freeze" and it was almost unbearable. She cried out unwillingly and clutched her head, scrunching her eyes shut. It took almost a full five minutes to subside, but when it did Kagome couldn't help a laugh from bubbling up inside her. The layout was now ingrained into her brain. She didn't know how it had happened, but she was so grateful for it.

x

Forcing herself to her feet again, she looked at the computer once more. It seemed usable despite the claw holes in it. Cautiously, she typed in the password by hand and found her way into the system once more. She grinned a little. She curiously clicked around the strangely static desktop until she found what appeared to be security files. She clicked through each one, just in case of something useful, until she found something that appeared to be related to the door locks. There were a few different codes involved, but she found one that related to the door locks of what were labeled as "cells".

_A cell... Like, a prison? I guess that's where they'd keep a demon in a place like this,_she thought, feeling very worried again.

She bypassed several security checks all with her same password until she reached a number screen, asking her to reassign a code. A bit confused, but hoping it was what she thought it was, Kagome typed in her locker number and a bright yellow box appeared to tell her the change was approved. Kagome's heart leapt.

_Well, this is going well. What else can I find?_

She searched through for only a few more minutes before, to her shock, her arm began to ebb dark energy once again.

"Hey!" she said in alarm, "What-?"

Again, the arm moved on its own and stabbed itself deep into the computer again, causing Kagome to squeal and curse in fright. Above her, she saw the computer screen flicker and distort, the background looking as if it had somehow been ripped, and the text icons on the desktop become distorted with illegible names. A sort of face appeared, vague and shadowy in a flashing spark of erroring data, and though it frightened Kagome, she could vaguely recognize it. She drew back and looked at her demon arm with surprise and a sort of growing affection.

_Thank you, Tsuyomaru._

Not wanting to waste another instant, Kagome went to the locked door to the room. She drew back her arm and then slammed it, sending it flying off its hinges with a huge crash. The girl was taken aback but then smiled to herself just a little.

x

Above her, lights began to flicker as if a grid in the ceiling was having issues, and when Kagome poked her head from the room, she saw and heard no people. Cautious nonetheless, she hurried from the room and concentrated on the map in her head. She grinned a little to herself. She knew the doors. She knew their were emergency metal plates to seal off building segments. Most of all, she knew the cameras, and she knew where she had to start searching.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha was tired. Well, not really tired, but he couldn't think of another word to describe the sensation he was feeling. A very strong unwillingness to move. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He supposed not. He frowned a little. This apathy didn't feel right.

_Where am I, anyway?_he wondered.

He couldn't seem to remember. He remembered bed. And then...

_Kagome?_he wondered.

He had heard something. What was it? Where was it?

x

Worry shook him and he cast his gaze around him, realizing that, despite the fact that he had been looking around himself for over twenty minutes, the area around him was utterly dark.

_Why didn't I notice?_he wondered.

It was a strange and imposing blackness that wouldn't clear, no matter how many times he blinked. He could only assume that the room he was in had no lights, or he was blind again. He felt a jolt of annoyance, though not much else at this realization. It was a strange sensation. He tapped his index finger in a bored sort of way on the hard surface below him, only to hear a sudden and hurried shuffling of feet. He cast his gaze towards it without a thought despite the darkness and tried to sit up, only to find that his movement was hindered by something. Unsure of what was happening, he tried again, only to hear the sounds of voices loudly and hurriedly demanding things of one another. His mind wouldn't register their words, almost as if they were speaking a foreign language, and he felt a sudden pressure on right arm. Simply reacting, he raised his arm upwards quickly. He heard a snapping sound and then felt his fist connect with something that simply rushed away from him at his contact. More sounds assaulted him and the scent of blood pricked in his nostrils. He sat up, finally, hearing more voices and within an instant, he was surprised to feel a hand at his throat. His arm shot forward of its own accord and he felt something give way before him with a disconcerting gurgling sound.

x

His mind blanked for what felt like only a second, his brain only snapping back into proper thought when he felt the back of his head clunk into a wall and he let out an involuntary, "oof". All was silent now except for the faint clinking of metal when he shifted his weight. The scent of blood was rank now, and when he pulled forward just a little, he found that he was stuck to the wall.

_Strange,_he thought with a frown.

He turned his head though still was unable to see a thing.

_Very strange._

He heard a strange wailing in the far distance and a sort of pounding in his chest that wasn't his own confused him for just a moment before his thoughts jumped to the name Kagome. Confusion took him again and he tried to stand, but couldn't even get off the ground.

_Oh shit,_ he thought urgently,_ Kagome? Kagome... Where is she; what's going on?_

He felt his heart begin to pound and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating very hard on where he could feel some of what she did.

x

She was scared. So scared it made his eyes water a little. But she was also hopeful. She had a weird sort of confidence about her that he didn't understand. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He felt weak, and his stomach was starting to churn unpleasantly.

_I'll give myself a few minutes to recuperate from... whatever this is. Then I'll find her. I have to._

oOoOoOoO

Kagome was pressed up tightly to a wall when she heard the alarms beginning faintly in a distant hallway, starting as just a vague, wailing echo. She stood now is a very bright white and sterile hallway. No doors were along its lengths, but she knew there was a dark and spheroid camera positioned just around the corner from where she hid. She doubted she had triggered the alarm, but nonetheless, her heart began to pound and her thoughts began to rush, wondering in a very panicked way if she had been discovered. She took a very deep breath to steady her nerves, but the distant yet sudden sound of hurried footsteps sent her pulse into a frenzy again. Voiced from the end of the hall were too far and the echo made it hard to discern words, but the people sounded rushed, annoyed, and one even a little frightened. As they drew closer, Kagome realized that they were definitely heading in her direction and she rushed back the way she had come and hid around another corner.

x

After a few moments, she spied four people, three men and a woman, garbed in pristine white clothing, emerge near her previous hiding spot.

"Hurry up, this is getting ridiculous," the woman said.

Kagome braced herself against the wall, though the group headed the other direction for a while until they stopped at a rather unsuspecting door. The tallest of the men banged on it with his fist a few times before it opened and a short woman holding a mug in one hand peeked out.

"Come on, we all need to head to the J Wing," the man said sharply.

"J? Why?" the woman asked.

"One of the things started going nuts," another man said, a bit panicked, "Killed a whole team."

"The task force is being called back, it'll be a little while, but they're sealing all this off," said the tall man as the woman with the mug put a hand to her face in shock.

"Okay, I'll get my team," she said after a moment.

Kagome saw the woman duck back in and the group hurried inside with her. The girl took a very deep breath again, only now realizing that she hadn't been breathing at all, and then, looking around, began to sprint the way the people had come.

x

_ Inu-Yasha?_ she wondered.

She had a suspicious feeling it was him causing the trouble. Seemed like a very _Inu-Yasha_thing to do.

_Be all right, okay?_she prayed.

x

Down the hall just a little, she found a computer terminal sticking from the wall near a metal plate that ran all along the floor, ceiling, and walls in a shiny band.

_This must be how things are sealed._

With her human hand, Kagome hurriedly accessed the terminal and entered her password. As she was searching for the options, however, her head jerked up to the sudden sound of hard footsteps before her and her blood froze. She jumped to see a man round the corner. He was dressed like the others and his face was flushed, and he took one look at her and his jaw dropped.

"Hey!" he shouted very loudly and Kagome couldn't help but yelp.

The man charged her, pulling an object awkwardly from his coat but the girl didn't even see it; she activated the wall block and the metal shot out of the walls and interlocked. Kagome heard a thud as the man ran straight into it. She let out a wavering and relieved "Hah!", only to topple back onto the ground as her legs gave out. She grunted and put her hands to her legs. She was a bit startled; she hadn't realized how much she had been shaking. She jumped as she heard banging on the other side of the door and a faint male voice shouting through it. She got to her feet quickly and banged back with her demon hand, effectively stopping the noise, at least for now. Hurriedly, she accessed the terminal again and tapped at the keys hurriedly and, typing in her door code, told the computer to seal whatever walls were within its range. It complied readily and Kagome felt a small sense of relief as she heard the distant, clanging echoes of metal panels closing off.

x

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to remember the layout of the building as clearly as she could. She knew that it was huge, and she new she had started from a strange medical area.

_I took two rights, a left, another right and two lefts,_ she listed, trying to trace the route on the map in her mind, _Damn it, this place is like a labyrinth._

It was difficult not to confuse herself, but she eventually found her place, marking it by the fact that the wall terminal she had found corresponded to the one on the map. What seemed to be the prisoner area was still a ways away, however. She opened her eyes to reality and bit her lip nervously. She needed to hurry, knowing now that soldiers were on their way.

_I'll keep sealing the way behind me,_ she thought, _And I'll follow the alarms._

oOoOoOoO

In reality, Kagome was completely unaware of the chaos she was causing. Outside, just beyond the gate, Koga watched as workers were being herded by what looked like military personnel towards some vans as quiet and wailing alarms sounded at regular intervals from within the building. His ears drooped and and, one paw at a time, edged just a little closer to the ominous building. He wondered if one of his friends were the cause of this ruckus. He could picture Inu-Yasha causing such a stir; after seeing him take on the men who had kidnapped Kagome's neighbour, he wouldn't really be surprised. The hanyou seemed to be quite the shit-disturber. In a way, this gave him a little hope, but it also made him very anxious. If things were happening inside, his friends could be in even more danger than before. He bared his teeth a little bit and flattened himself to the ground. He needed to get inside. He tried desperately to think of some way to dodge the cameras.

x

Above the panicked chatter, alarms, clutter and forest sounds, Koga's right ear raised to another distant sound. It took him a moment to identify it as the grumbling engine of a truck.

_Oh great, another... wait!_

His ears perked up and his eyes widened.

_Idea!_

Trying to contain himself, he stepped backwards into the brush until he was completely shielded from view, and then whirled on his heels and sprinting back along the shoddy dirt road that lead back the way he had come.

x

As he suspected, after just a few minutes, he spied a dark truck heading up towards the compound. Determined, he sped past it and turned on a dime to fall in line directly behind it. He eyed the latched back container carefully. If he could get inside, he could sneak past the fence easily. He grinned to himself just a little, and after a moment's consideration, lowered his shoulders and ran under the back of the truck. It was a bit risky, but it would be much harder to get caught this way. Keeping pace easily, he found the center of the rear container, but only then realized he had no way of breaking in from this angle. Frowning, he sped ahead, weaving out between the wheels of the truck. He hurried up the road a bit and, skidding to a halt, immediately dropped to the ground and lay on his back between the oncoming tires.

x

He cringed, closing his eyes halfway and his heart began to pound as the rumble of the truck approached too quickly for comfort. He raised his neck a little and couldn't suppress a gasp as he felt the vehicle rush over him as if stealing his air. Acting very quickly, he raised up and grasped one of the many tubes on the underside of the container in his jaws and felt himself whisked away. Ignoring the whistling in his ears, he scrabbled to get all four paws grasping the underside of the truck. Getting stead as fast as he could, he released the pipe from his jaws and, forcing a burst of energy from his body, he reverted to his normal body. Grasping tightly with his left arm, he pulled back his right and plunged it into the metal above him. It gave way easily and, after a few more strikes, Koga struggled to pull himself up through the hole he had made.

x

He emerged into utter darkness and he had to blink around to adjust his eyes as he panted and tried to calm his racing heart. What he saw around him was fairly unremarkable at first: just some hard plastic and metal containers and cases of various sizes. As the truck bounced along, he knew he only had about two minutes before they were back at his their destination.

_I may as well screw around with their stuff,_he decided.

Curiously, he looked inside one of the smaller cases to his right. Upon opening it, however, he saw a series of large, strange looking bullets packed in together. It took Koga a moment to recognize it, but when he did he cringed involuntarily and could almost hear a ringing in his head once more. Frustrated, he tore the bullets from their case and threw them to the floor, crushing at least two into unusable metal beneath his feet.

x

By the time he felt the truck beginning to slow, most of the shipment of specialized bullets had been tossed out the hole in the container to the road below. However, Koga had replaced the cases exactly as he had found them. He hoped it would trick someone. As the truck came to a stop, he crouched near the hole, keeping very silent as he heard the gate being cranked back and the sound of the alarms ebbing in once more. He braced himself, ready to leap from the truck again, and then wondered if being a wolf would be better for now. He was getting tired, and changing forms was hard on the body, but he felt like it might be the only way. He found it much easier to be sneaky as a wolf. Taking a deep breath, he once again forced energy to overcome him as he dropped to all fours again.

x

The truck began to move again, slowly, and he felt it turn and then, after just a few moments, park. He breathed a sigh of relief and, cautiously, stuck his head out of the hole to see what there was beyond the truck, if he could see anything at all.

x

Koga spied the side of the building on one side and more tires on the other. He heard the door open and the feet of a man thud out in heavy boots onto the dirt. He could smell the lingering scent of a cigarette. He winced a little and watched the vague shadows of the feet move past the side of the truck and then away. Instantly, Koga slid back outside and onto the ground silently, and then edged up towards the front of the truck to peek out and get a better assessment of his surroundings.

x

The wolf quickly found that he was back near another row of vans, just beyond the ones he had seen initially. He could see a person in a sort of camouflage gear leading some others, more confused and frightened looking, towards the vans. Koga backed up a bit. It was too dark for human eyes to see him, he was quite sure, but he needed to be careful nonetheless.

x

He watched the people for a little while longer, noticing quickly that, despite the apparent emergency, people who seemed to work in the building were still being let in. This gave the wolf a sort of risky idea.

_Would it even work? Oh god, that's so silly..._

He sighed. He didn't have many options.

x

Quietly ducking back to hide behind the truck, tucked in the shadows, he watched another group of people heading towards the vans. As Koga waited for an opportunity to strike, he found himself uncommonly lucky. A man, tallish, with black hair and glasses, garbed in a labcoat of sorts, veered away from the group, pulling a cigarette out of his pants pockets. He headed towards Koga, who ducked slightly out of the way as the man concealed himself behind a van and the truck to light up. He paused, eyeing the man up and down.

_I guess we look similar enough,_he decided.

The youkai found himself able to edge up very close behind this man without being seen nor heard. He grinned a little, and then, leapt.

x

His paws connected with the man's shoulders and before he could even cry out, he was on the ground, his face in the dirt as his head clunked down on the ground. Koga gave the man's head a quick but heavy whack, and then lowered an ear to him. He was unconscious.

_Oh hells yes,_he thought triumphantly.

Careful with his fangs, he grabbed the man and dragged him under the truck.

x

Koga had to change slowly now, for fear of being noticed, but once he reassumed his normal body, he took the man's coat, shoes, and all that he carried with him, including an identification card, wallet, glasses, and even the cigarette carton and lighter. A bit reluctantly, Koga even used his claws to cut his hair to a shorter length the match this man's, though he tried to brush it over the tips of his ears. Quickly, he glanced over the I.D. card before putting it in his pocket. He was now Tanaka Hibiki, a technician of some sort.

x

Once he felt confident enough, and very carefully, Koga emerged from under the truck and brushed the dirt from himself, trying to hide his dirty slacks and brushing his bangs in front of the wound to his forehead. He walked towards the front door slowly, stiffly at first, but then took a deep breath to try to relax and put on his stolen glasses.

_Just act like you belong,_he told himself.

He tried to act relaxed even though he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, especially as he approached the armed guard in front of the door. As he got closer, the man squinted at him expectantly and raised and clicked on a small flashlight. Koga grimaced but flashed the card he had taken. The guard lowered the light and nodded, not even looking at the piece of I.D. After all, who would expect a demon to steal a worker's clothes a la Indiana Jones?

"Didn't you just come out here?" he asked.

Koga stalled for a second, his blood feeling as if it had frozen, but then he quickly replied,

"Yeah, just came out for a smoke."

The guard nodded and then looked behind him to touch an object to a strange panel next to the door. It beeped and flashed, and Koga heard a series of locks click. The guard opened the door and, with a sense of utter panic, urgency, and triumph, Koga strode inside.

oOoOoOoO

Things were quiet. To say they were too quiet would be rather cliché, but in all honesty, past the consistent, intervalled alarms, she heard nothing else. No doors opened, no footsteps followed her; no strange noises reached her. She supposed whatever evacuation was going on, people weren't here anymore. At least, that was how it seemed.

x

Kagome was highly on edge, even so. Her mutated arm was starting to bother her, feeling heavy, and making her shoulder ache. She had to slow and propped herself against the wall to her right, resting the demon arm against it. She took a few deep breaths but tried to be quiet, listening carefully. She knew she was now nearly at the prisoner section of the building, and she had certainly closed all the panels she could behind her. She didn't know if other people were still inside the scattered rooms (offices, maybe) that she had passed, but she suspected not due to what was apparently a partial evacuation.

x

By the time Kagome arrived at what she knew to be the prisoner's wing, she could barely hear the alarms anymore. Not that they weren't blaring, but their rhythmic, periodic nature made them very easy to block out. A wall of metal bars stood in her path, but the door through had been left open. Carefully, Kagome edged through and then looked down the hallway. She didn't know why, but this place chilled her. It felt cold here, or colder, at least, than the rest. The chill on her bare feet was starkly uncomfortable and her body trembled, her right arm beginning to throb with pain all over again. Kagome tried not to look at it, but clenched her fist tightly and hurried down the hall. She saw doors, heavy and metal, and windowless, unlike any she had ever seen. They were strangely ominous; had a sense of finality to them that made her very uneasy.

x

Kagome supposed she would have to look in all the rooms. Cautious, she approached the closest door only to see it was locked with a numerical pad. She frowned and carefully typed in her locker number, hoping her code changing had worked. She heard a click: it had.

x

She hurriedly pushed into the room and stalled to look around. The room was silent and sterile, and very dark save for a sort of grey light ebbing in from a tinted window (probably a two-way mirror, now that she thought about it) that made up most of the right wall. A long counter in front of a control panel lined with computers and hosting a small array of spinning office chairs were just in front of the aforementioned window. There was also another very heavy, locked door at the other end of the room. It didn't look like anyone had been in there in a while.

x

Cautiously, Kagome tiptoed through the room and looked carefully through the window. The sight made her feel sick. Though there was nothing in it, the window looked into a room that looked as if it came from a horror film. The walls, once white, were stained in smears and blotches of a sort of dirty red, and the walls and floors were torn; ripped into by frantic and bloody claws. Kagome almost couldn't keep her concentration and she had to take a step back and breathe deeply. She felt a sort of strange itch and pressure in the back of her mind, almost like words or a thought she couldn't discern. She wanted to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to. She bit her lip and tore her eyes away from the room, and hesitantly edged to the locked door.

x

Again, Kagome unlocked the door with her code and put her hand on the door handle. It was freezing, and Kagome stalled, a sudden terror taking her. She heard the whisper again and she whipped around, her eyes wide. There was no one. She froze and shuddered a bit.

_Ghosts?_ she wondered, _It's... oh, hell, it's more than possible. Especially because something terrible must have happened here._

She took a deep breath and put her hand on the door handle again.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered aloud, "If you're there. I mean..."

She felt a little strange talking out loud, but it also somehow felt right.

"I want..." she continued, "I want you to be free. I'm sorry you were trapped for so long."

Carefully, Kagome opened the door just a crack. Air wooshed out with a hiss and she winced, but then all was quiet and a sort of tension felt gone, as if the room around her was sighing in relief. The pressure on her head was gone as well. Kagome trembled a little, but then nodded to herself, breathing out,

"Okay."

She left the room in a hurry. She felt a chill run down her body as she realized she would have to check all the rooms until she found Inu-Yasha. She wasn't anxious to see something like she just had again.

oOoOoOoO

Koga was frozen. His body wouldn't move and all his extremities felt cold. He cast his gaze swiftly around the room he now stood in, filled with mingling, tense, and worried humans.

x

Before him was what looked like had once been a wide, open hallway, was now sealed into a room by a thick metal panel with only four doors leading from the area. A few men stood at the metal panel, at a small terminal as if trying to activate it, quite unsuccessfully. Other than that, the room almost appears like the waiting area at an airport, with rows of chairs that had been set up as a makeshift waiting area, Koga assumed, for the vans to take these people away.

x

Trying to steady himself, Koga took a deep breath and forced himself to relax a little, and then began to walk in a seemingly aimless direction as he checked the room for anything that might help him. No one even really gave him more than a glance, everyone preoccupied with their own worries. Koga wasn't really sure what had happened, but judging by the murmurs, it seemed like a "prisoner" had caused a major problem. He suspected it had to be a youkai, for the level of unease that were happening.

_Then a partial evacuation would make sense,_he thought.

Cautiously, Koga peeked into one of extra rooms, but before he could look around, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The youkai nearly jumped out of his skin and he whirled to see a man, short hair and a bit stubbly, probably in his thirties, looking at him with curiosity.

"Hey, you, you're Tanaka, right? The new camera expert?" he asked.

Koga froze for just a moment, but then rubbed the back of his head and nodded, saying brightly,

"Yeah, that's me. Sorry, you're-?"

"Higa. Sorry," the man replied, offering a hand to Koga.

Koga shook Higa's hand, trying his best not to seem trepidatious.

"We've only met the once, I think," the man said.

"Yeah, probably," Koga agreed shyly, "I'm... Yeah, I'm new. Lots of new faces, you know how it is."

Higa nodded and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards a door at the opposite end of the room.

"I have a weird phenomena I'd like you to take a look at," he explained, "I think the senior technician's all ready been sent out, so..."

He raised is eyebrows and Koga paused and then nodded readily.

"Right, sure. I'll take a look," he said, "Lead the way."

oOoOoOoO

Kagome was quick. She hurried through rooms on each side of the hallway, though she didn't find anything near as disturbing as the first room, she could still see bloodstains in almost every place she checked. Worry beat in her heart, increasing with every room she found that was empty.

x

The prisoner wing snaked around a few corners and though Kagome was started to feel disheartened, she soon saw something that was strangely reassuring. Around the second corner, in front of a door near to the middle, she spotted a puddle of brown liquid. The girl rushed to it and squatted to the floor to inspect it. It smelled like coffee. Carefully, she dipped a claw into it to find that it was lukewarm.

_Recent,_she thought, excited.

She jumped to her feet, though immediately regretted it as her heel slipped in the coffee and she stumbled forward, slamming into the door. In attempts to catch herself, she reached out both hands but her uncontrolled strength slammed the door off its hinges. She landed flat on her chest with a yelp and she lay there for a minute, sort of shocked, and then, carefully, she got to her feet.

x

Hesitantly, Kagome looked room to find a control panel and desk in a dark observation room, almost exactly like the other rooms she had been in, with the same door at the end of the room and with a two-way mirror looking in on a very strange and haunting thing. Kagome's eyes were wide and she looked through into a weird prison room, her heart thudding in her chest. There was blood all over the floor and walls of this room; not dry blood this time, however, it looked rather fresh. A solid, flat platform like an operating table with metal restraints torn from their brackets, with bright blood smeared across its slick steel surface. On the opposite end of the room, there was a figure, humanoid, sitting rather casually despite the fact that it was chained to the wall via wrists, ankles, and neck. Its entire body, from head to toe, was covered in thick metal plating, silver and blue and seeming very cold and sterile with the exception of the blood-spatter on the arms and chest. No face; no features could be discerned at all. Kagome gulped, feeling instantly terrible for whatever creature this was. She hoped to god it was Inu-Yasha for the sake of finding him, but she also hoped that it wasn't: being enclosed in something like that would drive him into a panic attack, and she hated to think of him so trapped as this creature was. Kagome bit her lip and cast a glance around the room. There were no notes or writings of any kind, so the girl left and immediately rushed to the prison cell door. She punched in her reset passcode quickly and rushed into the room as soon as she heard the click of the lock.

x

Upon entering the room, she shut the door tightly behind her and then looked towards the trapped and bloodied warrior against the wall. There was no movement and Kagome's heart sunk. She hoped desperately that it wasn't dead. Carefully, trying to ignore her bare feet through the gore, the girl approached the creature. She tried testing its aura in the air, though it was very muted. It felt a bit familiar though, but Kagome tried not to get her hopes up.

"Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

For the first time, the armoured person moved; just a little. It relaxed and leaned its head back towards the wall. As she got closer, the armoured head looked at her unseeingly and she gulped and knelt before it, her eyes pointedly skimming over the helmet and the separate metal bands clasped around the lower half of its face.

"Inu... Yasha?" she asked cautiously.

She hoped it was him. It certainly felt like him. Either way, she would free this trapped person, though it was an extra relief to hear Inu-Yasha's voice, in a very subdued way, say, "mmhh?"

x

As if only now realizing he couldn't speak, in a sort of startled way, he raised one shackled hand towards his face, though couldn't quite reach and let out a sharp "hmm!" as if suddenly understanding what was going on. Kagome let out a choked laugh of relief and, despite everything wrapped the encased boy in a tight embrace around his neck and shoulders. Even through the armour she could almost feel his heartbeat flutter and he held her in return, snorting out a laugh. Kagome sniffed and pulled back, but grasped his head and pulled it forward to inspect the bindings, saying,

"Don't worry, I'll have you free really soon."

"Mmm-hmm," he replied with surprisingly little worry sounding in his voice.

This, however, worried Kagome. She frowned a little. In this predicament, she wouldn't have expected him to be calm at all. Pushing it aside, she looked across the back of his head, finding that the bands binding his jaw were held by a simple metal clasp. With her human hand, she undid it easily and simply pulled them away from him. He straightened almost immediately and Kagome gasped to see a trail of blood down the left side of his face, though he seemed rather jubilant.

"Inu-Yasha, oh... holy shit, are you okay?" she demanded.

Not replying at first, he ducked towards her at the length of the chains binding him and kissed her gently and then smiled and tiredly rested his forehead against hers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "I'm blind again though."

His voice seemed to falter for just a moment, and Kagome's heart went out to him immediately. His mouth pulled into a small, embarrassed smile and he took her very lightly at the waist, just with the tips of his fingers. She leaned closer and kissed the tip of his nose affectionately.

"You do realize you're pretty much covered in weird body armour, right?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha was taken aback and pulled back as if in surprise, but his expression was nearly unreadable until he replied with,

"Well damn, that explains a lot. Is it on my head too?"

"Yeah."

"Well... damn."

He laughed a little, obviously immensely relieved, and Kagome, despite her concern, smiled and carefully pulled her hand from his as she reached around the back of his head with both hands. She hooked the huge claws of her right hand into a crease in the metal and, very carefully, she lifted the strange helmet up and off his head.

x

Through the dark, a huge amount of light suddenly pooled into Inu-Yasha's vision and he squinted ahead through bleary eyes until, to his utter relief, he saw Kagome before him, depositing a strange, metal helmet behind her. He grinned at her widely, unable to contain a massive amount of joy just at the sight of her. He couldn't even put into words the worry nor the jubilation he felt. However her eyes were filled with concern and she leaned in closer to him, putting one hand to the back of his head. She cringed as she looked at him and then put her arms around his head to hug him close. He felt a bit puzzled by her expression and was startled still.

x

He couldn't have known, but Kagome's distress was clear; he had several, long gash marks on the side of his face as if he had gotten on the wrong side of a lawnmower and one of his now slightly drooping dog-ears had a small, circular metal tag stuck into it. They had also cut his hair up to his neck.

"Oh god..." she whispered, hushed, but was suddenly startled by the feeling of his arms around her lower back.

She pulled back a little, only to see the hanyou grinning at her.

"Thanks, sweetheart," before he ducked forward to kiss her rather enthusiastically.

Kagome's mind reeled with confusion and as the boy pulled back, smiling, she stared at him and asked,

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely," he replied.

"You just called me sweetheart," she said blankly.

"Yeah, I did," the boy replied.

He smiled brightly and Kagome could merely incline her head questioningly.

"Did they... do something to you?" she muttered after a moment.

"Well, yeah, they definitely put me on drugs, and I'm completely unsure what they were trying to do apart from that, but I'm pretty sure I killed them or something like that."

Kagome looked aghast though the boy merely grinned back at her and she sighed and hugged him close once more. He seemed ecstatic about this and he wrapped his shackled arms around her more tightly, nuzzling against her head and letting out an uncharacteristic giggle.

"Oh god, how can you say you're okay?" she wondered worriedly.

"I'm really high," he volunteered, though after a moment of silence a small amount of clarity returned to the hanyou and he sighed and lifted Kagome's face with his hand very gently, touching his nose against hers before saying, "Don't worry about me. When I think about it, I may be a bit wonky when I'm like this, but can you imagine how ginormous my freak out would have been otherwise?"

Kagome bit her lip and even though her eyes were watering, she lifted a hand to stroke his ears. His face flushed and he gave her another, very careful, kiss. After he pulled away a little, Kagome finally gave in to a small smile, causing him to beam.

"Okay, you ridiculous bastard, let me try to get you free," she insisted.

The boy bobbed his head in a nod and released Kagome, but then said,

"Wait, let me look at this."

Kagome nodded and watched as Inu-Yasha raised his wrist to inspect the shackle, only to find that he couldn't raise his arm to the appropriate height. Frowning, he tried to lower his head to it and, once again, found himself caught by the chains. Pouting grumpily, he cast his gaze around the room and Kagome watched him with confusion. Abruptly, his ears perked and he pointed across the room to a switch behind a glass case.

"There," he said, "Flick the switch."

Kagome stood and strode across the room and flipped up the box and flicked the switch from the up position to the down one. She heard a metal clanking and when she looked over to Inu-Yasha to see the chains binding him against the wall begin to lengthen as if fed through the wall.

"Ooh," Kagome said understandingly.

She returned to him and squatted before him as he let out a sigh of relief and stretched out his legs. He then raised the shackle on his left wrist to look at it. Squinting, he used a finger to push what little skin he could access around the metal down and put his face close to it.

"What are you looking for?" Kagome asked.

The hanyou didn't answer at first, but then held up his wrist to her, his ears perking.

"See the white?" he asked, and Kagome looked, tilting her head, and nodded, and he continued, "It's a sutra. They have people with the spiritual powers who work here and they sealed these."

Kagome was shocked.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Vague flashbacks from last time," he explained, "Basically means I can't use demon stuff to get them off."

"Oh, okay," Kagome said, "Well, let me try to help."

She took a hold on the shackle around his right wrist as he looked, a bit confused, at the armour that covered his body and then to the shackle.

"Oh, no, that won't work," he said seriously, "You have to break the chains off."

"The chains?" Kagome repeated, frowning with puzzlement.

"Yeah, yeah, they've got me with these before so I remember how they work," he said quickly, "The metal... um... the... circle ones?"

"Shackles?"

"Yeah, that's right! Those ones, they're sort of bound to me so I can ever really break them off, but you could, I mean, with spiritual powers and stuff, but it could take maybe a day, but whatever, it isn't important. The chains are what is draining my super demon strength so I'm all useless and stuff."

His ears drooped a bit and he made an expression resembling that of a child who had been denied a cookie. Kagome smiled fondly and patted his ears reassuringly. His face automatically lightened.

"Well, don't worry, I'll at least break the chains for now," Kagome said.

x

Taking his hand again, she moved his arm around until she found where the links attached to the shackle and she began to work at it with her demon hand. Like with some of the objects she had found prior, she found that touching the chain made her feel significantly weaker. Inu-Yasha watched her periodically pry at it curiously, only now seeming to register the change in her right arm.

"Your arm looks different," he commented.

"No shit," she laughed as she managed to yank the first chain away with a harsh cracking sound.

The hanyou smiled widely and turned his gaze back onto her arm. Before he could ask, Kagome said,

"You know how we sort of established that Tsuyomaru sort of gave me some demon something-or-other? Well, they injected me with something in the other room that made it go haywire."

"Oh no, poor Kagome!" the hanyou said, alarmed.

"Don't worry... it's come in handy," she said tiredly.

Inu-Yasha stared at her blankly and then began to laugh loudly.

"What?" she demanded as she shoved him a little to begin working on the chain attached to the metal band around his neck.

"Pun! Pun!" he cheered.

Kagome stared at him blankly and, after catching on, couldn't help a snicker as well.

"Okay, okay, just calm down and let me do this or we'll be stuck here for hours," she said.

Inu-Yasha shut his mouth and nodded vigourously. As Kagome worked, she could see him desperately trying to keep a straight face and trying to keep silent so as not to distract her, but as she was working on the second last chain, the one around his left leg, he couldn't keep quiet anymore and blurted,

"Did I ever tell you you're really beautiful?"

Kagome paused and looked up at him, startled, unaware of a bright red blush creeping across her face.

"No," she replied blankly.

The boy looked disappointed.

"Oh..." he said dejectedly, but then perked up and stated, "Well, I'm stupid. I should have told you that. I should tell you that more often."

Kagome began to laugh quietly and shook her head, saying, "I'm a mess..."

"No, no, you're just perfect," the hanyou replied brightly.

"You're high," Kagome laughed.

Inu-Yasha frowned a little and poked her in the forehead hard enough for her to wobble backwards a bit.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, but Inu-Yasha dipped his head and stared into her eyes intently.

"Kagome, just because I'm hopped up on drugs doesn't make it not true," he insisted.

Red stained the girl's face but she finally finished breaking the chains away. Before she could even let him know that everything was okay again, he grabbed her under the arms, lifted her up and sat her in his lap with a grin on his face.

"That's much better," he said.

He nuzzled against her cheek and she laughed and wrapped her human arm around his shoulders.

"Okay, you hyperactive nincompoop, this isn't really a safe place to be doing this," she said.

x

Inu-Yasha suddenly looked very startled and he jumped to his feet, still holding Kagome close. She yelped and grasped to him tightly with her other arm as well as he gazed purposefully around the room. It was then, however, that he saw the mirrored-window across the room. Curiously, he approached it, staring, wide-eyed, at himself. He inclined his head and said,

"Well, shit, they messed up my head pretty bad!"

"It's not that bad," Kagome assured him.

He tilted his head, looking at the metal stub in his ear and he bit his lip, for the first time feeling a bit of agitation; the foreign object attached to his body made his stomach turn a little.

"And they cut my hair," he said a bit absently, "Do you know what this means?"

"What?" Kagome asked a bit blankly.

"Hoodies until it grows back," he stated, "Why else do you think I keep my hair so long? Gotta hide the fact I don't have people ears."

"How long will that be?"

"Give me a few days."

He shot her a grin and Kagome couldn't help but feel reassured. She took just a moment thinking of how interesting it was to hear his justification for his long hair: she had never really thought about it before. She poked him and he looked at her with surprise, and she pointed to the floor. He put her down immediately and she grasped him by the shoulders, looking over the armour carefully.

"We should really try to get this off you," she said.

"Oh? You don't think it'd be useful?" The hanyou asked, surprised.

"Well, if they put it on you there must be something wrong with it, don't you think?" she asked, inclining her head.

His eyes seemed as big as saucers with shock and he nodded readily, saying, "You're right, you're right!" hurriedly. His fingers immediately went to the side of his armour, but his gauntletted fingers were too thick and he scraped at the seam in the metal in vain, and then looked to Kagome hopefully. She wasn't sure what to do, especially having limited control of the strength of her demon arm. She put a crooked, purple forefinger under her chin as if in thought and Inu-Yasha continued to look at her with hope. After a moment, she held her finger up with an "ah-ha!" and she grabbed his right hand with her normal one and then, very carefully, she found the tiny opening between the wrist shackle and the metal gauntlet and hooked two of her thick, black claws under the metal. She intended to at least break the armour, but she pulled back a little too hard. Her nails ripped through it and the top plate went flying back and slammed into the wall and was stuck as both teenagers ducked and winced.

"Oops!" Kagome said loudly.

Inu-Yasha looked at the torn armour and then to Kagome's expression of embarrassment, and began to laugh loudly. She blushed and he raised his hand, licking a small cut left by the girl's claws, and then finally was able pry the gauntlet away and drop it to the floor. He raised his hand, however, to find his claws clipped short, and, frowning at his nails, they almost immediately grew back to regular length. He grinned widely and then was easily able to remove the other gauntlet and then went to the seams in the armour again.

"I sure hope I'm not naked under this," he joked.

Kagome's face flushed but she couldn't hold back a giggle. Inu-Yasha grinned at her and finally managed to scrape open the seam of the armour and, after prying for just a second, he split it in half and threw the chestpiece to the floor. Though his body wasn't hugely damaged, there were some gashes along his arms, and there was blood stains through a grey, sleeveless t-shirt that he was garbed in.

"Not naked!" he said triumphantly.

He gave Kagome the thumbs-up, but immediately put his hand to his brow as a bout of dizziness took him.

x

Kagome gasped and tried to steady him as he lurched and tried to prop himself up against the mirror.

"Are you okay?" she demanded.

"My brain," he whispered, frowning as if confused, "It... feels like scrambled eggs."

Kagome smiled sympathetically and put a hand to his forehead.

"You wanna sit down?" she asked.

"Yes, but I won't, I... I... shit," he grumbled, and then shook his head as if trying to shake water from his hair, "No, goddamn it, stay in reality!"

He took a deep breath and frowned deeply.

"I can do it," he told himself.

He stood up straight and then proceeded to pull the rest of the armour off his body, leaving only the cheap grey t-shirt, slacks, and the shackles on his limbs and neck. He looked at himself and his ears drooped and he looked to Kagome almost pathetically, saying,

"They took all my stuff! ...Eww, one of them saw me naked if they took my clothes!"

"Don't feel too bad, it happened to me too," Kagome volunteered.

To her surprise, a look of utter rage crossed the hanyou's face and he snarled immediately.

"I'll kill them! Who looked at you? I will _kill_ them," he barked.

The girl laughed and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, shaking her head, and his expression softened and he let out a deep sigh.

"You're braver than I've given you credit for," he told her quietly.

"I think I agree," she said with a snicker.

He took her mutated hand in both of his, feeling the scales carefully.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Not anymore," she replied.

She slipped it away from him gently, but he almost immediately took her other one, closing his eyes, his body swaying a little as his ears drooped backwards. He drew in a breath that trembled with him as if he was just really starting to realize what was going on. After a moment of quiet, he asked,

"How... How long have we been here?"

His voice was a little lower; a little more gravely than before. Trying to hide the fear in his voice, not entirely successfully.

"I don't know," Kagome admitted, "Could be hours. Could be days."

He nodded a bit and opened his eyes, he expression a sort of pained grimace.

x

Inu-Yasha felt sick. His mind still felt lethargic and heavy, but his growing awareness of this was starting to have his stomach turn and a wave of frustration encompass him. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes here: not this time. Again, he leaned in and kissed Kagome on the forehead softly.

_I'm so sorry._

A sort of sorrow took him and his throat tensed, and when Kagome looked up at him with worry with her big, soft brown eyes, he felt like he had let her down in the most massive of ways. He gulped and she took his hand, jerking her head at the door.

"Come on," she said, "I still haven't found Koga. And I heard some people say that soldiers were coming soon."

Inu-Yasha nodded and consciously forced his expression into one of what he hoped was intense neutrality.

"Let's hurry," he grunted.

oOoOoOoO

Deeper into the building, in a dark room illuminated by computer monitors, Higa pulled up a second chair to the screens and Koga sat and stared at them with a mixture of awe and shock. On the center screen was an odd playback, distorted for the most part, of a girl. Though the girl had a right arm that was obviously that of a dragon youkai, she looked otherwise human.

"Look," Higa said.

He reached for a control remote near the center monitor and pulled it back, and then hit the "play" button. Koga had to keep himself from gasping, and was suddenly very glad for the darkness and the awkward monitor lighting, because he was certain the colour completely drained from his face.

x

At first Koga had simply wanted to get away. He had watched for vents all along the path as Higa lead him to their destination, past strange, malfunctioning computers with the faces of demons shadowed in their backgrounds as if they were haunting them. There was one in this room, above, but Koga was now thoroughly intrigued, and terrified, to see that the distorted image was clearly (at least to him), Kagome.

Beside him, the human crossed his arms and looked at the playback, now on repeat as Kagome ran down a hallway, frowning deeply.

"That distortion," he said finally, "I noticed it when I was doing rounds earlier. Ever seen anything like it before?"

Koga leaned in closer to the image, his eyes wide, and he adjusted the glasses on his face that weren't helping him at all. He knew exactly what he was seeing. Though the average human eye couldn't detect such a thing, he could see that, for a few frames at the start of the footage, Kagome was fairly clear, but within milliseconds, the strange arm she had contracted a muscle, and an aura pulse made the camera malfunction quite badly.

"What did they do to her?" he asked.

The question slipped out before he even had time to filter, and Higa looked at him, confused, saying,

"Routine injection gone wrong, looks like," he said, "Why? They didn't tell you what you were getting into, or what?"

Koga winced and leaned back in his chair, unresponsive, and the other man looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Any ideas?" he asked.

"Um... not... really," Koga lied, a bit pathetically.

Higa got to his feet, frowning a bit in contemplation and Koga stood as well. The man stared at the replay and shook his head.

"We can't get anything on her," he admitted, "I've looked through stuff for the last half hour. Nothing usable, and she's somehow managed to seal most of the emergency barriers."

Koga looked at Higa in surprise, unable to stop a swell of pride. Again, the man shook his head.

"Clever bitch," he said.

Koga felt a rush of anger and, before he could stop himself, his fist met the man's jaw and Higa crumpled to the floor.

"That's my sister you're talking about," Koga snarled, but then looked down at the felled man and gulped deeply.

Discarding the white coat and glasses, Koga quickly disappeared into the vent above, with an "Oh, shit!", kicking over the monitors as we went.

* * *

A/N: Hello to all readers! I just wanted to thank everyone so much for reading and/or sticking with this story after so much time and slow updates (for which I have good excuses, but I sincerely apologize anyway). So, thank you, thank you everyone! Also, I've had a few questions about fanart. I would be absolutely honoured if someone decided to draw fanart of this story, and I would love to see it.

Also also, because I know it will come up and since this isn't really a spoiler, no, I have not jumped the shark and turned Kagome into a demon.

As always, suggestions for future events and critiques are greatly encouraged and appreciated, and please feel free to correct any atrocious spelling/grammar things that come up, of which there are probably quite a few due to my main writing time being between 1 and 3 in the morning (though I have tried my best to proofread, I do still miss some things because of how much I've stared at this text). Thanks again for reading!


	46. Pursuit

Chapter 44: Pursuit

* * *

With a cool wall to his back, Inu-Yasha, his mind spinning, crouched with his forehead resting on his crossed arms on top of his knees. He was frowning intensely in the dark, trying to regain some semblance of himself. He knew he was all wrong. He felt lethargic, and sick, and he couldn't focus. He felt like his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest.

x

He and Kagome had been searching through prison cells, checking for Koga. Instead, in one of the last ones in the hall, they had found a corpse. He didn't know who it was, nor how long it had been there, chained to the wall as the body was, but Inu-Yasha couldn't ever remember feeling as terrified as in the moment he had seen it. Something had clicked in his mind, something he had recalled for a second, but was lost just as quickly. It sent his mind reeling and, having problems functioning for a few minutes after, he had simply collapsed in on himself.

x

He scrunched his eyes shut, trying to think, but all his mind could focus on was the intense discomfort and fear he was feeling. It wasn't long, however, before he felt gentle fingers brushing his head. He took a deep breath and he tried to force his focus on them, on the consistent, caring stroking of his head until he managed to wrap his mind around the thought that it was Kagome.

_This is the drugs,_ he thought,_ It has to be._

The sudden intensity made sense. Hanyous like himself often processed drugs very quickly, but they also wore off very quickly. Whatever was in his system was going for a second round, however, the first being what must have sedated him in the first place. In a way, it was a good sign. It also meant that he had been out for a shorter amount of time than he had initially thought. If he could keep it together, he would probably be stabilizing in just a little while.

x

He took a deep breath, unsure if he could face images yet, and was finally able to focus on the fact that Kagome was talking to him. Her words only came a few seconds later: predictably, she was asking him if he was okay.

"Just give me a second," he mumbled out, finally.

He heard Kagome let out a relieved, but almost frightened laugh, and she said,

"Thank god you're conscious, I was starting to think I would have to carry you."

Inu-Yasha was quiet for a moment and then lifted his head, cringing against the light as he looked into the world again. To his left he saw Kagome, her eyes wide, her face pale. She looked very worried.

"Sorry," he said.

"What was that about?" she demanded.

"Flashbacks. Drugs. I'm okay now," he said.

He tried to stand but stumbled a bit, only to have Kagome grab him tightly and help him to his feet. His ears perked up a bit and he glanced around. Something was missing. Kagome looked at his puzzled expression with a mirrored one, and she said,

"What?"

"The alarms stopped," he commented.

"Yeah, that was three minutes ago," the girl replied, frowning a bit, "You were really that gone?"

Inu-Yasha frowned.

"That's not good," he said.

"Tell me about it!" she replied a bit shrilly, but he shook his head and said,

"Not that, the alarm stopping. That means there is someone around here to turn it off."

"Oh," Kagome said, but then her eyes went wide and she went very, very cold, "Oh, god, no."

"Out of time," he said, "Where do we go?"

Kagome frowned deeply and then said, "hang on just a sec," before darting off down the hall. Inu-Yasha heard several doors slam over the course of about thirty seconds until Kagome returned, shaking her head.

"Koga's not here," she asserted, and then grabbed Inu-Yasha's hand in her human one, saying, "Follow me," as she began to lead him down the hallway.

"You know the way?" he asked.

"Sort of," she said, "I have a map in my mind."

"What does that-?"

"Literally. I possessed a computer."

"Holy shit."

He looked at her with wide eyes and she gave him a shy smirk as she pulled him along down the hall.

x

Drawing closer to the entrance to the cellblock, Inu-Yasha skidded to a halt in front of the metal bars, his eyes fixed on the barrier, his ears pressing forward. He could hear boots, and mumbling, and the hiss of heat on metal.

"Can't go this way!" he asserted.

"What-?" Kagome began, only to hear the strange hissing noise as well, "Oh, shit, is someone cutting in?"

"Yep, sounds like about two-dozen someones, actually," the hanyou replied a bit urgently as he turned and began to drag Kagome back down the hall hurriedly.

"Wait, this way just goes farther into the building," Kagome said.

Again, Inu-Yasha abruptly stopped moving, this time causing the girl to stumble just a little.

"So which way?" he demanded.

Kagome held up one finger as if telling him to wait, so he went quiet, his ears drooping as he looked at her worriedly. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep her mental map solid in her mind. She tried not to panic as she realized that it was getting harder to do so now. She released Inu-Yasha and plopped to the floor, scrunching up her face and putting her hands on her head as if to somehow focus her concentration.

x

In her mind's eye, she saw that one of cells that had been empty actually had a door leading to another hallway through the other side of it. Kagome felt a bout of relief and tried to follow the path on the map, seeing that it was indeed closer to an exterior wall, at least, before she was jerked from her thoughts as Inu-Yasha yanked her to her feet.

x

The boy's eyes were wide and his ears were perked almost straight up.

"They've cut through," he told her swiftly, "Where to?"

Kagome gulped, but then grasped his hand tightly and ran back towards the end of the hallway. As they reached the other barrier, though, they were stunned to see the flame of what appeared be a blowtorch cutting through the metal. Kagome held in a shriek and then dragged Inu-Yasha through a door on their right.

"Another cell?" he asked.

Kagome nodded and closed the door tightly, waiting for a click before turning and rushing towards the door at the other end. Inu-Yasha looked at her questioningly, but she swiftly said,

"It's not a dead end, don't worry."

Despite her panic, however, Kagome opened the door very, very slowly, peeking out into the hallway. She could see nothing suspicious, and then beckoned Inu-Yasha towards her, pointing to the hallway. He caught her meaning after a moment and he edged in and leaned his ear towards the open space. He could hear something, it was far, though, and he couldn't make out what it was. He could also hear what he assumed were the soldiers, but they would be on the other side of the wall, and a strange rumbling in the vents above.

x

He quickly took Kagome's human hand in his and together they hurried from the room.

"Left," Kagome decided, and with a nod, Inu-Yasha whisked her into his arms and raced down the hall.

Her heart beating heavily in her ears, Kagome clutched to the boy as he sped down the hall at a speed that didn't seem possible.

x

After what felt like just a few seconds, though, a blast of energy knocked the wind out of Kagome and Inu-Yasha stalled completely in his tracks as if completely frozen. As the girl gasped, Inu-Yasha quickly put her on the ground, but continued to hold her close. They stood now maybe twenty meters from a 90-degree corner of two hallways intersecting, though neither felt like they could move any closer to it. A rank and stinging energy seemed to assault them, and Inu-Yasha had to physically take a step back.

"What...? What is that?" Kagome whispered, a little short of breath, "You feel that, right?"

She looked to Inu-Yasha, whose eyes narrowed, and his face donned a very serious expression as his eyebrows bent into a deep frown.

"Yeah," he answered briskly, "It's a youkai."

"A youkai?" Kagome repeated, confused, "Isn't that good? Shouldn't we be trying to help each other?"

The hanyou shook his head and drew back a little farther. He had never come into contact with something that felt so evil before. As it drew closer, it merely got stronger, and though Inu-Yasha's first instinct was to run, he stood fast. Something like this might be feral, and if that was the case, movement would simply cause it to charge.

x

Very suddenly, all noise ceased. Inu-Yasha could no longer pick up the sound of the soldiers, nor the vents; even the buzzing of the lights above seemed muted as another wave of energy seeped like a fog from the hallway before them. It was a strange sense, one that neither Kagome nor Inu-Yasha had encountered before. It was twisted personified: wrong in every sense. The creature that bore it should not have existed. The two teenagers cast cautious glances at each other. Inu-Yasha bared his fangs a little and pointedly stood a little ahead of Kagome, positioning himself so he could easily defend her. Kagome gulped, blinking against a bead of cold sweat that flicked down her brow.

x

The silence was broken by a strange clicking against the tiled floors, like the sound one might hear from the toenails of a large dog pacing a kitchen floor in anticipation of a meal. Inu-Yasha's muscles tensed and Kagome grasped his torn t-shirt nervously. The clicking was rhythmic, echoing, increasing in volume each time it was heard. When the creature attached to the sound rounded the corner with slow, deliberate steps, Inu-Yasha took a step back, showing even more fang, his ears pressing back; his expression one of aggression mixed with fright.

x

The beast that approached easily surpassed seven feet in height and was broadly muscled. The creature was garbed across its chest and legs with a thick silver and blue armour that shone with a startlingly sterile sheen under the florissant lights. It was slick and pure black in colour, a darkness seeming to creep like a living smoke under its skin. It had a face with a long, narrow snout that was seemingly canine and huge, thin pointed ears that were reminiscent of horns crowning its head. It stared back at them, long tail thrashing, with eyes that glowed an unnerving, bright blue, blank and thoughtless, and as its jaws parted, shining white teeth glimmered starkly against the black of its pelt.

x

A sense of terror struck Kagome. Before her, Inu-Yasha drew back, snarling, though, to her horror, his movement seemed to trigger the monster down the hall. With an unearthly wail, the black beast hurtled itself at Inu-Yasha at speeds too fast for the human eye to discern. In an instant, Inu-Yasha tossed a shocked Kagome aside and attempted to block the creature with his body. He spun, catching it across the chest and throwing it backwards, but he felt claws rip into his arm and he too was knocked back. He braced his feet against the tile floor to steady himself and the creature opposite him jabbed its bloody nails into the floor as it skid, easily ripping deep gouges into the concrete. Inu-Yasha frowned. The armour had effectively nullified any direct damage. He snorted and he looked to Kagome, who was just now starting to right herself, and then lunged again.

x

Kagome's mind felt numb. She had just seen a violent exchange between the two demons occur in a matter of seconds. The two now leapt at each other, a blur to her vision as they ricocheted off each other. Kagome shakily stood and covered her ears, their fight sounding almost like some sort of explosion. She stumbled away from them, trying to keep herself out of the way, though behind her, the wall suddenly was broken through as one of the combatants was hurled violently through. Dust and shards of concrete whirled in the air as Kagome spun in shock to see, to her horror, Inu-Yasha emerge, panting, from the hole, his entire left arm coated in blood and a thin stream trickling down the right side of his face.

"Inu-Yasha!" she yelped in terror, only to be knocked down the hallway too suddenly for her to realize what had happened.

She slid on her side down the floor until she bumped into the opposite wall and looked up to see the black demon up against Inu-Yasha, who held it back by its wrists with difficulty as they snarled at each other with intense rage. Kagome was still terrified, frozen, as Inu-Yasha raised his knee and was able to throw the demon through the opposite wall with deafening crash, sending debris into the air once more.

"KAGOME, RUN!" He roared, only to have the black beast launch itself directly at his throat, knocking him to the floor, its claws plunging into his shoulders as its fangs tried vainly to lock around his neck.

x

Kagome shrieked and tried to force herself to her feet, only to see Inu-Yasha lash out and punch the creature so hard in the face that she heard a crack and saw it fly back into the wall. The hanyou scrambled to get up, panting, and his eyes darted to Kagome for a second with an expression of such utter ferocity that it gave Kagome pause.

x

Within seconds, the other demon was on its feet, obviously tired, but snarling nonetheless as blood dribbled through its fangs, its ears back, shoulders hunched; tail thrashing violently. Inu-Yasha's ears went back as well, and even though he heart was beating so hard he almost feared that it would break his ribs, he squared his shoulders and kept his eyes level with his enemy's. It was getting hard to focus again as a sort of slow grogginess entered his mind, but he kept himself steady and scowling to the best of his abilities. He couldn't falter: to do so could be his death, or the death of Kagome, and he simply couldn't allow that to happen.

x

The demon moved and Inu-Yasha moved with it, trying very consciously to keep his body between this monster and the girl behind him. It snarled violently and Inu-Yasha braced his feet on the tiles beneath him. The creature lunged again and plowed into Inu-Yasha with a roar, trying to get a clawhold, but despite the pain, Inu-Yasha forced energy into his claws and struck out towards the chest. He felt the metal tear and the renewed scent of blood told him he was at least partially successful, but within seconds, the creature's aura swelled and it let out an overwhelming pulse of energy.

x

To Inu-Yasha's horror, he found himself thrown back into the wall, slamming through back-first again, his head connecting painfully with the concrete as he landed heavily on the ground. Dazed, he scrambled to right himself, only to see the beast headed straight for Kagome.

x

Kagome was frozen on her feet. The monster before her inclined its head one way, and then the other, very sharply as it took two long strides towards her, its jaws parting to reveal its bloody fangs. She gulped. Inu-Yasha wasn't fast enough. It wasn't possible. She thought she heard him tell her not to move. It didn't matter; it was too late. Just a slight step back sent the monster before her charging with an earsplitting shriek. Kagome cried out, stumbling backwards, holding her hands out before her weakly as if hoping somehow to hold back the onslaught. She closed her eyes.

x

The girl felt one claw graze her cheek, and the reaction was instant. What felt like a sudden heat from deep inside her burst forth, and Kagome felt an immediate rush of energy spread from her hands outwards. She opened her eyes only to have to close them again against a painful blue light that shot from her hands and exploded outward with such force that she was flung back into the wall. She grunted and blinked ahead only to see Inu-Yasha, gawking, as the monstrous youkai stumbled back, looking, strangely, completely stunned. He raised one hand hesitantly to round hole that had been blasted through his armor and seared his torso. In an instant, Inu-Yasha was by Kagome's side, cradling her in his arms protectively. The demon before them raised his eyes from his wound to look at them with surprise. It was then that the ceiling caved in.

x

Inu-Yasha let out a shocked "Oh shit!" as Kagome screamed again and he ducked down with her, shielding her with his body as huge chunks of metal, concrete and rubble crashed down on the youkai, blocking most of the hallway with a deafening crash. Kagome coughed through the dust and debris, and Inu-Yasha softly told her, "Just relax; breathe slowly," through the rumbling. She nodded against him, keeping her eyes shut tightly. Carefully looking up and behind them over his shoulder, Inu-Yasha froze with surprise, and got to his feet, pulling the dazed Kagome with him.

"Koga?" he demanded.

x

Before them, indeed, stood Koga, dusty, bruised; newly shortened hair a complete mess as he panted and heaved himself out of a shallow pile of debris and clutched his leg with an, "ow, ow, ow!" Kagome and Inu-Yasha starred at him in a stunned silence for just a moment until, slowly, a wide grin spread over Kagome's face.

"Koga!" she squealed, absolutely elated, and she broke away from Inu-Yasha to throw her arms around the youkai's neck.

He yelped and stumbled, but then gave her a tight hug in return, his eyes wide, and he looked to Inu-Yasha as well.

"I'm so glad I found you guys!" he said.

Kagome let out a relieved laugh as Inu-Yasha approached and couldn't help a tired grin, slapping Koga on the shoulder as the girl drew back.

"Way to break the fucking building," he said approvingly, "Did you get out, or-?"

"No, they shot me at the house and I got away then, and then tracked you guys," he said, "I'm... shit-"

He grabbed Kagome in a quick hug again and then spread his arms towards Inu-Yasha.

"I'm going to hug you," he announced.

"Oh, no, that's okay," the hanyou replied, taking a step back.

"No, seriously dude, I'm going to hug you," he insisted.

"No," Inu-Yasha mumbled, but didn't get far as Koga gave him a quick hug as well.

The hanyou stood awkwardly still as, unbeknownst to him, Kagome smiled at him fondly, and Koga soon backed away, saying,

"I'm so glad you're both okay. I mean... no offence, Inu-Yasha, you kind of look like shit, though."

"Tell me about it," he agreed.

"And Kagome," Koga said, "Your arm, is it okay?"

"Oh, this?" Kagome said, but when he raised her right arm to display it, she cried out in surprise to see that it was no longer the massive dragon hand.

It had returned to normal, though there was some bruising and wavy purple scarring, very similar to stretch-marks, on her skin.

"What the-?" she began.

"Spiritual blast?" Inu-Yasha volunteered.

"Damn," she said, seeming to agree somewhat; wiggling her fingers before she looked back to Koga, "It's... fine. Yeah."

"Good," he said, but as the girl looked at him questioningly, he said, "Long story, but I sort of saw it on security footage. Now let's get out of here."

He pointed down the hallway, but his head jerked back to the rubble, as did Inu-Yasha's as they both began to hear the sounds of many boots rushing towards them from the other side.

"Hurry," Inu-Yasha said.

He grasped Kagome's hand tightly and began to rush her away, with Koga close at their heels.

x

"Which way, Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked hurriedly.

Kagome had to take a moment to concentrate, all but letting Inu-Yasha drag her down the hall. She bit her lip. The map was fading more and more, but she saw a fork to the left in the hall ahead, but the most logical path was straight passed it, down the hallway. Before she could warn the others of this, however, a man, garbed in blue and black, with a visored helmet covering his head, turned the corner, toting a gun; undoubtedly followed by more. Almost instantly, she found herself stumbling into the pathway to the left, pulled by Koga as Inu-Yasha stood before the now unseen foe, his hand extended in their direction as if he had directed them there.

x

Kagome didn't even have time to call out to him before there was a bang and his body quaked with a bullet's impact. Immediately, his claws were in his blood and he had shot both forwards and upwards as he drew back, breaking the thick concrete ceiling and walls around him in a massive explosion of debris. that muffled more gunshots. Again, Kagome was thrown to the ground; this time Koga huddled over her, shielding her.

"Oh shit, oh shit, _oh shit_," Koga mumbled hurriedly as he scrunched his eyes shut.

Kagome couldn't even put her terror into words. Shaking, she grabbed Koga's shoulder and pushed him away, stumbling to her feet amongst the massive wreckage of metal piping and huge, thick slabs of concrete from the ceiling and walls. It almost completely sealed off the hallway, but Inu-Yasha was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh god," she gasped, "Inu-Yasha?"

Her eyes wide, her heart sinking, she rushed to the debris and vainly pawed at the crumbling pieces. Koga gawked at her as tears began to dribble down her cheeks through the dirt on her face.

"Inu-Yasha?" she demanded loudly; shrilly.

As the lights above began to flicker just a little, Koga forced himself to his feet and hurried to her side. Before he could move any of the debris, however, he and Kagome both jumped back in shock to see a clawed hand burst through a small gap on their right.

"Inu-Yasha?"

Kagome grabbed the hand and she heard a muffled, "Yeah."

"Are you okay?" Koga demanded.

"Almost," Inu-Yasha replied, "Kags, you're gonna have to let go."

"Oh. Oh okay, right," she said hurriedly.

She released his hand as if it were on fire and he dug his claws into the ground and began to pull himself free. Koga rushed to him and lifted some of the weight off above him, and soon enough the hanyou plopped, bleeding and dishevelled; covered in dust, to the floor, panting.

"Shit, that was a bad idea," he muttered.

He tried to get up, but was unable to at all, slumping back to the ground with a growl. Kagome's mouth dropped open, unsure of what to say at all, terrified, relieved; worried beyond reason. Her hands carefully reached out to what she recognized all too easily as bullet wounds.

"How many?" she whispered.

"Too many," he joked, and his eyelids fluttered a bit, "I think I got tranqued."

Koga dropped to his knees and Kagome felt tears begin anew.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"Don't cry, for one," he replied weakly, smiling a bit.

"Inu-Yasha, this is now time for jokes!" she urged, "How could-? How could you do that, you idiot! I thought you were dead!"

She felt her chest tighten and the boy looked up at her sympathetically.

"Not a chance," he replied.

"And if... if that pile of crap didn't kill you, then I bet that demon that was chasing you guys won't be dead either," Koga added worriedly.

"Shit," Kagome whined, covering her head, "What do we do?"

Inu-Yasha was about to answer, but he and the other all stalled as they heard voiced of men shouting, and a sort of scraping on the other side of the rubble.

x

Kagome's eyes went wide and Koga jumped to his feet defensively.

"Oh god, oh god," Kagome said in a slurred and hurried way, her eyes wide with panic.

She tried to lift Inu-Yasha behind his shoulders, though he coughed a little and blood dribbled from his mouth.

"Oh, oh god," Kagome whispered.

"Gross," the hanyou commented quietly, and then he looked at Kagome very certainly, steadily.

She felt totally locked in his gaze; he seemed much clearer now, much more like himself despite everything.

"Stab me," Inu-Yasha croaked, "One of you needs to stab me."

"What?" Kagome snapped.

"Now. Do it now," the boy said, though his voice was weakening, "I need... I need a very sudden, very dangerous wound."

He raised an arm to point, his hand dripping with blood, to a metal pole in the dusty wreckage.

"You have to," he said.

Kagome froze, whispering, "I can't", but Koga immediately yanked the pole from the concrete and approached the bleeding hanyou.

"Where?" he asked, though his voice was shaking a little.

Inu-Yasha pointed weakly towards his stomach.

"Inu-Yasha, no!" Kagome said in a very shrill way.

"Full youkai," he panted, "Trust me."

The girl looked to Koga desperately and he looked back with an equal amount of fear, but he nodded. Kagome turned back to the bleeding boy on the floor, winced and grabbed his hand tightly. Koga gulped and hurried in front Inu-Yasha, cringing to the sound of banging on the rubble. He raised the pole and, with a hurried whisper of "sorry", plunged the metal through his friend's middle. Kagome had to look away to avoid screaming and Koga took a step backwards, shocked at what he had done as the hanyou let out a choking sound, quickly followed by a renewed stream of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

x

Inu-Yasha however, despite an immense amount of discomfort and a sort of cold sensation of the metal through his body, smiled just a little. He felt his mind wake up in an instant as if he had been splashed with ice-water. It felt wonderful; like a blanket of smog had been lifted from his thoughts. He felt his blood begin to rush like fire in his veins; he never expected to so enjoy this sensation. He gave the distressed Kagome's hand a reassuring squeeze as he felt the fangs in his mouth starting to grow. Taking a deep breath, Inu-Yasha pushed himself to his feet, much to the shock of his friends, especially because the pole he had been gored with was now protruding from his back. He felt a sort of burning sensation and a sort of pulsing in his muscles, and Inu-Yasha felt quite a bit better. He saw Koga before him, covering his mouth with his hands and his eyes wide with horror. He grasped the pole that went through his body and, grinning, pulled it through himself and dropped the bloodied thing to the floor, while turning to Kagome, who looked like she was going to faint, and giving her a thumbs-up.

"It's okay," he he assured them in a voice much gruffer than his usual.

Immediately, Kagome leapt to her feet and hugged him around his neck, letting out a pained whimper. He hugged her in return, and nuzzled against her head.

"It's _okay_," he repeated softly.

She sniffled, nodded and pulled back, looking into his red eyes with her own beginning to water, and then darted forward, grasping his face in her hands and kissed him in a very panicked sort of way. Inu-Yasha was shocked at this, but he kissed her back very gently. When she pulled back again, still weepy-eyed, and before Inu-Yasha could say a word, Koga approached and hugged both of them tightly.

"Oh my god you guys," he panted.

Kagome couldn't help a weak, warbled laugh and Inu-Yasha bared his fangs in a wide grin before breaking away, his bristling ears perked and his intense crimson glare fixed on the rubble where the armed guards were starting to break through.

"Start to run," he ordered.

"What?" Kagome replied, shocked.

"I'll catch up, don't worry," he assured them.

Kagome was about to protest when Koga grabbed her hands and, looking seriously into her face, said,

"He's right."

"But-!"

"The stabbing worked, Kags," the hanyou interjected, "Please. Trust me. I wasn't at 100% before. I'm way beyond that now."

He winked at her. Kagome bit her lip and then looked between the two boys, but then nodded. Inu-Yasha grinned widely, and then Koga took her and hurried away down the hall with her.

x

He watched them go with a sort of sense of relief, knowing that he could protect them for now. He didn't know how long the full-demon rush would last, but he felt very, very confident for the moment. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the concrete cracking and his ears flattened against his head to the sounds of men shouting orders towards one another. Baring his fangs in a snarl almost involuntarily, Inu-Yasha put both hands to the wound in his torso and soaked his fingers in his own blood. As he saw an opening starting to form, he could see the movement of men swarming behind the barrier. He inclined his head, his eyes narrowing as he saw a human's eyes come up to the hole. The man shouted. Inu-Yasha flung his arm forward, the red on his nails glowing so brightly as to light up the hallway with the colour of blood.

oOoOoOoO

Taking one of Kagome's hands in his and putting his other arm around her shoulders as if to keep her close and shield her, Koga stayed by Kagome's side, terrified, but determined to stay quiet about it and keep her safe. She unconsciously squeezed his hand very tightly, and he cast a wide-eyed glance behind the as they ran. A sudden rumble and crash caused Kagome to stall, stumble and drop to her knees. With an involuntary gasp, Koga nearly tripped over his own feet and he hurriedly helped her up, but before they could continue, the wall behind them crashed outwards in a cloud of dust and debris. Almost immediately, Koga grabbed Kagome and raced down the hall at a supernatural speed and pressed them into the corner of the hallway, shielding her with his body. She let out a quiet whine and covered her ears.

x

As the dust cleared just a little. Koga pulled back and looked to Kagome with an expression that asked her if she was okay, she responded with a nod and he grabbed her hands again and pulled her up, but his eyes darted to the blood on her shirt. Before he could say anything, she quickly answered,

"It's not mine."

With a curt nod, he kept her close and, just as another wall exploded out at the end of the hall way, hurried her away. They raced around the corner and down the hall as walls shattered and collapsed behind them with a terrifying level of noise. Lights began to flicker above then and they clutched to each other and Koga sped them up, but didn't risk lifting the girl incase she were to be hurt by debris. As they rushed around one more corner, they were forced to stall as the way to go ended very abruptly.

"Oh god," Kagome gasped, her heart pounding.

Very suddenly, the lights went out completely, and Kagome let out a yelp, blinded. Koga grabbed her close again, squinting through the dark, and as the collapsing walls followed them, the wolf pulled her towards a closed door against the left wall. He rammed his shoulder against it and it folded easily under his strength. They rushed inside as rubble followed them and in their hurry, Kagome tumbled to the floor, taking Koga with her. At their heels, an explosion that made their ears ring sent debris rattling off the walls and the wolf gasped and threw his body over Kagome's, taking the brunt of the force to his back with a grunt.

x

Things became very quiet very fast, and Kagome hugged the boy on top of her tightly, her body shuddering with fear.

"Shit," she breathed.

The crackling of metal flakes and tile broke the silence and then there was no more. Cautiously. Koga sat back up, unwittingly bringing the clingy girl up with him. They were silent with unease for a few moments until Kagome asked,

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied at a whisper.

Unsure of what to do now, Kagome was about to get to her feet when a figure in the doorway startled her still.

x

Bright red eyes stared out as the only features of a black figure that she could discern, with the vague outline of the body of a man. She almost didn't recognize him until she saw what at first appeared to be short horns on the top of his head until one of them flicked back and forth.

x

Stumbling to her feet, Kagome let out a shocked, "Inu-Yasha!" before she rushed to him and put her arms around his chest. He snorted out an affectionate laugh and said,

"Sorry guys, I might have gone a little overboard."

"Urg, you think?" Koga asked sarcastically as he stood, but then inclined his head, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied.

He put an arm around Kagome's shoulders and bend forward to nuzzle the top of her head, eliciting a small giggle.

"You both all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied, and Koga nodded as well, though the girl continued to say, "But I can barely see at all."

"Keep close to one of us, then," Inu-Yasha said.

"Inu-Yasha's eyes should be easy to see," Koga said.

"Exactly," the hanyou agreed, and then cast his gaze around the room.

It seemed to be some sort of laboratory, but it was rather bare.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

"Absolutely," Kagome agreed with a sort of tired laugh.

He took Kagome by the hand and lead her back to Koga and left her to head to the wall, leaning up against it and pressing his head close to listen through the concrete and metal. He winced at the tag in his ear clinked against the surface, but his ears abruptly perked up to the vague sounds of the forest out beyond the wall.

"Here," he said.

He knocked on the wall with his knuckles. Kagome felt a jolt of relief, and Koga grinned and took her towards the wall.

"Great," Kagome said.

"We have to be careful, though," Koga said, "Barbed wire and cameras all along the walls out there, and guards too."

Inu-Yasha frowned, considering the options, but he twitched as his ears immediately trained on a crunch and an approaching sound of boots.

"No time for that now!" he said, "Stand back."

Koga stepped back, taking Kagome with him and Inu-Yasha ran his nails through the blood on his torso and put his hand to the wall. The sanguine colour radiated from his claws, lighting up the room around them. Very quickly, he fired off an explosive blast of energy, blowing a great hole in the wall before him with a noise like thunder. Kagome covered her ears and winced, but as she opened her eyes, she found she could see just a little better than not at all. The hole, a few feet off the ground, large, and blasted through a wall almost two feet thick, looked out into a forest beyond a chain fence, letting in a sliver of light from the moon above. Despite the wailing alarms, Kagome drew in a relieved breath of fresh air, feeling Koga relax a little bit against her, and Inu-Yasha began to beam, but his face grew very serious as the footsteps began to get louder. Even Kagome turned to look in the direction of the noise, her eyes widening with a combination of surprise and fear.

"Come on, let's go," Inu-Yasha insisted, trying not to let his urgency show.

He backed away from the hole and lead Kagome to it.

"Wait," she said, "Koga first. I don't want to be out there alone."

She pointed to herself.

"Only human."

"She's right," Koga said.

Inu-Yasha stepped back and Koga hopped up to the hole and scooted out into the night.

x

On the other side of the wall, Koga stumbled into dirt and concrete debris and looked up, seeing a blanket of dark clouds seeping towards the building very quickly; he could scent the impending rain quite clearly. Hurriedly, he reached back through the hole.

"Come on!" he urged.

Within seconds, Inu-Yasha lifted Kagome through the hole and Koga took her hands tightly. She edged carefully around spikes of debris and Koga lifted her down on the other side, saying "Watch your feet," just as the first raindrops began to fall, large and cold on their heads. Behind her, the rush of boots met her ears and she turned swiftly, unable to revel in the freedom for even an instant as she saw a stream of security soldiers flood in behind Inu-Yasha. She let out an involuntary shriek only to be blown back on top of Koga as another explosion of blood shattered the inside of the room.

x

Before she knew it, she was slung across Inu-Yasha's back, held with one arm as his other dragged a befuddled and terrified Koga. They were already in the trees. Kagome couldn't even remember going over the fence. Several loud pops went off behind them and the girl found herself swiftly delivered to Koga, regaining his feet. The rain was getting heavy now; thick, the ground was like a stew of mud, twigs and blood. Above the rain she heard Inu-Yasha make some noise; maybe it was a word, maybe a roar, she wasn't sure, but Koga took her into his arms and began to run at a speed that made her ears pop.

"Wait, wait!" she yelled above the rain, "What about Inu-Yasha?"

"Don't worry, he's right behind!" Koga replied.

Her heart pounding, she gripped to Koga and was forced to close her eyes against the rain.

x

Inu-Yasha kept his pace just a little slower than his friends ahead, just in case their pursuers were gaining. Through the rain it was hard to tell but all his senses telling him to keep going were good enough for him. A sort of painful itchiness in his back was starting to get to him, though. He scanned around through the rain and the forest, trying to figure out a path.

"Koga, which direction did you get here from?" he shouted.

"I can't-! Um, downhill?" he replied a bit confusedly.

Close enough, Inu-Yasha thought, and he called back,

"Head downhill, then!"

Koga veered but had to slow, hardly able to keep his footing.

"Kagome, you're going to have to run with me," he said, "If I fall here, I'll just land on you and that would not be good."

"Okay," she replied a bit hoarsely.

Inu-Yasha smiled a little as he saw Koga let her down and they began to make their way on foot. He felt like this was a good way to go. After just a little ways, though, he felt a sort of lethargy that made him suddenly very uncomfortable. Before he could even voice a concern, Inu-Yasha found himself on the ground in the cold, wet mud as one of his legs went completely numb.

x

The sound of his body hitting the ground was quite loud and Kagome turned immediately to see him collapsed on his side, trying vainly to get an arm under himself. Shouting his name, she rushed back to him and dropped to her knees in the muck and got her arms under his to lift him.

"Ah shit," he grumbled.

"You okay?" she demanded as Koga awkwardly doubled back.

"Guys?" he asked a bit shrilly.

"I think my legs are fucked," Inu-Yasha replied.

Kagome looked terrified and she felt her face begin to heat up with tears despite the rain.

"How bad?"

He was about to answer, but failed to do so as a very intense ringing began in his ears, distracting him. He raised one hand up a bit and Kagome watched him with concern and asked, "What's wrong?" cautiously. As Koga circled them, frowning, Inu-Yasha managed to reach his ear and the metal tag in it, grasped it in his nails and ripped it from himself. Kagome cried out in shock, as did Koga. There was a lot of blood immediately and Kagome whimpered and tentatively covered his ear with one hand as he casually tossed the metal tag away.

"What the hell are you thinking?" she demanded, trying not to look as his blood dripped through her fingers.

"Sorry. It was buzzing," he said, his voice a little downtrodden, "Okay. Let's go."

He tried to stand but merely flopped back down against Kagome.

"You're nuts, you're just nuts," she whispered.

He smiled just a little, unaware that Koga was zeroing in on his back.

"I think this is the problem," the wolf said.

Inu-Yasha felt a dull prick, like the poke of a tree's needle in his back and Koga reached around them to show a red dart.

"Wh-what?" Kagome stammered.

"There's like twelve of them," Koga replied, troubled.

Brushing his soaked hair out of his eyes, he carefully pulled the things from his friend's back.

"Tranq darts," Inu-Yasha grumbled, "Shit, I didn't even notice."

"Full youkai helping out?" Kagome asked.

"Probably."

He nodded and feebly pulled her hand away from his bleeding ear and held it palm up in the rain. The cold water had the deep red on her skin pale and flow away in drops down into the mud below her. She winced; he was still bleeding.

"It's torn. You... you tore the side open," she said softly.

"It'll heal, don't worry," he assured her.

"You still shouldn't be so rough on yourself. You've been gored, shot, drugged, your ear is..."

Kagome choked a little despite herself, tears coming to her eyes again as her throat tightened. Inu-Yasha sighed a little and pulled her hand in close again and then gently bumped his nose against hers.

"Come on, we need you strong, Kagome," he told her.

She grimaced and nodded, and Koga pulled the last dart from Inu-Yasha's back.

"Let's get going," he said.

He scooted over and put Inu-Yasha's arm around his shoulders to lift him. They stumbled a little on the slippery terrain, and Kagome hopped to her feet and took the hanyou's other side.

oOoOoOoO

It felt like hours, trying to be careful, but hurrying down the sludgy hillside as Kagome and Koga hauled an increasingly less conscious Inu-Yasha through the mud. Koga constantly checked behind them, absolutely paranoid about being followed, while Kagome was so worried she was feeling completely sick.

x

The approaching sight of the highway, empty and totally black with rain, was one of the most welcoming things either of them had seen in a long while. Hurriedly making it to the edge of the road, Kagome signalled that she had to sit and the three slumped to the ground, exhausted and sopping. Koga breathed heavily while Kagome held Inu-Yasha to her body. The wet on him felt warm, as opposed to the cold rain, and she cringed; she knew it was blood.

"Inu-Yasha, are you awake?" she asked.

He mumbled out a quiet, "yeah", as a reply, and tried to lift his head. It only partially worked and he slumped almost immediately again.

"Sorry guys," he said.

It was difficult to express how upset he was with himself. The feeling of helplessness was worrying, and infuriating. He loathed it.

"How long do you think you can stay with us?" Koga asked, brushing his wet bangs from his eyes.

"The drugs are... just... they're rushing me," he explained, though he couldn't raise his voice above a whisper, "It's... temporary. I metabolize it fast, it just means... with enough, I'm out fast, but I'll be... back..."

He tried to finish his sentence but his heart jerked to feel that he couldn't. A wave of panic hit him and his vision went dark for a second before fading back in, fuzzy as it was.

"Yasha?" Kagome asked quietly.

He couldn't answer. He simply couldn't. He cringed, his ears drooped flat against his head.

_Sorry_, he thought.

"I think we lost him," Koga sighed, and then looked to Kagome, concerned, "Ready to keep going?"

"Yeah," she said, sniffling, "Which way though?"

"Follow the highway, downhill," he suggested, "Maybe there's a town? Something?"

Kagome wiped her eyes and nodded, and the two worked together to heave Inu-Yasha back up again.

oOoOoOoO

A slow mile or two along the vacant highway soon lead the bedraggled group to what seemed to be a tiny grouping of houses and stores across a bridge over a small river, with a dimly illuminated, battered sign in the distance that said "Hayakawa", followed by some words that were completely illegible. Kagome was too tired to be as elated as her mind told her she was. Through the storm, Koga spied a motel sign off in the distance, so that's where they headed.

x

Upon arriving, the found it was a small, dingy building with a line of rooms and a head office that looked more like a ramshackle house than anything else. Not wasting any time, they hurried to the door. Kagome broke away from the boys, leaving Koga to support the unconscious hanyou as Kagome pounded on the door with her fist.

"Hey! Hello? Is anyone here, this is an emergency!" she called.

"There's someone inside," Koga affirmed.

Kagome frowned and hit the door harder.

"Please!" she called.

Behind her, Koga's eyes brightened.

"Someone's coming," he told her.

Kagome gulped and took a step back and waited. She heard the door lock click. After a moment of silence, the door opened just a crack.

x

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

The voice was male, tired, crackly with age, and they saw an elderly man squinting back at them through the rain. After just a moment, though, his eyes went wide and he opened the door more. One look at the bleeding, soaked, and muddy teenagers made his face go pale.

"Please," Kagome said, "We... We need a room. Just for the night."

"We can pay," Koga added.

The man was silent for a moment, eyeing the three of them up and down. His eyes then came to rest on Inu-Yasha. A gnarled finger raised to point at him.

"...Youkai?" he whispered.

Kagome stalled and Koga froze, and then looked at her with worry. Kagome took a deep breath.

"Yes. He's badly wounded; we need help," she said.

The man's gaze flitted to her, and then back to Inu-Yasha.

"They're real?" he asked.

"Very," Kagome replied.

The man sighed, put a hand to his forehead and then bent to the side to produce an umbrella. He opened it carefully and then stepped outside. He beckoned to them and they followed him at a bit of a distance.

x

"I've heard noises," the man said, "Up the mountain. Not human. Not animal."

Kagome's eyes went wide with surprise, and she looked to Koga, who also seemed startled.

"There are old stories that say the youkai return because of the evil of humans," the man continued.

He stopped at the door to a room at the end of the building and produced a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door slowly and then turned to Kagome, holding the key out for her to take. She accepted it with a grateful bow of her head and the man nodded at her before heading passed them back towards the main building. Koga looked back over his shoulder and Kagome spun, calling,

"Thank you!"

x

As the man with the umbrella disappeared towards the building, Kagome swiftly opened the door and ushered her two friends inside. The place was dark, though it had a large window taking up most of the wall at the front, with two white, plastic deck chairs that seemed to have been tucked away from the rain. For a place in such a small town, the room was surprisingly large, and had two large beds with floral print bedspreads and soft, fuzzy carpeting. Standing on it, only now did Kagome realize how much her feet hurt. She said nothing and closed the door behind Koga. The quiet of the room was almost shocking. Kagome soon found herself giggling just a little, though tears were coming to her eyes again. Koga looked at her with concern, but then said,

"Should I put him on the bed?"

Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself and wiped her eyes, and then shook her head.

"Hold him for just a little while longer," she said.

Koga nodded and shifted his weight a bit, and she darted away, checking inside the washroom.

x

She turned on the light and,to her relief, she found a deep and clean bathtub inside, and so she poked her head out and beckoned Koga to her. When she showed him the tub, he understood immediately, and the two of them carefully hoisted their friend inside.

"I'll try to wash his wounds," she said, "Maybe dry his clothes a little. We can take turns showering after," she said.

"You first, I'm less likely to catch cold," he said, "And I don't think my face is as muddy."

"I dunno, you're pretty muddy," Kagome laughed tiredly.

He stuck his tongue out at her and she returned the favour and then stood. Koga got the hint immediately and he left, closing the door behind him.

x

Kagome sighed and cast her eyes around the room. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the sink and she was a bit shocked. She almost didn't recognize herself for a moment. Her hair was plastered down to her head and her skin was caked with dirt and grime of a nature that she didn't even want to puzzle at. She quickly splashed some water on her face, and then turned back to Inu-Yasha. He was limp in the tub, totally unconscious, and now Kagome had to figure out what to do with him.

x

After a moment's deliberation, she awkwardly approached him and pulled his shirt from him. She bit her lip and had to look away for a moment, seeing the blood that was all over the deep wounds in his body; he had several long claw gashes on his torso, and she counted at least six bullet wounds. The remnants of the hole through his middle were rather ghastly, and she tried not to look at it. She wanted to cry; this was only the front of his body. She sighed again, trying to keep control of herself, and then, awkwardly; hesitantly, and averting her gaze, she removed his pants and then turned the water on in the tub and dumped in some liquid soap she found nearby.

x

While she was waiting for the water to rise, she searched the area around the sink and in the cabinet drawers below it for anything that might be of use. She found a few facecloths and a hairdryer, and some more wrapped bars of soap and some four glasses. Pleased, Kagome pulled out the objects and then checked Inu-Yasha carefully. The water had risen a bit, not enough for a proper bath quite yet though, and the boy was still out cold, slumped back with an arm outside of the tub. A swell of pity hit Kagome and she yearned to tell him how worried she was, how proud she was of him; how much she loved him. She bit her lip, and looked at his sopping clothes. She wondered if she could use the hairdryer to help out with that at all.

x

Quickly, she went to the bathroom door and poked her head out, only to see Koga pacing the room before the window, troubled.

"Hey," he said immediately, perking and turning to her, "Is he okay?"

"Dunno," Kagome said, "But... I found a hairdryer, if I gave you that and Yasha's clothes, do you think you could-?"

"Absolutely, hand it over," he said eagerly.

She smiled gratefully.

"You're the best," she said.

She ducked back into the washroom and then gave Koga the things. He nodded at her and then patted her reassuringly on the head before he turned away. The girl was a little surprised and she stood, watching him plug in the hairdryer at the other end of the room before shaking herself out of her stupor and returning to Inu-Yasha, closing the door behind her.

x

By now, the water was high enough so Kagome grabbed a facecloth, turned off the water, and knelt beside the tub. The water was all ready starting to become a bit discoloured from the blood and dirt on Inu-Yasha's body.

"Damn it, Yasha," she whispered.

She dunked the cloth into the water just as she began to hear the hairdryer running in the other room. Carefully, she began to clean his face, being especially careful around the gashes on what was now both sides of his face. They were raw and red, but not bleeding. That was good, but Kagome couldn't help but think he normally healed much faster than this, even when he was normal.

_It must be the sedatives,_ she thought, _Poor puppy..._

She almost swore at herself and was glad she hadn't called him a "puppy" to his face.

x

Gently, Kagome washed Inu-Yasha's hair and cleaned the area around the tear in his ear very, very gingerly. It was still bleeding, just a little. She sighed and then bent a little to clean near the metal collar around his neck. She noticed scrapes in the metal, teethmarks from the other demon from when they had fought. She supposed it was ironic that this piece of metal had probably saved his life. She sighed and finished there quickly, and then drew back, only to let out a completely involuntary yelp as her gaze met with Inu-Yasha's bright red eyes. He smiled at her just a bit and she took a deep breath, only to hear Koga yell, "Kagome?"

"It's okay," she called back, and then sighed heavily, saying, "You startled me!" to Inu-Yasha.

He laughed just a little.

"Sorry," he said, "I... seem to be in a bathtub."

"Yeah," she said tiredly, "I'm just trying to clean you up before you bleed to death, you know."

"Thanks."

He tried shifting a little, though his body was still relatively limp and he slumped in the tub. Kagome sat up on her knees and grabbed him a bit under one of his arms and helped him backwards a bit.

"Shit, still useless," he grumbled, "Sorry."

"No, it's okay, you got hit with like twelve shots of sedatives, I understand," she said with a laugh.

He nodded a little and then sat quietly as Kagome rubbed at a wound in his chest under the water just a bit.

"Just tell me if I hurt you," she said.

"You'll be able to tell," he joked, and then paused, "So... Am I...? um... I assume I am not wearing pants."

Kagome froze and Inu-Yasha looked at her inquisitively as her face heated up and went completely red.

"I... I didn't look!" she exclaimed swiftly, pulling back, her eyes wide, "I promise!"

The hanyou stared at her for just a moment and then, startling her again, began to laugh very loudly.

"What?" she demanded, "I didn't!"

This only served to throw him into further fits of hysteria. She frowned and pouted, folding her arms to her chest, and after a little while, he calmed down and said,

"Sorry. Your reaction. It was... priceless," he said.

"Yeah, well I didn't think it was that funny," she grumbled, patting at another chest wound with her cloth.

"It was pretty funny," he replied.

Kagome was quiet for a moment, trying to feign irritation for far too long until she caved and mumbled,

"Maybe it was a little funny."

"Glad to hear a bunch of hyenas are in the bathroom!" came Koga's voice from outside the door, "Inu-Yasha, I guess that means you're alive, eh?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely!" The hanyou chimed.

"Good, now I don't have to carry you anymore!" the wolf replied.

"Oh, hah-hah."

"...Seriously though, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks."

x

Inu-Yasha seemed quite cheered by the exchange and Kagome found herself smiling a little as well.

"So, where are we at?" he asked.

"In general or in location?" she replied.

"Both."

"We're in a motel, not sure where. Saw a sign that said Hayakawa. No idea where that is. Guy who let us in seemed to... I dunno, accept demons. It was kind of weird."

Inu-Yasha shot her a questioning glance and she shrugged.

"He was oldish. Sort of like my grandfather; maybe he grew up on the legends, I don't know," she said, "He said something about demons returning because of the evil of man, or something. He didn't... I mean... If I had to put him on a side, I'd say he was on ours."

"Fair enough," Inu-Yasha sighed, "You had me worried for a second."

She smiled tiredly and shrugged again.

"For us, Koga's... Koga seems to be doing well, he's just drying your clothes right now," she continued.

"How about you?"

For the first time in a while, Inu-Yasha's ears drooped backwards and he looked very worried.

"I'm... well, I won't say I'm okay, because that's not true," she said, "I'm not horribly injured though, so..."

Inu-Yasha's face fell and he looked to the ground, and after a moment opened his mouth to speak.

"And don't apologize," Kagome said before he could even begin, "It's not your fault."

"Well, technically it is, because they wouldn't have come if I wasn't-"

"It doesn't matter, it's not your fault they're total assholes," she said, cutting him off again.

He sighed and his body sagged a bit. Kagome reassuringly patted his head, and then she dabbed at his face again; then tenderly went back to his ear.

"Still bleeding," she mumbled.

"What is?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Your ear. Doesn't it hurt?" she inquired worriedly.

"Not really, it's mostly blood vessels there, not too many nerve endings so it's not bad," he assured her.

"I don't... What?" Kagome asked a bit blankly.

"There's a lot of blood vessels from a sort of body temperature cooling system where the blood pumps through the ears and is cooled more quickly by air, it's all very-"

He trailed off as Kagome merely stared at him vacantly.

"You didn't take biology at all, did you?" he asked.

"No. No I didn't," Kagome replied.

He snickered a bit and shook his head, raising one had a little in a dismissive gesture, saying, "Never mind." She looked a little embarrassed but continued trying to clean his wounds a bit.

x

"I'm sorry you have to keep doing this for me," he said after a while.

"Hey, comes with the job, right?" she joked.

He smiled at her a bit forlornly and after a few minutes of relative quiet, he raised a hand again to weakly grasp her arm. She froze, a little alarmed by the faintness of his grasp.

"You really are, you know," he said quietly.

"What?" Kagome asked, puzzled.

"Beautiful."

The girl's blushed furiously, unable to keep his gaze. She mumbled out an almost incoherent "thank you", and bit her lip a bit. He grinned and then managed to straighten his back a little.

"I think I can handle it from here," he said.

"You sure?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I don't want to you to have to touch the gaping hole in my stomach anyway," he joked.

"But-"

"Just toss my clothes in here, I can handle this, I think. Don't worry, I'll scream if I fall over."

He looked at her with quite a reassuring expression on his face and Kagome took a moment to consider, and then nodded, passing him the facecloth.

"Be right back," she assured him, standing up.

He gave her the thumbs-up and she left the bathroom quickly.

x

Outside, Koga still hadn't turned the light on, though he had taken his shirt off and was drying it, along with Inu-Yasha's clothing, hanging from coat-hangers on a chair, with a quite intense look on his face as he pointed the hairdryer like a gun.

"Hey, how's it going?" she asked.

The youkai relaxed very quickly and looked to Kagome as if a bit embarrassed.

"Um, nearly done, I think."

He poked the clothes.

"The shirt is a little cool still, but the pants are basically done. This thing is pretty good."

He held up the hairdryer a bit proudly. Kagome smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

She took Inu-Yasha's rather tattered clothing and went back into the bathroom, only to see Inu-Yasha trying to scrub one of his arms with a bar of soap.

"Dried your stuff," she said.

She placed the clothes on the closed toilet seat and he nodded his thanks, and she promptly left the room once more, closing the door behind her.

x

Koga was now just pulling his own shirt back on, sitting on the floor as if trying not to get the beds too wet.

"Hey," Kagome said.

He looked back and her and said,

"You doing okay? You seem... damp."

Kagome looked back and him blankly and then looked down at herself. Her clothes were practically brown now, and they clung a bit and she realized, now, they were actually quite cold.

"I'm fine," she lied, "I'm..."

She paused for a moment as Koga looked at her with worried confusion. She wasn't sure what steps to take next. Some sort of bandaging things would be good to have, for both Inu-Yasha, and her feet. She looked down at her feet and cringed to see that they were quite torn on the tops; she didn't even want to check the soles.

"I guess," she decided, "I could go ask the owner guy if he has any gauze and bandages."

"I could go," Koga suggested readily.

Kagome thought about it for a moment, but then shook her head.

"No, you should stay with Yasha, just in case."

Koga nodded, and then smiled a bit jokingly.

"I love how I'm like, that guy who just stays and watches the other people. I feel like a gargoyle."

"A gargoyle?" Kagome laughed, but then smiled sympathetically, "Well, you're good at it. You're very reliable."

"Well thanks," he said, sticking his tongue out.

The girl grinned but then cringed to hear a thud from the bathroom, quickly followed by a grumble of, "fucking soap." She cracked a tired smile and Koga looked a little worried, but Kagome waved a hand dismissively, and the youkai fished inside his pocket and pulled out a wallet.

"Here," he said, pulling out some bills and offering them to her, "Just in case."

Kagome took the money, her brow knitting in confusion, and she asked,

"Where did you get all this?"

"Oh," Koga said brightly, seemingly eager to tell his story, "I sort of knocked a guy out and stole his clothes and stuff to break into the building to help you guys. That's why-"

He pointed to his shorter hair and looked rather proud of himself.

"Wait... so, you... did the whole "drag a guy behind the bushes and come out looking like him" thing?" she asked.

Her eyes were wide with surprise; she had never even considered how Koga had broken into the building.

"Well, more like under a truck, but yes," he said.

"I'm... well, I'm sort of shocked that worked," she replied, rubbing her head a bit while pocketing the money.

"Me too," Koga replied, smiling, "...Be careful."

"I will," she said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The youkai nodded and Kagome cautiously snuck back outside.

x

The rain chilled her almost immediately again, but within seconds it felt normal. She guessed that wasn't really a good thing. Looking around, she saw that there was a light, like a beacon, at the other end of the building, through the dark and the rain. She headed towards it carefully, though now her feet were starting to hurt a great deal.

x

Once more, she approached the door and knocked on it with significantly less desperation than before. Almost instantly, the elderly man was at the door again, squinting at her in the dark.

"Sorry to bother you again," Kagome said with a quick bow, "But I was wondering if you happened to have any antiseptic, or bandages, or... anything."

The man looked at her with mild puzzlement for a moment before he raised one finger and turned away from her, disappearing back into the building. Kagome inclined her head, trying to look into the building after him, but he returned rather promptly with a very large, pink-and-white striped beach towel, which he handed to her and then stepped outside, umbrella in one hand and keys in the other.

"Follow me," he said.

He closed his door and began to walk slowly, opening his umbrella as he walked towards a small, rusty blue car in the parking lot. Kagome quickly wrapped the towel around herself and followed him.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," the girl said.

The man unlocked the car door and beckoned to the passenger seat.

"I'll take you to the pharmacy," he said.

Kagome paused. She wasn't entirely sure if she could trust the man, but he had seemed honest enough for now. She nodded and quickly got into the seat while the man got in the driver's seat and turned the car on. Kagome pulled the towel tighter and felt rather appreciative of the warmth on her skin. In fact, it felt almost as if it had just come out of a dryer. The car began to back out of the parking lot, and the man asked,

"What's your name, kid?"

"Kagome," she said, "Higurashi Kagome."

He nodded in what seemed to be approval as he checked over his shoulder as they backed up, and then her turned onto the small road beyond and began to drive.

"Satoru," he said simply.

oOoOoOoO

It was not long after Kagome had left that Koga, staring up at the ceiling of old tiles and keeping his ear on Inu-Yasha, heard the aforementioned hanyou tap a bit awkwardly against the bathroom door. Koga jumped to his feet and went to the bathroom. He opened the door quickly to see the hanyou, his red eyes half closed, sitting up against the wall beside the door. He was wearing his old clothes, still tattered and a splattering of fresh blood on them, but other than that, the boy didn't look nearly as bad as expected.

"Oh, hi," Inu-Yasha said a bit tiredly.

"Need help?" Koga asked.

"Still can't feel my legs," he replied, "You wouldn't even believe how difficult it was to put pants on."

"Yeah, I bet," Koga said, "Come on."

He knelt down and grabbed his friend under his arm and hefted him quite easily to his feet. The hanyou wobbled a bit and, carefully, Koga guided him to the other bed and let him plop down onto it before letting him go. Inu-Yasha sighed and flopped onto his back, and Koga took a seat on the other bed tiredly.

"So Kagome went out?" the hanyou asked.

"Yeah," Koga replied, nodding.

Inu-Yasha sighed and stared tiredly up at the ceiling. He wished Kagome were there. He worried about her, and he wanted to keep her close after what had happened. He managed to shift back on the bed a little, frowning, trying to keep his focus, and then he looked at Koga.

"Hey," he said.

"Yeah?"

Koga looked at him curiously.

"Thanks. You know, for... for looking after her tonight," Inu-Yasha said quietly; a little gruffly, "And, you know, for dragging my sorry ass around."

"Oh," the wolf replied, his eyes lighting up and a small smile coming to his face, "No, don't thank me, I mean... I really do sort of think of you guys like family. So..."

He was a little embarrassed, and his gaze dropped to the floor. He supposed he sounded rather dumb, and his demeanour was still a little clumsy. Nonetheless, Inu-Yasha looked at him with a new sort of unspoken respect.

"You risked a lot," the hanyou said.

"I'd do it again in a second."

He smiled a bit shyly. Inu-Yasha couldn't help a grin.

"Kagome was right about you," he said.

Koga looked a bit surprised but then his expression brightened and he looked very proud of himself, his tail starting to wag unwittingly.

"So tell me," Inu-Yasha said after a moment, "How did you get in, anyway?"

oOoOoOoO

The sound of rain pattering against the outside of the car was making Kagome's mind a little numb, a sort of dazed tiredness washing over her as she stared out the windows. She could barely discern anything through the storm; she was surprised Satoru was able to drive in it at all.

x

They had been quiet for several minutes as they drove, though Kagome had no idea where they were. The patterns of buildings outside was starting to blend and almost seem repetitive. She was about to ask, however, when Satoru finally spoke.

"So," he said, "What happened? To your friend?"

"Long story," Kagome sighed.

The man was silent for a little while, and though Kagome's focus was outside, the man looked at her rather worriedly.

"I grew up in a shrine near Shirikayama, in the east," he said, breaking the silence, "I grew up learning about demons. My father taught me as if they were real."

Kagome turned her gaze from the window and looked at him in surprise.

_Sort of like how I was when I was a kid,_ she thought.

"As a child, I believed, but as I got older, I thought it couldn't be true. It was too fanciful. Like unicorns, or dragons."

"Dragons are real too," Kagome said quickly, without thinking, but immediately felt embarrassed.

Satoru smiled. He said nothing for another little while, though his eyes had lit up in a sort of unspoken awe.

"Then, when I was in highschool," he began again, "I remember... one night, out my window, I saw something. It looked... It looked like a man, but like a dragon, all at once, with more limbs than I thought were possible. I believed, then. I was never sure, but... tonight, I feel... validated."

Kagome was surprised, and was certain she looked it, but she also managed a smile.

"They're all over the place, huh?" she said, "Yeah, demons are... more common than anyone would expect, I think."

Satoru nodded a bit and then cast his gaze at her briefly.

"You were up the mountain?"

"Yes."

"...What happened?"

The man looked at her, seeming worried. Kagome sighed. He seemed strangely intent on knowing, but to look at him she still didn't feel or see any deception. She took a moment to consider her words.

"There are people up the mountain who catch and kill demons," she said a bit weakly, "They... torture them a lot of the time. I don't know what they want, specifically. I know they brought the demons here and are trying to get rid of them. I just..."

Kagome felt her throat begin to clench a bit and tears came to her eyes.

"I just wish... I dunno, that they'd leave everything alone?" she said, he voice getting more quiet, "Demons aren't doing anything wrong here. They're just trying to live, and these people, they do such horrible things."

Kagome felt like she was going to cry, and she sniffed heavily and wiped her tears on the towel.

"Sorry," she whispered, "It's... It's been a long night."

Satoru nodded slowly and, breaking rather suddenly, he turned into a small parking lot before a building Kagome could have sworn they had passed before. It seemed to be half house, have convenience store.

"This is the place," he said, "What do you need, exactly?"

"Bandages, gauze, antiseptic cream or... you know, anything like that," the girl replied.

Before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt, Satoru gestured for her to stay put and got out, leaving the door slightly ajar. Kagome leaned back in her seat to try to watch him through the rain; she could see his feet moving up a small set of stairs towards a door, which he banged on with his fist several times.

"Daichi!" he called, "Daichi, open the damn door, I know you're there!"

A few, slow seconds passed before the door open. Again, Kagome could only see feet, but she heard the voice of a man, old, a little high pitched, and groggy, say,

"Satoru-san, what on earth do you want?"

"Some kids stopped at my place tonight. One of them's hurt real bad."

"What, well-"

The man was cut off as Satoru pushed into his house and slammed the door behind them. Kagome strained to hear if anything else was said, but she could discern nothing. She sighed and relaxed her muscles a little, closing her eyes just briefly. She was tired, damn tired, but her mind was still rushing a million miles a minute. She felt like she might never be able to sleep again.

x

Soon, Satoru emerged, grumbling, from the building and got back in the car as Kagome sat up again, eyeing him curiously. He passed Kagome a large paper sack.

"Should be everything," he told her, starting the car again.

"Thank you," she said.

She sounded quite surprised, and the elderly man cracked a bit of a smile, but said nothing.

x

The way back felt much quicker than the trip there, and as they arrived back, Kagome, hopped out of the car and fished the money from her pocket. It was a bit damp; she hoped Satoru wouldn't mind. As he too, left the car and pulled out him umbrella once more, Kagome darted to him and placed all the bills in his hand.

"Thanks," she said, "Seriously."

He looked at her with surprise, and she hurried away quickly back to the motel room.

x

When Kagome entered the room, she was relieved to see Inu-Yasha, sitting up a little on one of the beds and Koga sitting on the other, his tail wagging as he seemed to be relating, in more detail, the story he had told her before she left.

"Hey, guys," she said brightly.

The both turned to look at her and Inu-Yasha smiled, saying,

"I like your cape."

"Shut up," she joked.

She held up the brown bag and said, proudly,

"Got stuff!"

"Oh, way to go!" Koga said.

"First, though, I need a shower," she said, pointing to the bathroom.

"Oh, if you toss your stuff out here, I'll dry it for you," the wolf volunteered.

"Good call," Kagome replied.

She left the bag on the bed beside Koga as she passed and then headed for the bathroom, and closed the door. After a few seconds, the door opened again, just a crack, and Kagome's clothes flew out of it before it closed again swiftly and the shower water started to run. Koga hopped to his feet and grabbed the mud-soaked t-shirt and pants and then turned the hairdryer on them. Inu-Yasha cringed to the noise, but then looked at Koga.

"So, where were you?" he said.

"Oh, right," Koga said, raising his voice above the noise, "So there I was, in the vents. It was weird, because the lowest ones were above like a foot of concrete. So, I was in the one above that level, which was another... maybe 6 feet up."

"Holy shit, thick ceiling," Inu-Yasha mused.

"I know, I couldn't help but think there might be more evil crap up there, but I didn't have time to look," Koga replied, "So I'm in there for like 15 minutes, just running around trying to find you guys. And when I finally do, I'm like... holy shit, there's a giant demon trying to kill you. I saw you through these weird grates they had sometimes into a hall or a room. So what I did was, I found this junction in between the two levels of piping."

He made a "T" shape with his hands for a second, accidentally blowing hot air at himself. Inu-Yasha snickered as Koga puffed and put the air back on Kagome's things.

"Anyway, it was like that, so I went up, and then I saw it really going after Kagome and I just sort of kicked down and through about three layers of vents and concrete, and that's about it."

He shrugged a bit absently, as if it were all in a day's work, and Inu-Yasha smirked, managing to shift his back against the wall behind him a bit more.

"You did good," he assured him.

"Kind of wish I had gotten there sooner," he admitted.

Inu-Yasha shrugged.

"I don't think you could have done much more than you did. Don't worry."

Koga's face went a little grim for the first time in a while, and he nodded slowly. He wasn't sure how to admit it, but such praise coming from Inu-Yasha meant a great deal to him. He was quiet for a little while longer, his brain zoning out to the repetitive hairdryer sound. After a few moments more, he softly said, "thanks." Inu-Yasha nodded and slumped again. Koga paused the drying for a bit, touching the clothes tentatively. They were much warmer and drier, so he turned the machine off, to still hear the sound of the shower in the bathroom.

x

Inside, Kagome was scrubbing herself rather feverishly, trying to rid herself of of the dirt. It felt like it wasn't coming off. After a while of dousing herself in soapy shampoo sampler bottles and such, she gave up, deciding this was as clean as she was going to get. Sighing, she reluctantly turned the warm water off and stepped from the tub, grabbing a clean blue towel and wrapping it tightly around herself. When she cast a glance in the mirror, she took note that she no longer looked like a mud person, and was rather happy of the fact. However, she noticed her shoulder was quite red, so she drew closer to look at it both curiously and tentatively. She pulled down the towel a bit, pointedly ignoring the old scars on her chest to see her shoulder, and in fact most of her right arm, looked raw and red, and was coated in small lines of purplish scar tissue. The girl sighed and covered herself a bit more closely and then went to the door, knocking on it gently with her knuckles.

"Can I have my stuff back now?" she asked through the door.

Within seconds, she heard the sound of feet and her door opened just a tiny crack and the clothes were held through it.

"Thanks," she said, taking them and closing the door.

"No problem," Koga's voice assured her.

x

Kagome dressed quickly, quite pleased with the warmed clothing, and then left the bathroom, the towel still clutched close.

"Thanks for drying it, Koga," she said.

He smiled at her and gave her the thumbs-up, and then looked between the two, and said, "My turn!" before scampering past Kagome and into the washroom. She smirked just a little and then headed to Inu-Yasha's side, taking the brown bag from the other bed to him.

"How you holding up?" she asked.

"Fine, all things considered," he assured her, "Did you know Koga's insane? Like, completely nuts, did you hear what he did to save us?"

"Part of it," Kagome said.

She looked at her boyfriend a bit blankly, and he merely shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm glad you brought him in," he said.

"Oh, now you're glad," she joked, "Jealousy gone?"

"Jealousy gone out the fucking window," he agreed.

Kagome grinned and patted his head affectionately, and he narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her, only to accidentally bite it a bit with his overly-long fangs.

"Ow," he grumbled, and Kagome giggled a little and then began to look in the bag.

She pulled forth a long roll of bandages and some gauze, a small tube of antiseptic cream, and a much larger one of what seemed to be some traditional, organic anti-irritant cream.

"Weird," she muttered at the latter, but then shrugged and said, "Let's get to those wounds now, huh?"

oOoOoOoO

Now rather efficient at such a task, Kagome treated and bandaged the majority of Inu-Yasha's wounds. She had to wrap almost his entire torso in cloth by the time she was done, using copious amounts of the soothing compound on him, especially on the healing hole through his middle. Only after that did she take a moment to bandage her feet. She was still too scared to look at them, but the cream did wonders for the pain.

x

Inu-Yasha was incredibly grateful for her hard work: so grateful that he didn't even know how to put it into words. As he watched her treating a gash in his arm, he felt his brain begin to go fuzzy again. This surprised him quite a great deal, and sent a sort of fear through him so intense that his body began to tremble just a little. To make even his full demon self have a relapse, the drugs must have been incredibly strong. He probably had enough meds in his veins to send his regular hanyou self into a coma, at least. He raised a hand lethargically to his forehead and Kagome's gaze jumped to meet his, her brow furrowed with worry.

"You okay?" she asked quickly.

"Fine," he lied.

Kagome's frown deepened.

"C'mere," she insisted.

She grabbed him gently and then helped him to lie down despite a very, very feeble protest. She pulled the blankets up around him and he looked back at her, a bit embarrassed.

"You didn't have to do that," he said.

"You were shivering," she replied, concerned.

Inu-Yasha wasn't cold; he was too ashamed to tell her the real reason he was shaking. He was starting to feel dazed again, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold himself in consciousness for much longer again. He beckoned her down and when she leaned in close, he gently put a hand to the back of her head and pulled her in to kiss her softly on the tip of her nose. She blushed a little, and he quietly said,

"Thanks for everything."

She smiled bashfully as a reply and then stretched herself out a little, lying down with him to give him an affectionate hug around the shoulders. His heart thudded heavily in his chest and he managed to rest one hand on her head to pet her damp hair. She was quiet for a little while, and Inu-Yasha soon noticed that she was trembling as well.

"You okay?" he asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, I... I dunno, I just wanted to be close, is that okay?" she asked quietly, "I mean, your wounds, are they-?"

"They're not bad, no worries."

She nodded and then carefully slipped herself on top of him, giving him a quick and gentle kiss. He was stunned. Maybe it was the drugs, or maybe it was that he knew he looked like a monster, but it made him freeze entirely to feel her lips against his. She didn't seem to notice, for which he was grateful, and she clutched closer to him, whispering,

"Sorry, I just... I thought I might lose you like, three or four times tonight. Sorry if I come off as... you know."

"I know," he agreed, gulping a bit, "Don't worry."

Reassured, Kagome lay with him awhile, her ear pressed to his chest, listening to his heart beat. After a while, she sat up just a bit, propping herself up with on hand beside him on the bed and she leaned in close to his face, looking at deep marks that ran from his temple downwards. She had no idea what had caused most of them; only one was from the demon he had fought. She didn't have bandages small enough to bind them; she hoped they would be okay in the open again, but even now they seemed to be less red than before. Gently, she cupped his cheek and leaned in closer.

"What're you doing?" the hanyou asked.

"Just... I dunno, trying to figure out what made these, do you remember?"

"No. I was out."

Kagome sighed and pulled back a little, frowning worriedly.

"Wouldn't be surprised if some guy just hacked at me for a bit with a knife or some shit," he admitted.

Kagome's heart sunk and her eyes went wide as she looked mortified.

"How could they...?" she breathed.

Below her, the boy managed to shrug one shoulder a little. Kagome gently patted his head, careful around his ears as she did, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Shit," he breathed.

"Drugs?" she asked, pausing.

He hardly felt strong enough to nod now, and he forced out an, "Mm-hmm," and was quiet for a moment, trying to recuperate.

x

Above him, Kagome looked at him worriedly and carefully traced her fingers beside the deep gashes in his face and leaned down to kiss him once again. He didn't move much in response, despite how much he wanted to. After a few moments, he lifted one hand up and let it rest on her shoulder, and his eyes opened to red slits as she pulled back.

"Totally crashing, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, a bit," he said quietly.

She patted his forehead and he forced his eyes open a bit more. His turquoise pupils scanned over her face and locked on hers. Staring a bit awkwardly, his gaze darted away as he saw glints of his own red eyes in the reflection of hers.

"Sorry, I look like such a freak," he muttered.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, inclining her head.

"Because I do," he sighed.

Kagome sighed, rolled her eyes, and slumped on top of him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Maybe you think so; I still think you're cute," she said.

"You're saying the fact that my fangs are almost jutting from my face and the whites of my eyes look like they're bleeding doesn't bother you?" he joked.

"Honestly, it doesn't."

The girl laughed and shook her head and leaned forward to touch her nose to his. His lip curved up into a tired smile and he stretched up by barely an inch to kiss her very, very gently on her lips before sinking back down onto the bed. Kagome patted his head affectionately and smiled at him, watching as the raw flesh on the side of his face gained a another layer of normalcy. She slid her body off his and slumped beside him instead. He didn't move but his eyes darted to her, and she said,

"I'll sleep right here and keep you all warm and stuff."

He snorted out a laugh and closed his eyes.

"Thanks," he said.

Kagome grinned and kissed his forehead, and then sat up and reached for the soothing compound again. She squeezed some out onto her fingertips and then took his wrist, slid the remaining shackle up just a little and rubbed the goo on his skin. His arm remained limp, but he muttered,

"You don't have to do that."

"Yeah, I know, but these are pretty tight, and if I can't get them off yet, I'd like for you to at least not be having your skin cut into," she replied.

"It wouldn't scar."

"I don't care."

She laughed a little and the boy smiled again and said nothing as the girl proceeded to do the same to his other wrist, and then worked her way around his neck. He remained quiet, uncomplaining, until the girl stopped, wiped her hands on her slacks, and lay close to him, hugging him close.

"Thanks," he said again.

"It's no problem. Go to sleep, you'll get the drugs out of your system faster," she advised.

"Yeah," he agreed horsely, and was still.

x

Kagome leaned in close to him, listening to his steady breathing. She watched in fascination: as he dozed off, the paling of his wounds sped up. She kissed his face once more and then slid up and off the bed and prowled to the window. She plopped down in the white plastic chair and gazed out sleepily at the rain. Through the grim scene, watching the cold and wet from within the dark of the motel room, she felt safe. It was like the rain was a cloak, a shield and a veil, hiding her and her companions. She crossed one leg over the other, and then rested her elbow on her knee, and her chin on her fist.

x

After just a little while, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder: the one that had been swollen and scaly just a little while ago.

"Your shoulder is still really red, is it okay?" she heard Koga inquire.

He hopped over the back of the chair beside hers, and she looked to him and nodded, trying to hide her surprise: she didn't even hear the bathroom door open.

"Yeah, it was just because the skin got so stretched," she said.

She raised her right arm and displayed the wavy and purplish scars on her skin. Koga cringed a little and he took her arm and ran his fingers over the scars in a curious sort of way.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Nah," she replied, smiling.

He let her go and then folded his arms to his chest and let out a deep, tired sigh.

"I don't think I can sleep," he admitted.

"Me neither," Kagome agreed.

They sat quietly for a while, listening to the rain. After a little while, Kagome leaned back a little and rubbed her shoulder tenderly. Koga looked at her worriedly and then stood went to the beside table of the unconscious hanyou. He took the antiseptic cream and returned to Kagome.

"Can I?" he asked, holding up the tube.

Kagome looked to him and was a bit surprised, as if she had forgotten about it, but then nodded. Koga seemed pleased and he grabbed the chair he had been in and moved it behind hers. Kagome, without thinking much, pulled her shirt up over her head, clutching it to her chest to cover herself. Koga froze immediately and then awkwardly asked,

"Are you okay like that?"

She shrugged and nodded, and so carefully Koga squeezed some paste onto his fingers and began to rub it onto the raw skin of her back. They were quiet for a while as Koga did his best to treat her wounds until she leaned her head back and smiled just a little.

"Thanks," she said.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

She turned in her chair a bit and Koga averted his eyes, and then pointed to his shirt.

"Want to trade?" he asked.

Kagome looked surprised and then smiled and said,

"Sure, thanks!"

He nodded and took his shirt off and passed it to her. She looked grateful and, still with her own shirt clutched close, she stood from her chair and went to the washroom. After just a few seconds, she returned clad in his black t-shirt and she passed him hers, which he pulled on quickly.

"A rip in the back is a little less awkward for me," he stated, finally looking to Kagome again without blushing.

She smiled and she leaned down and hugged him around his shoulders and he gently hugged her in return.

"We'd be dead without you," she whispered as she pulled back, "Thank you."

"Well, you guys are my family," he said.

The girl looked surprised for a moment but then smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed.

She took her chair and sat beside him again. She looked thoughtful and then, seeming rather pleased with the notion, whispered, "Yeah," again.

x

Together, they sat up a while longer, neither entirely willing to sleep after what had happened despite their exhaustion. Koga gave up first, however, as he found himself drifting off in his chair. He bailed, and collapsed onto the vacant bed, almost immediately tossing the blankets into a mess as he curled up. Kagome sat up a while past that, unable to concentrate on anything in particular, every once and a while experiencing a bout of residual fear and disbelief so intense that it made her tearful again. It was around 6am by the time she finally worked up the courage to let herself rest beside Inu-Yasha again. Even so, the girl's nightmares were vivid.

oOoOoOoO

When Kagome awoke to the knocking on a door, she felt her heart beating feverishly and cold sweat on her brow. She blinked up at the ceiling and gulped, trying not to panic as she couldn't remember where she was for a few seconds. When she finally regained her senses, the girl sat up slowly and cast her gaze around the room and squinted in the light. The window before her shone through with the morning sun as droplets of water sprinkled down from a wet awning outside. Beside her, she saw that Inu-Yasha was still soundly asleep, and across, Koga hardly budged, even when there was another knock at the door. Blinking heavily, Kagome lazily got to her feet, grunting at the pain in them as she touched the carpet. Rubbing her eyes, Kagome walked to the door and opened in. Before her stood Satoru, eyes crinkled in the light, holding a brown paper bag out in one hand. Wordlessly, he passed it to her and she took it with surprise.

"Thank you," she said, dipping in a bow before him.

He bowed in return and turned, walking back towards the main office room. Kagome backed into the room and closed the door. Curiously, she looked in the bag only to see what appeared to be toothbrushes. She sat down in the middle of the floor and dumped out the bag. Toothpaste and toothbrushes in store packaging tumbled onto the carpet, along with nail clippers, a comb, some lip balm, bandages, and an assorted bunch of moist towelettes. She smiled and gathered up the things again and carried them to the washroom. Eagerly, she brushed her teeth and trimmed what could be salvaged of her fingernails, and then ran the comb through her hair, and then cleaned and rebandaged her feet. She realized she was a mess, but this made her feel a little better.

x

When she left the room she tiptoed to Koga's bed and leaned over him curiously to check on him. He was sleeping quite soundly, so Kagome quietly headed to Inu-Yasha. He looked like he hadn't moved much since last night and she dropped to her knees and stuck her face close to his, frowning intently. There was still a purple stripe on each side of his face, so she assumed he was still not quite himself. She was relieved to see, however, that the large cuts on his face were all but completely gone. She sat up a bit taller and leaned in, checking the ear he had ripped. She quietened an "oh!" of surprise to see there was no longer a tear, the only trace of it being a slight unevenness in the fur.

"Unbelievable," she breathed.

It was a very good sign, however. Last night, he had barely been healing at all; she supposed this meant that the majority of the sedatives were out of his system.

x

Kagome got to her feet quietly and slid on the bed beside him. She reached under the blankets and took his hand to look at it. She almost mistook the stripe on his hand for a wound at first, then took a deep breath and checked under the shackle carefully. As he had predicted, there were no marks that she could see despite how tight it was. The girl blew out a puff of air and brushed her bangs back just a bit. Her mind went back to the fight from the night before and she cringed a bit despite herself. She remembered Inu-Yasha's golden eyes, so feral and intense in the heat of the battle. It hadn't really sunk in before then just how "unhuman" Inu-Yasha really was. He looked relatively human, but to see him in action, to really see him fight against another youkai: there was nothing human about that. He didn't frighten her, though; she felt a little foolish for not realizing how different he really was. She supposed much of the same could be said for Koga as well.

"So weird," she whispered, putting his arm back down on the bed carefully.

He shifted at this and Kagome froze, though he didn't wake. His mouth opened just a little and only then did Kagome notice that his lower lip was quite torn. She guessed it was because his fangs were a bit too long for his mouth. She wondered if maybe they had something she could use on it, so she slid from the bed, trying very hard to be quiet as she returned to the bathroom.

x

She scoured what she had at her disposal and her eyes lit up as she found the stick of lip balm that had been in the bag. It was for chapped lips, obviously, though Kagome cringed upon reading that it was watermelon flavour.

_Oh, whatever, it's better than nothing_, she thought.

She returned to Inu-Yasha and popped the cap and, very cautiously, ran it over his lower lip.

"If that's lipstick I'm going to be very upset," he said rather suddenly, his voice low and gravely, but rather groggy.

Kagome jerked back, startled, to see his eyes crack open just a little and she smiled shyly and held up the lip balm.

"It's just for chapped lips," she said.

He smiled just a little and he said,

"Smells very odd."

"It's supposed to be watermelon."

"Oh great, girly flavours," he sighed.

"Sorry," she laughed, "How are you feeling?"

He cringed a bit and sat up, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and then felt his ears carefully. He grinned, feeling the healed tear, and he turned to Kagome, saying,

"Much better, actually."

Kagome smiled brightly and slumped on him, putting her arms around his shoulders.

"Good," she replied.

She cuddled up to him and he smiled fondly, putting a hand on her head to ruffle her hair affectionately.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" he asked quietly, "I was really out of it last night, I don't know that I would have noticed."

He sounded rather ashamed. Kagome merely pushed closer, smiling to herself, and closed her eyes.

"I actually came out pretty okay. Bruised mostly, and I cut up my feet, but other than that-"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We all got out okay," she assured him.

He was quiet for a little while, running his fingers through her hair absently. She was quite content; it felt like they hadn't sat like this in an eternity. After a while of silence, he said,

"You didn't sleep well, did you?"

"No."

"Nightmares?"

"I don't remember. Probably."

"I'm back to normal. It's safe for you to relax now."

"Don't know if I'll ever relax again."

She laughed weakly and Inu-Yasha's lip curled in a very small, very sympathetic smile. He knew she was barely joking.

x

They said nothing for a while, though Inu-Yasha continued to stroke her head in a sort of absent way, her presence comforting him just as much as his touch comforted her.

"This isn't your shirt," he commented quietly.

"No, Koga and I swapped because of the hole in the back."

"Nice of him."

She nodded against his chest and sighed again, unable to stop tears from welling up in her eyes once more. It kept happening; bouts of fear and shock would take her and she'd find herself crying again. It was too common now for her to be frustrated with herself. Almost immediately, however, Inu-Yasha clung to her tighter, his eyes going wide.

"Don't cry," he said, sounding a little alarmed, "I mean... oh, shit, are you okay?"

"Fine," Kagome said, though her voice was a little tight, "It's just... the shock, it comes in... in waves."

She sniffed and buried her face against him, mumbling, "sorry."

"Don't... Don't apologize," he said quickly, flustered; his ears drooping.

His heart sank and he stared at the tearful girl in his arms with such regret; such a desire to keep her safe that he felt like he never wanted to let her go. The scent of her tears sent his mind reeling and he wanted nothing more to comfort her, but he didn't know what to do. Awkwardly, he put a hand to her back and patted her gently, only to feel her shoulders begin to shake as she began to cry audibly. He jerked, eyes widening even further.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry," he said swiftly.

"No, no, seriously," Kagome said softly; tearfully, "It's shock. It's just shock. I'll be okay in a minute."

Inu-Yasha didn't quite believe her, but he nodded even though she couldn't see it and merely held her close.

x

After a few minutes, she pulled back a little and Inu-Yasha hurriedly, but reluctantly, released her so she could gain a bit of space. She stared blankly at the bed as she kneaded her eyes with her knuckles and then looked at the boy with tired, red eyes. However, much to his surprise, she smiled and laughed a little cupping his cheek and saying,

"My eyes must look like yours now."

The hanyou smiled a little, though it came out more like a grimace; as she dropped her hand, he raised his to gently wipe her cheeks, his fingers very gently passing over a red, scabbing claw wound on her cheek; he hadn't noticed it before.

"Poor kid," he mumbled.

"I'm okay," she assured him, and he merely responded with a, "Like hell you are," as he stared at her with a concerned frown.

She stared back at him for a while and he looked at her quite intently until, very suddenly, she reached to his face and tweaked his nose.

"Agh!" he yelped, clapping his hands to his face as Kagome began to laugh.

She hugged him tightly for a quick moment, cooing, "love you", and then pulled back and asked,

"What should we do now? Can't really just pick up and go home."

Inu-Yasha put a fist under his chin to think and Kagome mused to herself for a moment before they both said,

"Sessho-Maru?"

Inu-Yasha grinned a bit embarrassedly and Kagome laughed and then stood, saying,

"I'll find a phone."

Inu-Yasha nodded and then carefully untangled himself from his blankets and looked at himself for the first time in a while as Kagome scurried around the room.

x

Though blood covered most of his clothes, when he gently prodded himself, he found that he was mostly whole; it was quite a relief, though there were still remnants of the wound to his stomach and a few of the smaller bullet holes when he peeked under the bandaging. He stretched his legs a bit and then lowered his feet to the ground and, cautiously, stood. He righted himself quite easily. He was feeling a little sick, but his legs felt strong beneath him and he didn't find his mind to be in any disarray. He was a bit astonished; his healing system must have increased in sophistication quite a bit overnight as a full youkai. It was quite a pleasant surprise, and he was also very happy that his thought processes seemed normal.

_All the training I did actually paid of_f, he thought proudly, _No loss of control, no mood-swings, no maulings. This is good. This is very good._

It used to terrify him to let his youkai blood take over. For now, though, he felt pretty good. He knew he would have to be careful, however: any discomfort he felt now would be quite a bit worse when he returned to normal. However, he didn't know when that would be, seeing as he had no idea how to change back naturally.

x

Putting it out of mind, he checked the opposite side of the room to Kagome for a phone, though she found it first, letting out a triumphant, but quiet, "Ah-hah!" as she pulled it over to Inu-Yasha's bed and sat it down beside it. He hopped back onto the bed and sat cross-legged as he picked up the receiver and dialled his brother's number.

x

The phone only rang once before Sessho-Maru's voice, growled,

"Who is this? It better be important."

"Whoa, relax, it's me," Inu-Yasha said.

Sessho-Maru was silent for a moment, almost as if in shock.

"Inu-Yasha?" he asked hesitantly.

"Who else?" the hanyou asked, confused.

"You sound... never mind, what-?"

"Hang on, let me try to put you on speaker," Inu-Yasha said.

He heard his brother grumble as he searched the phone for a "speaker" button, but Kagome found it first and hit it, and the boy quickly put the phone down.

"Okay, speaker on," Inu-Yasha said.

"What the hell? Where are you? I've been calling," Sessho-Maru growled.

"We're in a motel in near Hayakawa," Inu-Yasha explained.

"Where the fuck is that?" the demon retorted, and then sighed, "Never mind. Googling."

Kagome tried very hard not to laugh and before Inu-Yasha could respond, Sessho-Maru said,

"Oh shit, over there? Why the hell are you over there?"

"We got caught," Inu-Yasha explained.

"What? ...Oh. Oh. Shit."

"They found the house," Kagome voiced.

"You all okay?" the youkai asked, sounding surprisingly concerned.

"My arm mutated," Kagome said.

"Koga's passed out and I'm a full youkai right now," Inu-Yasha added, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

Sessho-Maru let out some aggressive, foreign curse words and then said,

"I'm sending a driver. And I'll send someone to get your shit. We'll set you up in a rental house."

"You don't have to-" Kagome began, but Sessho-Maru swiftly said,

"Give me a few hours. This shit won't stand."

x

The line was dead immediately. Inu-Yasha looked up from his hand to Kagome with a tired and slightly amused smile and she sighed.

"Can't say he wastes any time, at least," she said.

Inu-Yasha nodded and leaned back in his seat, tired. He was a bit surprised when Kagome slipped onto his lap and kissed him quickly, and then put a hand on each of his sides.

"Shirt off," she said.

"What, why?" he asked, confused, only to have her roll her eyes and say, "Just do it."

Shrugging, he took his shirt off and she eyed the bloody bandages with concern before tugging at them to pull them away and place them in a pile. Her eyes went wide to see how little damage was left. She leaned in closer, her fingers tracing the spot where the pipe had punctured him yesterday. The skin looked a little raw, but other than that he seemed fine. Inu-Yasha watched her as she frowned and poked at him with confused concern and his ears drooped. Her worry touched him, and he said,

"It's fine, Kagome."

"Yeah, but..." she mumbled, and then met eyes with him, "Your insides. You know, organs and stuff. Don't they get screwed up? You're not sore?"

He shook his head and the girl raised an eyebrow skeptically. He looked back at her, his ears perking and his eyes a little wide, and after a moment she sighed and hugged him around his shoulders tightly

"I'm sorry all this happened," she whispered.

The boy frowned to himself at her words. He didn't understand why she should hold any guilt at all. He cautiously put his arms around her as well and he folded one leg under himself to give her a bit more support.

"Don't be," he said finally.

"I guess... this sort of puts us on even ground," she said, "Just a little. I mean... I understand now. You know?"

Despite her lack of coherence, Inu-Yasha knew exactly what she meant.

"Yeah," he agreed.

She was quiet for a moment, and then whispered, "I love you." He smiled.

"I know," he replied.

Kagome huffed and pulled back, whacking his shoulder.

"You're supposed to say 'I love you, too'!" she exclaimed.

He laughed and inclined his head, staring at her with a sort of affectionate gaze that made her cheeks go as red as cherries. He leaned in and kissed her lips gently and she absolutely melted in his arms. When he pulled back, Kagome blinked back at him in a groggy way and he grinned, joking,

"You should just know by now, idiot."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and then clutched him close again.

"Shut up, you bastard," she replied.

She stayed there for a moment and then pulled back and awkwardly stumbled from the bed, jerking her thumb at the bathroom and saying, "water." Inu-Yasha nodded and stretched his arms above his head, only satisfied when he felt his elbows pop a bit, and then pulled his shirt back on and relaxed against the wall. Within seconds, however, the phone rang again. Inu-Yasha eyed it curiously and then picked it back up. Before he could even say hello, Sessho-Maru said,

"Scratch whatever the hell I said, I'm coming to get you, do you need anything?"

"Um... clothes would be good," Inu-Yasha replied a bit dumbly.

Sessho-Maru didn't say anything for a moment before he replied,

"Sorry, your voice keeps throwing me off. For all of you?"

"Yeah; is it really that different?"

"Over the phone a bit," he said, "And... let me ask you, are you far from where you were taken?"

"I... don't know," he admitted, and then held the phone away a bit and called, "Kagome?"

She poked her head out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth and said, "Yeah, what?" around it before taking it out.

"How long did you guys walk with me?" he asked.

"Um... dunno, couldn't have been more than two hours though," she said.

"Two hours walk," the hanyou said into the phone.

"Anything more specific? Uphill, downhill: was there a river?" Sessho-Maru pressed.

"Was there a river?" Inu-Yasha echoed to his girlfriend.

She paused and looked confused for a moment.

"Yes," she said, "We went out of the building, downhill to the highway... then along the highway, sort of, and then across a small river."

"Heard it," Sessho-Maru said immediately, "Okay. I have someone near you, she can be there in half an hour with new clothes. Then just... stay there, wait for me, okay?"

"Uh, okay; Sessho, what the hell is going on?" Inu-Yasha asked as Kagome walked over and sat beside him with a curious expression on her face, "What do you mean you have 'someone'?

"Don't really have time to explain, I need to get a bunch of shit together. You'll know her when you see her. Just... trust me, okay, little brother?"

"Okay, but-"

There was a click, and his brother was gone. Inu-Yasha sighed and hung the phone up.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked.

"I really don't know," he said, "He sounds... I'd say anxious, but that's not quite it."

He scratched his head.

"So what now?" she asked.

"I guess we wait," he replied.

Kagome groaned and flopped to her side, and then consciously rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Inu-Yasha leaned over the edge to look at her, both his eyebrows and ears cocked in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said innocently, looking up at him.

Inu-Yasha looked at her curiously, and then flopped on the bed, drooping his upper half over the side towards her.

"This is an awkward question," he started.

"No, you don't look like a freak," Kagome replied.

"What? No, that wasn't... I was going to ask," the boy said, a bit flustered, "If you'd be up to telling me what happened in there."

Kagome looked up at him in confusion.

"It was terrible. Why do you want to know?"

"Well, when we were at the hospital a while back, that doctor said I should try to make you talk about stuff when it was really bothering you," he explained, "He was talking about Tsuyomaru more specifically, but I thought... you know, maybe it would be... helpful?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and she stared back at him for a moment, contemplating her options.

"Okay," she said a bit reluctantly, and then sighed, "Yeah. You're probably right."

x

Kagome clambered back onto the bed and began to relate what had happened from the time she had woken up to when she had found him. Soon after she began, though, Koga woke and was eager to join in the conversation; it wasn't hard for her to start over. She explained all about the room, and the plan to have her killed, and how she injected herself with the serum that had caused her arm to become like the late Tsuyomaru's. Her story elicited much shock and hugging from Koga, though Inu-Yasha listened, ears perked, red eyes narrowed, his face grim. By the time Kagome had concluded with finding Inu-Yasha, Koga seemed like he would be on the edge of his seat if he hadn't been sitting on the bed with them, and Inu-Yasha merely shook his head, stared downwards and growled out something inaudible.

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"I'm going to kill them," he said simply, he eyes darting up to meet hers, his expression deadly serious, "I will kill all of them."

"Hey, at least we got out," Kagome said weakly, trying to smile a bit.

"No. No, that doesn't cut it this time," he said.

"We can't go back," the girl squeaked.

"Not yet," Inu-Yasha said, "But when I'm stronger. I will get stronger. I will kill them."

Koga's expression turned very worried and he looked to Kagome, who was at a loss for words. The hanyou frowned deeply, but then shook his head and put a hand to his forehead.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "I... think that was the demon in me talking."

He lowered his hand and smiled a bit.

"I get... a bit extreme sometimes when I'm like this."

It was a half-truth. Normally, he wouldn't- no, he couldn't kill them like his urge to avenge his friends demanded. But as he was now, he would do it, no problems. He might even enjoy it. He tried to hold back a shudder: such thoughts terrified him.

_I guess I'm not as normal as I thought I was_.

As if to reassure him, Kagome cupped his cheek and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead and then drew back.

"It's okay, I get it," she said.

"Yeah," Koga agreed, "I don't know if I could do it. But... they have to be stopped."

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome slumped where she sat, only to spring up a second later in surprise as there was a knock on the door.

"Demon," Inu-Yasha said immediately, turning to look at the door.

x

Kagome scrambled off the bed, toppling to the floor awkwardly, and then jumped to her feet and opened the door a crack. Before her stood a woman, almost unnaturally tall, with dark hair tied back in a bun and bright blue eyes much like Koga's. She looked at Kagome with a sort of analyzing stare and said,

"Three of you, right?"

Kagome nodded, a little stunned, and the woman passed her four plastic bags she had against the wall to her left.

"Thanks," Kagome said.

"I took the liberty of bringing you some food as well," she said.

A chorus of "thank yous!" were heard from the boys and Kagome smiled shyly as the woman before her grinned a little, showing fang.

"I'll wait around," she said.

"You don't want to come in?" Kagome asked politely.

The woman shook her head and turned to leave, waving over her shoulder. Kagome stared after for a moment before she ducked back into the room, taking the bags with her and putting them on the ground. It seemed as if one was food, and each of the other three contained a set of clothes per person, t-shirts and jeans for all.

"Who wants what t-shirt, black or white?" Kagome asked her friends.

"Don't care," Koga said.

"But I care less," Inu-Yasha moped.

Kagome snickered a little and tossed Inu-Yasha bad with the black t-shirt.

"In case you start bleeding all over things again," she explained.

"Good call," he said, giving her the thumbs-up as she tossed the other bag to Koga.

x

Though Inu-Yasha traded t-shirts immediately, they rotated through the bathroom to change, though Kagome insisted that the boys go first because they would, logically, be faster because she felt the need to comb her hair again. When it was Kagome's turn, she changed quickly, but gawked to see her shirt was a pink one with a white cat on it.

_Oh god, they're all gonna laugh at me,_ she thought.

She sucked it up and put on the new shirt, though was a bit surprised to find how well it fit, and how nice it felt to have proper clothes on again. Quickly, she brushed her hair and walked out of the bathroom, trying not to blush. Despite her insecurities, however, neither Inu-Yasha or Koga had anything to say about what she was wearing: they seemed to be playing "jan-ken-pon", sitting on the floor with a bag of chips open. After staring at them for a moment, Kagome said,

"So?"

Inu-Yasha looked at her, confused.

"So?" he repeated.

"Is something wrong?" asked Koga.

Kagome stared back at them and then shook her head and sat with them.

"Can we play this three ways?"

oOoOoOo

As the three teenagers played their simple game to numb their boredom, almost 200 miles away, Sessho-Maru, his face a little gaunt from lack of sleep, hurried up the steps to a quaint, pretty house in the suburbia of north Tokyo. As he approached the door, he knocked on it heavily, containing his anxiousness quite effectively despite everything.

x

After a few seconds, the door opened to a tiny girl, looking up at him with wide, bright eyes.

"Hi, is your mother home?" he asked, leaning down a little.

The girl nodded and scurried away, returning, dragging a young woman behind her. The woman was small, wiry, with a pointed face and sharp, brown eyes; black hair tied back in a ponytail. She froze when she saw him, and then knelt to the girl, whispering,

"Honey, why don't you go have some more toast, huh?"

The child nodded once more and hurried away, and the woman approached Sessho-Maru with a frown.

"What is it, Sessho-Maru?" she asked.

"Nomi," he said, nodding a greeting, "I've got something big."

"Oh?" she said, her eyes going wide, "How big?"

"They caught my brother," he said, and though the woman raised a hand to her mouth in horror, Sessho-Maru continued, "He got away. He knows where they are."

Nomi still looked shocked, but she lowered her hand and said,

"You need me?"

"I need your whole team," he said, "The more spiritual power, the better at this point."

Nomi nodded and held up one finger.

"Just let me make some calls. You want to come in?"

"No, I need to call some people as well," he said, "I'll be in the car."

She nodded and ducked back into the house hurriedly, and Sessho-Maru immediately whipped out his cellphone. As soon as he heard an answer of the weasel demon, Itachi, on the other end, he said, unable to keep a fangy grin off his face,

"We've got them."

* * *

A/N: Again, a huge thanks to all readers and/or reviewers, with special thanks to the users: Saria Forest14, Leneia and Claireness77, for being awesome.

Also, "jan-ken-pon" is the Japanese version of "Rock-Paper-Scisors", which is basically the same as non-Japanese "Rock-Paper-Scisors".

As always, suggestions for future events and critiques are greatly encouraged and appreciated, and please feel free to correct any atrocious spelling/grammar things that come up.


	47. End of the Storm

CHAPTER 45: End of the Storm

* * *

"Does anyone else feel that?"

Inu-Yasha's ears were perked, his red eyes wide and his entire body rigid and alert. His friends followed his gaze as if he were actually looking at something, both looking equally puzzled.

x

It was midday, bright now, with barely a cloud in the sky, a stark contrast from the intense rain during the morning. Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Koga, all rather dry, bandaged, and fed, were sitting on the floor with bags of chips, with Kagome wrapped in a blanket and Koga sitting in a circle of pillows. Inu-Yasha had been in the middle of a story about the dragon in his house when a strange sense had hit him. It felt demon, but odd, and unlike anything he had felt before, and gave him pause.

x

Kagome raised her eyebrows.

"Feel _what_?" she asked.

Inu-Yasha was silent for a moment. The feeling was getting closer and after a few moments, Koga shivered uncomfortably.

"Ooh, _that_... Is that what you were talking about?" he asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and then focused his energy into trying to discern what was approaching.

"Um... what?" Kagome asked, looking between them, "Should I be worried?"

Inu-Yasha didn't reply, though Koga looked to him as well with a questioning, worried expression. The hanyou was very focused and his friends were quiet, waiting for him to speak. As he concentrated on the feeling, however, he began to relax. Very faintly, he felt his brother's youki, and it was quickly obvious to him that the sense of youki was so strange because it was not the energy of one: it was the accumulated energy of over two dozen demons. Though this was reassuring, it puzzled him as well, but the fact that Sessho-Maru was with them made him sure that it was a good sign.

x

When Inu-Yasha's posture began to relax, his friends took the cue that things would be okay; Koga smiled a little awkwardly and right before Kagome could ask, Inu-Yasha said,

"It's cool. Sessho-Maru's almost here. He's brought more demons for... some reason."

Kagome immediately brightened and Koga breathed out a sigh of relief, but then the girl looked a bit disappointed.

"Aw, how come I can't feel it?" she asked.

"Give it a while longer?" the hanyou suggested, grinning at her a bit, "Why is it so important?"

"I just want to fit in," she joked.

She stuck her tongue out a bit and he laughed a little, bumping her shoulder lightly with his fist. She whacked him in return, but then jumped, startled, and clung to him with wide eyes.

"Yikes! There it is!" she squeaked.

The wolf across from her couldn't help but snicker.

x

It wasn't long before an almost overwhelming amount of energy was billowing like a storm around the building and a rumbling of trucks growled through the air, and Inu-Yasha finally elected to check outside, despite his appearance. Upon stepping out into the open air, however, the hanyou was taken aback to see dozens of dark green-grey trucks rolling into the minuscule town. The air, cool and crisp, was abuzz with noise and demonic energy as youkai, humanoids mostly, dressed in blue and black body armour began to pile out of the vehicles and rush around the area very purposefully.

x

Behind Inu-Yasha, Kagome snuck outside, and Koga leaned around her as well, looking shocked. In several directions, breaking off from others, they saw demons, four of them, each carrying a strange disk with a pointed pole mounted in the center. To their surprise, a human joined each of them. The teens observed the closest pair: they planted the disk heavily onto the ground. The demon, a bit reptilian in appearance, pushed the disk into the dirt with his foot. The human, a young man, then raised his hand to the pole, and within a few seconds a sort of transparent, reflective film, like a soap bubble in the sunlight, spread upwards into the sky, which the couple observed rather proudly.

"What is that?" Kagome voiced.

Inu-Yasha followed the path of the covering as it soon joined in a sort of dome high above him with three other streams.

"It's.. a spiritual barrier," he said, his voice reflecting his surprise

"Oh wow," Kagome breathed, stepping further into the light to stare up at the shimmer of the dome around them.

"This is so weird: I've never seen so many demons in one place," Koga said, awed.

"Neither have I," Inu-Yasha admitted.

x

Unsure of what they should do now, Inu-Yasha gazed around the place and felt Kagome begin to cling to his arm. Within seconds, however, the group was stunned to see a limousine, larger than life, rush up to meet them in front of the motel and screech to a stop. Within seconds, Sessho-Maru had emerged from it, shoving a cellphone into his jacket pocket.

"You kids alright?" the youkai asked, striding to them with a very serious look on his face.

All three of them merely stared back at him, wide-eyed, until his brother voiced,

"A limo?"

"It's for you three, on your way back," he explained, waving his hand dismissively, "It's big on the inside, good for napping and whatnot. Inu-Yasha, you look like shit."

"Well thanks," the hanyou growled, rolling his eyes.

"No, I mean..."

Sessho-Maru seemed exasperated and his eyebrows twitched into a position that almost indicated worry.

"I mean, you got the shit kicked out of you, right? Are you okay?"

Inu-Yasha was taken aback, his eyes wide and round, but he nodded nonetheless, saying,

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"You should have seen him last night though, oh man," Kagome squeaked ruefully, hugging onto his arm.

"Kagome," he chided, though his brother's frown deepened.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'll tell you all about it later," the hanyou assured him.

The youkai seemed to consider it for a moment before he nodded and then turned quickly to wave his hand as if directing someone off in the distance.

"Um, is it okay if I ask? What's going on here?" Koga wondered quietly.

Sessho-Maru turned back to them in an instant, and though his expression was still steady, his eyes were alight in a way that was so excited that it was rather unnerving.

"We're going to find where you three were," he said, "We're going to destroy the place."

"You can...? Is that safe?" Kagome demanded, worried.

Sessho-Maru gestured widely.

"Do you see everyone here? It was hard to get this many, but they'll never have seen anything like this. We can't lose."

"Oh wow," Inu-Yasha said, a sort of unconscious awe in his voice, "But... who are all these people? I don't recognize any of them."

Sessho-Maru looked almost apologetic and stared Inu-Yasha down as if he wanted to explain much; as if he wanted to tell his brother everything in detail about what was happening, but instead, he said,

"They're demons, mostly. Some humans with spiritual powers. They work for me, sometimes."

Inu-Yasha was about to ask more, but swiftly, Sessho-Maru turned his attention on Kagome.

"We've been to your house; started getting your stuff," he said, "Seeing as you can't stay there anymore, obviously."

Kagome nodded and again, Sessho-Maru changed targets, turning over his shoulder to beckon to someone amongst the group standing beside the nearest of the large trucks.

"Nomi, here," he said.

A woman, smartly dressed, tall, with hair pulled back cleanly into a ponytail, narrow features and very intense eyes, strode from the truck with a carefully wrapped, long object in her hands. She came to a halt beside Sessho-Maru, her gaze flitting across the disheveled teens.

"The tall one, I assume?" she asked.

Sessho-Maru gave her a curt nod and she passed the package to Inu-Yasha. He took it with surprise, but when he pulled back the corner of the cloth, he immediately understood. A rush of energy seemed to wipe the purple stripes from his skin and rinse the red from his eyes and he stumbled a little, cringing.

"Whoa, what?" Kagome asked, taking his hand.

"It's like a failsafe," Sessho-Maru said simply, "Our father designed it. Full-blood youkai can't actually touch the thing. Irritating as all hell."

Nomi cut her eyes at him and smirked just a little almost out of smugness, but he merely turned away to pull his phone from his jacket.

"Nomi, I suspect your group will be needed, can you be ready in 10?" he asked.

"I can be ready in 5," she said, turning back to the truck she had come from.

"Good. Inu-Yasha, go with her; Nomi, have someone work on blasting that metal off him, huh?" the youkai said.

She gave him the thumbs-up and stepped into the group, taking Inu-Yasha by the shoulder and saying,

"This won't take long."

He nodded a bit uncertainly and followed her, leaving Kagome and Koga still a little shaken, standing by Sessho-Maru.

x

"Um," Kagome voiced a little nervously, "Sessho-Maru, what's going to happen now?"

She was worried about sounding completely stupid for being so out of the loop, but to her surprise, he cracked a tiny smile.

"Don't worry, kids, you'll stay at my place until your new one is ready," he assured her.

She nodded and Koga sagged with relief.

"Good, your place seems like a safe place to be," Koga voiced.

"Will you get my little brother?" Kagome asked.

Sessho-Maru nodded.

"What about Buyo - er... my cat?"

"Already got him."

"Thank you so much."

Kagome couldn't help herself; she darted forward and tiredly hugged the tall youkai around his middle. He froze, and though his expression still didn't falter for an instant, he seemed surprised as he awkwardly patted Kagome on her back with the hand that still held a cellphone grasped tight.

"You know, you may be scary as hell, but you're a good guy, Sessho-Maru, you really are," she mumbled.

"Well, don't let anyone else hear you say that, it may cause a rebellion," he replied a bit sternly.

Kagome pulled back a bit, looking confused.

"You made another joke," she said.

"Why does this constantly surprise you?" he asked.

She drew back and shrugged, and beside her Koga couldn't help but snicker at her. She elbowed him playfully and Sessho-Maru looked between the two and pointed at Koga.

"Who are you supposed to be, again?" he asked.

"Fake twin," he replied a bit brightly, and Kagome nodded eagerly and, without even looking at him, reached a hand out to playfully ruffle his hair.

He made a sort of "awawawa" sound and waved his hands, and Sessho-Maru merely rolled his eyes and headed off to do something considerably more significant, muttering, "kids," while shaking his head.

x

After just a moment, Kagome took both sides of Koga's head in her hands, inspecting his hair much more gently.

"It actually looks kind of good like this," she commented, "Are you gonna leave it or grow it out again?"

"I think I'll leave it," he said, "I guess I had it long because I didn't really think about it."

"Fair enough," Kagome said, releasing him.

She looked at him with a slightly furrowed brow and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, "I... I'm sorry, you've been so good to me, and I've just been so preoccupied with Yasha-"

"Hey," Koga said, holding up one hand as if to halt her, "Don't even worry about it. He kind of got the shit kicked out of him. I came out pretty okay."

Kagome nodded but still held remnants of guilt on her face and, after a moment of biting her lip with hesitation, she leaned closer to him and kissed him quickly on the cheek. When she pulled back, smiling bashfully, the boy looked back at her with eyes like globes, his face a stark crimson. He was utterly silent for a few seconds, and then quickly moved to hug her tightly. His tail was wagging back and forth exuberantly; Kagome giggled quietly and returned the embrace.

x

When he drew away, he held her before him by her shoulders, grinning almost proudly; Kagome was surprised to see his eyes were glossy with tears.

"We really are a family, huh?" he asked, laughing a little.

"We absolutely are," Kagome agreed.

The youkai's smile widened and he wiped his eyes quickly on the back of his hand.

"Sorry, it's..." he began, and then sniffed a little, mumbled a quiet and laughing "oh god", before saying, "It's something I haven't felt in a long time. Family. You know."

Kagome nodded and gave him an understanding smile. She supposed it must have been hard for him, especially considering his wolf-like nature, to be alone like he had been. It made her feel rather satisfied to call him family, if she were being honest.

x

Before she could help herself, Kagome had grabbed his hands and begun to hop up and down with a tired giddiness that he caught onto very quickly: the best sort of contagion . He joined her, giggling along with her. Behind her, however, Inu-Yasha's brother was frowning deeply on the phone, and Koga couldn't help but slow to a stop to listen as Sessho-Maru said,

"So what exactly is going on in there?"

His voice was stern; flat, but very commanding. Koga began to feel a bit worried and Kagome turned her attention to Sessho-Maru as well. There was a long pause; Koga could only hear snippets of a female voice describing some of what was left in the building. Sessho-Maru didn't waver at all, and, after a while, said,

"And you've detained this man? ...Good. I'll be there soon."

He flicked his phone closed and pocketed it, and then cast a quick glance towards the worried teens.

"Made quite the mess, it seems," he said, though there was an unuttered pride to his words, "I'll be heading to the base soon. You'll be alright on your own, right?"

"So you found everything okay?" Kagome asked.

"Yes. You know, they _had_a distance barrier. To prevent overhead infiltration."

Koga and Kagome shared a puzzled glance.

"Guess we broke something important," the wolf joked.

Kagome nodded and cracked a smile; she turned to Sessho-Maru to ask him more, perhaps if there was anything they could do to help, but he was distracted, raising his hand to someone behind them.

x

The girl turned to see Inu-Yasha, pale, a bit shaken, clutching Tetsusaiga tightly with Nomi's hand on his shoulder, escorting him back towards them.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and as he got closer, she bolted towards him.

She was relieved to see that the shackles weren't on his body anymore. She quickly grasped his hands in both of hers and he smiled a bit awkwardly at her as his body quaked.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"He's just a bit rattled," Nomi explained, releasing him gently, "Concentrated spiritual pulses will do that to a demon."

"I'm fine," he reassured Kagome; he was a little quiet, but he seemed rather pleased.

"Good, now get in the car and go home," Sessho-Maru said sternly.

"You don't need us here?" the hanyou asked.

"No. You're exhausted. They're exhausted-"

He gestured to Kagome and Koga.

"-just go home. Start recuperating. I can manage without you, Inu-Yasha."

He smiled; just barely. Inu-Yasha was hesitant, but then nodded and conceded,

"Yeah. You're right. Let's get out of here."

He looked to his friends as if asking for their agreement. Koga said, "Yup," rather quickly and Kagome nodded and pulled him towards the back door of the large limousine. She pushed him in first and then hopped in herself, beckoning Koga as she went. The wolf joined them quickly on the huge, cushy seats inside and closed the door carefully. The engine started almost immediately and the long limousine was on its way.

x

Watching his brother and the others leave immediately took a huge weight off Sessho-Maru's mind. He suspected they would be able to finally get some rest in safety; all three of them, though he hadn't told them, looked as if they had been running on empty for a week. He sighed, frustrated; worried, though was immediately drawn by an uncertain, "um..." to his side. He turned his gaze on the human, Nomi, who looked at him with her brow bent in a concerned frown. She was silent for a while, searching for the words.

"They're so young," she said finally, crossing her arms, her expression disturbed, "Do you think they'll be okay?"

Sessho-Maru was unsure. He didn't know for certain what had happened to them, and with Inu-Yasha's repressed memories from the last incident, he was worried that the boy's mind would be fragile.

"Sure," he replied rather cooly, "I'm heading up to meet the other group at the base. They say they've got someone important in custody. Someone who claims to be an Operator."

The woman's eyes went wide, alight with a sort of eager anticipation. It was almost unsettling .

"That's a huge step forward, if it's true," she said.

Sessho-Maru nodded and smiled just a little.

"I'm hoping to finally get some answers," he admitted.

oOoOoOoO

In the forest, in the clearing once guarded and hidden, the fortress of concrete and metal seemed almost skeletal now despite little exterior damage. The barbed wire fences that encircled it were bent back, torn; flattened, and demons patrolled around the perimeter, some with weapons in hand, others sorting through the contents of trucks; yet more preparing their own vehicles with medical supplies and stretchers in the back.

x

As Sessho-Maru and Nomi, along with four other humans (all trained with spiritual powers), arrived at the place, the youkai skimmed the structure disdainfully and his lip curled a little at the metallic scent of blood that was soaked into the very earth. Nomi looked fairly uncomfortable and unwittingly clenched her fingers into Sessho-Maru's sleeve. He made no comment nor move to pull away, but he simply continued on towards the building and the human's fingers slipped from his jacket; she gulped and straightened herself immediately. She followed him, as did the others with her as he was approached by a young youkai man who looked human other than the light blue tone of his skin.

"Sir," he said to Sessho-Maru, quickly and yet polite, "Let me take you inside."

Sessho-Maru was having a hard time concentrating: a trail of rubble that reeked of his brother's blood was scattered across the dirt before him.

"Take them," he said, gesturing to the others with him, "I'd like to look around myself."

The young man nodded and beckoned to Nomi and the others. The members of her team, though a bit trepidations, followed, though Nomi looked to Sessho-Maru curiously.

"Should I go with them, or would you like me to go with you?"

"With them; I'm sure we'll meet up inside at some point," the youkai said dismissively.

He wasn't sure he had enough patience in him to deal with all the people around him. Nomi frowned, concerned, but nodded and turned to follow the others as the blue youkai took them to what was a relatively undamaged front door to the building.

x

Sessho-Maru, however, took note of the debris and trailed them back around the side of the base. There, he was only slightly surprised to see a large hole blasted out of a rather thick, concrete wall. The remains showed scars of an energy burn, and the youkai felt quite clearly that it was Inu-Yasha's, if not a little warped. He leaned close to look at the dark room curiously. The remnants of blood and youki painted a curious picture for him: his brother, a full youkai, bursting into the room to a protective wolf and the human girl, and then blasting a hole through the wall mere moments before dozens of humans ran in to pursue them. A brief frown crossed Sessho-Maru's brow before he straightened at the sound of his name. Around the corner towards the front of the base came a large demon, built like a tank; with the face and horns of a bull.

"Sir," he said, red eyes wide, looking a bit exasperated: he must've called several times, "We believe we have the base's Operator. I'd like to bring you to him."

Sessho-Maru said nothing but an involuntary smirk crossed his face and he joined the other demon quickly.

"Ueda Gorou, right?" he asked.

The bull nodded, and began to head back towards the main door; Sessho-Maru fell into step beside him easily.

"So, what do we know about this man?"

"His name is Yoshida Takehiko, 46, lives in Kawasaki with his wife, Miu, and young daughter, Hanako," Gorou explained as they walked, "He arrived at the base shortly after your brother and his friends escaped in an attempt to restore some order. He was trying to forward information out of the computer systems here when we apprehended him."

Gorou opened the thick door as they approached, politely, and Sessho-Maru entered, though the demon behind him had to duck rather low to fit inside; they quickly continued on their way. Sessho-Maru noticed the scattered chairs around the entrance way and, leading to hallways, the remnants of metal dividers that had been either melted or blasted through. They took a hallway on the far left.

"We suspect he has quite a bit of information," the bull continued to explain as they hurried past strange, corrupted-looking computer monitors.

"Do we have someone monitoring his family?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Gorou looked at him a little grimly and nodded.

"Good."

Sessho-Maru wore a very serious expression on his face, but his mind was elsewhere. He was certainly not above emotional blackmail; he knew he'd need to pressure this man for information. Sessho-Maru already suspected someone of being in charge of the whole "Project Youki" debacle, but he needed more. More names, locations, anything to stop these people. Even more specifically, he wanted a man with the surname "Kurotaka". Inu-Yasha had told him about him a bit after he had recovered from his initial capture. Kurotaka was Inu-Yasha's ex-girlfriend's father. Records on him were painfully elusive, and if he were honest, considering Inu-Yasha's relationship with the man's daughter, Sessho-Maru was surprised that the hanyou had made it out of his first ordeal alive.

x

"Are you in contact with the monitors?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Yes," Gorou said.

"Good."

They stalled in front of a metal door with faint claw marks running along the surface and then bull youkai gestured to it. Sessho-Maru nodded his thanks and then said,

"I need you to be ready to tell them to take the daughter," he said.

"The daughter?" Gorou repeated.

His eyes went a little wide.

"Yes. Not violently. Not intimidatingly. Get someone... you know, 'fluffy'," he explained.

"You want to use his daughter to get information from him?"

Gorou's tone wasn't judgmental or upset, but he sounded a bit surprised.

"Yes. It's often the only way to get through to these people," Sessho-Maru explained simply, "She is not to be harmed in any way. Clear?"

"Absolutely," the other youkai replied.

He turned and began to pull a phone from his jacket, and Sessho-Maru headed inside the room.

x

Upon entering, he found himself inside a small, office-like room that seemed to have once been used for computer work. Now, however, the computers projected a strange, haunting image of a demonic face and most of the room was overturned. A demon man, middle aged, with a face covered in stubble and the faint lines of tiger markings, stood poised and serious looking with a gun in his hands near the door while, further in, a young, tired-looking woman, a miko with a baseball cap on, sat meditating. Beside that sat, in a chair, an incredibly agitated man in street-clothes, surrounded by an ever circling Shini-dama-chuu, a long, ghostly eel-like creature that kept him quite powerless where he was.

"Be careful with that," Sessho-Maru told the woman.

Though her eyes were closed, she smiled a little and said, softly, "don't worry, I have it." Pleased, Sessho-Maru turned immediately to the man in the chair.

"Yoshida Takehiko, yes?" the youkai said bluntly, and Takehiko looked at him, surprised, "You will tell me about what's going on here."

"Fuck you," the man spat immediately.

"There's no point in refusing to cooperate."

"Like I said. Fuck you."

Sessho-Maru inclined his head ever so slightly as the man looked back at him with a mixture of defiance and fear.

"I want to know what this place is for. Specifically. And I want to know where you keep your primary data banks."

"I thought you freaks had super hearing," Takehiko sneered, "I said, fuck you."

Sessho-Maru was getting quite bored with the human's repetitive retorts.

"So then you would prefer not to go home, then," Sessho-Maru said, nodding, "I'm sure Miu and little Hanako will be wondering where you are soon, don't you think?"

The youkai knew he had struck a nerve when he saw the man's face pale and his eyes widen.

"Don't you touch them," the man growled.

"It's a little late for that," Sessho-Maru replied simply, smirking just a little.

With that, he turned and left the room promptly, planning on letting the man stew for a while, and approached Gorou in the hall. The bull's face was a bit worried and his ears were drooped.

"I've done as you asked," he said before Sessho-Maru could inquire as to what the situation was, "Aki... she's a bear youkai, very kind: she has the girl. They're playing and having snacks."

"How old is the kid?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Four-ish," Gorou said, and then, quietly, "I hope this is the right thing."

He immediately looked ashamed and jerked to look at Sessho-Maru with wide eyes.

"Sorry, sir, not to question you-" he began, but the inu youkai merely shook his head.

"That feeling of guilt and uncertainty you have is a very appropriate reaction," he assured him.

The bull youkai's face was unsure, but he nodded and Sessho-Maru held his hand out and was passed the phone almost immediately. He redialed the last number and was answered with a pleasant, female,

"Hello?"

"Aki? This is Sessho-Maru, put the kid on the phone."

There was a shuffling and he heard a child laugh, and a high-pitched,

"Hi!"

"Hanako?" Sessho-Maru asked kindly.

"Yes, hello!" she replied, "I'm playing with a big bear! Who is this?"

The youkai smiled a bit and walked back into the room behind him. Inside, Takehiko looked up immediately with a scowl on his face.

"I'm with your daddy, Hanako, would you like to say hello to him?" Sessho-Maru asked smoothly.

He saw the human's face go absolutely white when, thorough the phone, his daughter's voice called, brightly, "Hi daddy, I'm with a big, big bear!"

Sessho-Maru closed the phone at looked at Takehiko with a sort of merciless coldness in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch," the human spat.

"Ready to talk?"

The youkai inclined his head and Takehiko looked back at him with utter loathing, but, after a few moments, wilted in his seat.

"What was it? The databanks?" he asked tiredly, "...The other end of the building. Big room, filled with computers, sign on the door that says, _no drinks allowed_or some shit like that. I don't know the password anymore, someone changed it. Just... don't hurt Hanako."

Sessho-Maru considered the man's words for a moment and looked to the large youkai man in the room. He raised his eyebrows a bit.

"You heard him. Find someone _technical_and take the room."

The youkai nodded swiftly and hurried out the door. Sessho-Maru smiled a little.

"That's all for now. Sit tight."

He left to the man growling out, "Fuck you," again. It was a little bit funny.

x

Outside, Sessho-Maru returned the phone to Gorou, asking him to tell Aki to take the girl home whenever they were done. He then decided to inspect the building for himself.

x

As Sessho-Maru prowled the halls of what could essentially be called a prison, old tales were told through blood and energy, the scent of death stuck into the very walls. He noted his own people searching rooms around him. He could smell Kagome here as well, panic-stricken; determined, with an aura reeking of dragon. In a way, it was like looking back in time.

x

Following Kagome's trail, he soon found himself in a hall filled with strange prison rooms. This also lead him to his brother. There was so much blood here that it was on the verge of cringe-inducing, even for him. Around the middle of the hall, he found what must have been where his brother had been kept for some time, though he was almost amused to see the door collapsed inwards into what appeared to be an observation area. One peek inside and through the scratched window, however, for the first time in a long while, made him feel a bit cold and his heartbeat begin to speed. The human blood strewn across the place was one thing; but the clawmarks and the sundered armour and chains were something else. He ducked back out of the observation chamber and pushed through the unlocked door to the holding cell. The smell of blood hit him even more heavily and he gazed around the room with a frown. He saw the shattered, strange armour more closely now, most scattered on the floor, some imbedded into the wall, and, curiously, he picked up what seemed to be part that once covered a shoulder. The metal was thick and heavy; certainly heavy enough to seriously impede the movements of any human. It was strange, and as Sessho-Maru spun it in his hands to examine it, he noticed what seemed to be some sort of unactivated connector spikes on the part that would be closest to the skin of the arm. He frowned.

x

He had seen the armour before. It had been in the building when he had saved Inu-Yasha from a place like this the first time. He had been in quite a rage and hadn't bothered with it at the time. He regretted it now; it seemed like there might be more to it. Annoyed, he dropped the metal to the floor with a loud thunk and left the room again.

x

Outside, coming around the corner to his left, Sessho-Maru spotted a young man, trained in the spiritual arts, by the name of Taku. The youkai had seen him briefly before; he often worked with Nomi. At the moment, though, he looked very pale, almost grey. He started upon seeing Sessho-Maru, but then quickly said,

"Sir, I found something. I'm not sure what I should do."

Normally, Sessho-Maru would have dismissed the man to fend for himself, but the subdued fear on his face convinced the youkai otherwise. He joined the human swiftly and followed him back to another containment cell.

"There's... I'm sorry," Taku said quietly, gulping and rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand, "There's a corpse in there."

Sessho-Maru cut his eyes at the human and frowned a little, saying, "What do you mean? These humans just left someone in there to rot?"

Taku nodded awkwardly and Sessho-Maru entered the room. Despite all his years, he wasn't entirely prepared.

x

A demon was chained to the wall, obviously having died some time ago. The body was skeletal, wasted away, but young. The victim couldn't have been more than a teenager. It had been a while since Sessho-Maru felt a sort of pounding rage like what built inside him upon seeing it. He supposed it hit a bit too close to home.

x

Behind him, Sessho-Maru barely heard the young human as he said,

"It's just... fucking terrible. I can't believe this place."

Sessho-Maru's lip curled back to show quite a bit of fang and he snorted out, "Disgusting," before turning and walking from the room, pushing the door out of his way with such force that it bent back and broke into the wall. Taku cringed and ducked out to follow, calling,

"Sir, what should I be doing?"

He could see Sessho-Maru leaning back against the wall near the other end of the hallway, his face exceedingly grim.

"Free the body, at least," he said, quiet.

Taku nodded and hurried back into the room as Sessho-Maru rubbed at his forehead. He felt sick. He hadn't felt this way in a long while. Perhaps a sense of empathy had grown on him, especially having seen his own brother nearly suffer such a fate. Perhaps it was the thought of demons being killed by humans who weren't even bothering to understand the plight of another sentient species.

_Here, for the first time in centuries, humans are not the only intelligent life on their planet, and they react by torturing and killing it. How wonderfully disgusting._

He smiled a little bit to himself at how painfully ridiculous it was, and then pushed off the wall lightly and began down the next hall, one that was increasingly wrecked as he travelled along its length.

x

The scent of blood lingered and as he approached the rubble, he could almost see a fight that had taken place between his brother and a strangely altered monster of a demon. He traced the cracks in the wall with his fingers and noted the red stains on the crumbling concrete.

_The kid did well,_he admitted.

He turned and saw Nomi round the corner, a bit disheveled, a sort of hurriedness to her that struck him as out of place and and he walked to meet her.

"Sessho-Maru," she said sharply.

She quickly tried to fix her normally pristine hair with her fingers, though Sessho-Maru ignored such things and asked,

"Problem?"

"Survivors. In bad shape," she replied.

Sessho-Maru's face showed almost nothing to register his surprise and relief, and he nodded and gestured for her to lead. She nodded and turned on her heel to quickly take him back through the destroyed hall.

x

She took him through an inconspicuous door that had mostly escaped destruction (it seemed that Inu-Yasha and his friends had taken a different route) and down a hallway that was now being thoroughly scanned by demon technicians. Very quickly, however, the hall gave way to a very large, very sterile room, at the heart of which was a giant computer terminal. The room was swarming with medics now, though. A barely-conscious human woman lay in a stretcher with three demons hovering around her, treating various contusions to her body while one of the mikos under Nomi's care desperately forced her spiritual powers into a regenerative spell. On the other side of the computer, Sessho-Maru was alarmed to see a large, blood-red oni named Akamura gingerly lifting semi-conscious demons from foul-smelling prison cells that looked as if they had been previously hidden under the floor.

"What the hell happened here?" Sessho-Maru asked at a quiet growl.

"We believe it was experiments involving aura manipulation," Nomi replied, her brow furrowed as she tried to keep her composure.

Sessho-Maru frowned deeply. He prowled near the rescued prisoners, watching as Akamura was joined by several others, laying the demons down on stretchers, trying to comfort and beginning medical assistance.

"Where did the human come from?" he asked, nodding at the woman nearer to the door.

"Nearby. We don't think she was here long," Nomi explained, "She said... they were after her children."

"Children?" the youkai repeated.

Again, he looked at the prisoners on the stretchers. Most of them seemed rather young. Another similarity struck him quickly as he looked again, and he wanted to hit himself for not noticing immediately.

"Hanyous," he breathed.

"What?" the woman asked.

Sessho-Maru was suddenly very angry.

"They're all hanyous," he growled.

He was storming off before Nomi could question him further. The woman gulped a bit and followed hurriedly, though she stayed back a fair distance: she could feel his aura beginning to pulse with rage. This was undoubtedly a wise decision.

x

The demon was all but seeing red by the time he returned to the room of their prisoner. A flick of his arm sent the thick door flying back off its hinges, making the people inside jump with surprise. Sessho-Maru's eyes narrowed and locked upon the Operator. Within an instant, he had the man by the throat, tearing him from the spirit binds, the creatures flitting about in a fit of surprise; lifting him up high off his feet. The human let out a gurgle and Sessho-Maru thought he might have heard some alarmed person nearby, but this wasn't important now.

"What are the hanyous for?" Sessho-Maru asked.

He frowned as the man in his grasp choked out some inaudible answer. The youkai growled and threw the man roughly to the floor. He coughed and gasped for air, gripping the tile, and Sessho-Maru inclined his head and squatted down to stare at him intently.

"Answer me," he said, "Did you forget I still have your daughter?"

The man grimaced and coughed, and then muttered out, "I don't know," at a quiet growl. Sessho-Maru bared his fangs a little and, with a flick of his wrist, sent the man tumbling heavily against the wall.

"Pathetic," the youkai sneered, "So, you would sacrifice the safety of your daughter for your job? How sad."

"I don't really give a damn what you think of me," the man replied, breathing heavily, "But who the fuck do you think you are? Taking someone's kid. You are monsters."

"And I suppose all the kidnapped children a few rooms back, those ones don't count," he said, smiling a bit, "Tell me about the hanyous."

The man frowned deeply, and he put a hand to his head.

"No."

Sessho-Maru reached into his pocket; though the man winced, whatever he had been expecting was contradicted as the demon pulled out his cellphone. He pushed number-keys quickly and lifted it to his ear, and said,

"Aki? You have the girl? Kill her."

"Wait!" Takehiko shrieked immediately, followed by an alarmed squeak of "Sessho-Maru!" from Nomi.

"Hold on until I say," Sessho-Maru said, and then looked at the man expectantly.

"I don't know everything," he admitted, "It's about the 'auras'."

Sessho-Maru stared intently at the man and he looked back and recoiled a bit unwittingly.

"Don't hurt Hanako," he pleaded.

"Tell me what I want, and she won't be harmed," the youkai promised.

Takehiko nodded hurriedly, and Sessho-Maru closed the phone.

"A hanyou aura is different than a human or a demon by themselves," he said, "The combination of the spiritual and the demonic. That's what we were studying here."

"Why?"

"...I don't know. It was my job to collect the specimens, nothing more," Takehiko explained, "I'm not in the Top Four, I don't know the details.

Sessho-Maru nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment, mulling over the information carefully.

"The Top Four?" he asked, "Kurotaka must be one. How about the others?"

"I don't know them. I swear," he said, "I've never even met Kurotaka. Never even seen him."

"And you know nothing more?" the youkai asked.

The man leaned forward a bit and and he nodded. Sessho-Maru frowned just a little, and reached out a hand to the man. Very quickly, he flicked his thumb up against the Operator's chin. His head snapped back as if yanked and there was a loud crack; his body slumped awkwardly to the right. Sessho-Maru stood almost immediately and straightened his jacket rather casually.

x

When he turned, however, the other youkai, and Nomi, were all looking at him with confused, disturbed; worried expressions. Sessho-Maru paid them no heed until the woman grabbed his arm lightly, staring at him, mouth ajar a little as if unsure of what to say.

"Yes?" the youkai asked.

"...Did you- Did you have to kill him?" she asked.

Sessho-Maru noticed some of the others around seemed to share her question: he could tell simply from their expressions. He sighed and pulled his arm from her grasp, but reassuringly patted her shoulder.

"I'm nearly nine hundred years old," he said simply, "I know a reoccurring villain when I see one."

Nomi frowned a bit, but she nodded, seeming to understand, but then said,

"But, you told Aki-"

"The phone wasn't on."

He smiled just a little and Nomi let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god; I didn't think you would be so heartless."

"I may have no qualms about killing humans, Nomi; that doesn't mean I'll kill children," he assured her.  
She nodded, and seemed to be about to ask him more, but he was already gone from the room. Nomi sighed and stuck her head out the door to see him disappearing around a corner.

"Where are you going?" she called.

He didn't answer; she rolled her eyes and and followed him at a jog.

oOoOoOoO

It didn't take Sessho-Maru long to find the computer room that Takehiko had mentioned, but upon arrival, the youkai was surprised to see the level of activity from his people within. The room was large, like a typical classroom, and the walls were nearly invisible beneath humming harddrives. Demons and humans alike were rushing around the room, many on phones, some on one of the dozen or so computer monitors. At the largest in the far center wall sat Itachi, the weasel demon, not even a shred of the pretense of a human disguise he often wore left. He appeared as a man-sized, mottled brown weasel with a face that resembled a shark more than anything else. His clawed fingers were a blur on the keyboard at the counter before him and he sat with one leg folded up on the wheeled office chair he sat at with his other drumming the floor like a cartoon rabbit. His red eyes were fixed unblinkingly through the shadowy dragon on the main monitor as he delved through figurative mountains of data.

x

Sessho-Maru moved to his side, his curiosity perked. Judging by the unusual level of competence, the youkai assumed something very large must have been found.

"How are you faring?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Shit, this is a mess, Chief," Itachi replied immediately, "Someone somehow "demon-hacked" this entire system. I've never seen this before."

"Explain?"

Sessho-Maru looked at Itachi curiously, who finally turned his eyes away from the screen and looked at the dog demon in exasperation.

"Somehow, someone with no knowledge of what they were doing possessed this system and made this stuff basically unusable to non-demons. It's ridiculous."

Sessho-Maru was taken aback. He hadn't been aware that possessing a computer was a viable option, but then again, why wouldn't it be? He nodded, a bit impressed, and then looked to Itachi with an eyebrow raised.

"So what's the problem?"

"Well the problem is," the youkai sighed, "Is that it's hard for me to get through all these files. It was blocked with this weird password and it's like there's these remnants of this... dragon thing kind of hanging around, and something big seems like it's going down."

"Who did this? Doesn't sound like something they would do..." Sessho-Maru wondered.

Itachi shook his head and punched up a log-in screen, technical looking, with a bunch of coding running along the sides where Itachi had altered it, and flashing the system password, "buyo". Sessho-Maru looked at it blankly for a moment and then, despite himself, began to laugh. The sound startled almost everyone around him, who looked at him as if they were afraid he might kill them. He quietened very quickly and said,

"My brother's girlfriend did it."

"What? How?" Itachi demanded.

Sessho-Maru shook his head and pointed to the password,

"Not a clue, but that's the name of her cat."

Itachi sunk back in his chair, eyes wide, and said, "Well, shit," and almost immediately got back to work.

"We're sending all the files they have here to one of our backups," he explained before Sessho-Maru could ask, "And blocking their other facilities from remote accessing them."

"Good," Sessho-Maru said, and then jerked his thumb at the others, "What are they doing?"

"Ah, that," Itachi replied as he began to type furiously again, "That's important. We found a hit-list."

"Hit-list?" Sessho-Maru repeated.

He suddenly wasn't in such a decent mood.

"A list of people to take, I guess," Itachi explained, "Inu-Yasha was staying at his girlfriend's place, right? What's her name?"

"Higurashi Kagome," Sessho-Maru replied.

"Yeah, Higurashi was on there."

Sessho-Maru felt a pang of annoyance and a sort of violation, as if he had just caught a peeping-tom. He frowned a little.

"We're calling all the houses on the lists and trying to send someone there personally, if we can. Trying to keep all these people safe. Relocations if we have to. Intercepting any goons sent out. I've heard of five of their teams 'taken out' already."

He looked back at Sessho-Maru as if seeking his approval; the youkai nodded, though his expression was still passively annoyed, and he said,

"Show me this list."

Itachi nodded and gestured to another computer at the other end of the room where a human woman was delegating to others and several people were on phones, presumably calling potential victims as Itachi had suggested.

x

Sessho-Maru approached the computer and the woman immediately backed away and gestured for him to use the computer. On the screen was a disturbingly in-depth list of contact information. Some people he recognized to have youkai family names, others sounded human. Jobs, schools, children, addresses; all were listed and laid bare in the cold illumination of the computer. Sessho-Maru felt himself getting rather perturbed. He scrolled through the list quickly, though paused on a name he recognized. The family name was a very old one, belonging to a clan of demon hunters from centuries back. There were three family members on the list, one of which was Inu-Yasha's age and named Sango. Sessho-Maru froze and put his finger to the screen.

"Have we contacted these people yet?" he demanded.

The woman behind him paused her conversation and leaned in to look, and replied, "Working on them, currently, sir."

"Well, hurry," he grumbled.

oOoOoOoO

The air was chilly though the sky was clear, and sitting next to the window in class, Sango felt the cold run through her even though it was closed. The seat choice hadn't been her best decision. As the teacher talked at the front of the room and her fellow classmates took notes or doodled, Sango wrapped her arms around herself to try to keep warm and crossed her legs. She should have just worn normal clothes to school and accepted a detention. It would have been worth it to be warm.

x

She sighed and then, worrying that people were starting to look at her funny, she leaned forward and put her chin in her hand, trying to look natural while also trying to pay attention. Her mind was unwillingly absent, however. Her eyes flitted to one of several empty desks in the class. It was her boyfriend, Miroku's. She had called him the night before and he had sounded fine. She didn't know why, but his absence was really bothering her. Maybe it was just she had been feeling a bit paranoid after what she had heard Inu-Yasha had been through. He had turned up missing and she was told that he had been kidnapped a little while later. She tried not to think about it. The weather was changing: maybe he had come down with a cold? She really had no idea. She decided she would try to call him again as soon as possible.

x

Midway through the day, taking notes on and off, Sango was jarred out of her thoughts by a knock on the classroom door in the middle of a quiet working time. She looked up curiously to see the teacher, looking just as surprised as she had been, open the door and step outside. Curiously, Sango leaned forward and tried to peer out the door. A few others in the room did the same, and the teacher abruptly came back in.

"Suzume?" he called.

The girl, Suzume, was sitting across the room from Sango in the same row. She had been taking notes and immediately sat up straight, her eyes wide. Sango didn't know the girl well. She was new to the school as of the start of the semester. What she did know, however, was that Suzume was a demon.

"Your father is here to get you," the teacher continued, nodding at the door.

Sango saw Suzume look utterly surprised and she scrambled to put her notebook and pens into a bag. As she left, hurriedly, Sango couldn't help but feel a sting of worry. Her initial reaction was that it seemed very suspicious that Miroku was missing, and now a youkai was being pulled from class. She bit her lip and tried to quell her worry.

_It's probably just a coincidence,_she insisted.

x

As the day progressed, and clouds started converging outside, Sango began to dread her physical education class at the end of the day. It looked like it was just getting colder and colder. She was distracted, however. She couldn't get the idea that something was wrong out of her head.

x

As the end of the day drew closer, however, Sango was both pleased and puzzled to find out that the physical education teacher had not showed up to school today. The news made Sango's stomach turn. The woman was like she and Miroku: from the past. Miroku had a way of telling, it was something to do with the spiritual energy levels or something like that. Sango had never been able to understand it completely.

x

Now able to cut out of school early, Sango headed home immediately. She was sincerely worried now, and cautious, and freezing. She desperately wanted to chock what she was noticing up to coincidence, but it didn't seem nearly that easy.

When Sango finally arrived at home, she couldn't help but feel reassured. It seemed just as warm and welcoming as ever. She went inside and locked the door behind her, and then went to the kitchen to check the time. Her father, she knew, was still at work, and it didn't look like her brother, Kohaku, would be home for almost another two hours. Lazily, she threw her backpack to the kitchen table and then fished her cellphone from it and went upstairs to her room.

x

Her room was in disarray, as always, and as she searched through a pile of clean clothes she had neglected to put away with one hand, she, a bit worriedly, tried to call Miroku with the phone in the other. Still, she got no answer, neither from his home nor his cellphone.

"Damn it," she grumbled.

After finding different clothes, she changed out of her uniform readily and pulled on a warm pair of black slacks and a pink t-shirt, and then put on an oversized, cushy grey hoody. She hated the uniform during fall: the skirt left her freezing. She shivered a little and rubbed her arms to try to warm them, and then headed back downstairs and to the kitchen.

x

Tiredly, Sango grabbed the kettle from its heating plate and filled it high with warm water; she placed it back with a clink and turned it on.

_Tea. Yes. This is what I need._

She listened to the water begin to bubble faintly and couldn't help but begin to anticipate the hot beverage. She sighed and then reached up into a cupboard. She grabbed a rather plain black and white mug and placed it on the counter, and then pulled out the tea bags as well.

x

As she waited, she turned absently to look at the phone on the counter. It sat upright in a charger, but a blinking red light on the side indicated that there were some messages recorded. This peaked her interest immediately.

"Maybe Miroku called?" she wondered aloud.

She leaned over to the phone and, picked it up, slumping back against the counter as she pushed a button to playback the messages, and then held it to her ear.

x

The first message was nothing: a long silence and then a click and dial tone. Sango frowned.

_Waste of my time._

The second message began with a shock of static, and Sango sighed in annoyance and was about to skip the message when she heard a strange sound on the other end: a low, guttural growl pushing through the buzz. Sango's heart dropped to her stomach and she gulped, going a little cold, to hear some sort of incoherent language on the other end of the phone. Then, it said her name, clear as day. Sango gasped loudly; shrilly, and lowered the phone swiftly, her thumb on the pause button, her eyes wide.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded of the phone.

Her heart was pumping much too fast and she stared at the object in her hands as if she was afraid it would spring to life. Cautiously, she raised it again. There were still two more messages.

x

The second one was similar, though a second, incoherent voice joined the first. This time, the voice asked for Kohaku. Sango was at a loss. With one message left, she assumed it would call out her father's name.

_A message for each person? What the hell is this? What language is that?_

The girl gulped heavily,

_Check the caller I.D., you idiot,_she told herself.

Before she could, however, the phone began to ring. Sango froze, her heart racing with surprise, and she peered down at the screen on the phone. The number was listed as "blocked".

"Oh, god, creepy," she said, and was about to place it back in its charger when she was startled, again, by a loud, heavy knocking at the door.

The girl took a deep breath.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she wondered aloud.

She ran a hand through her bangs and debated over whether she wanted to deal with someone at the door or not. The phone clicked over to the answering machine quickly before she had chosen.

"If someone is there, I insist you pick up the phone immediately," a voice, male, growled, "This is a matter of your life."

Sango stared at the phone with wide eyes: the voice sounded a bit familiar. Hesitantly, she picked it up, saying a cautious,

"Who is this?"

"Don't answer the door," the man ordered.

Sango was hit by a severe feeling of panic. She gulped.

_How did he know?_

"Who is this?" Sango repeated sternly.

"Is this Sango?"

"Answer me first."

"It is. It's Sessho-Maru. You remember me?"

Sango's grip on the phone tightened with cold fingers.

"Inu-Yasha's brother?" she asked, "What...? What are you doing calling me? What's going on?"

There was another hard, almost violent, knock at the door, and Sango jumped a bit despite herself.

"As I said, don't answer the door," Sessho-Maru said, "You need to get out of the house."

"Wha... What?" she asked, "Okay. What the hell's going on?"

"They're coming to take you away, kid. You know what I'm talking about."

Sango felt very cold, and she became painfully aware that her fingers were trembling.

"My family-" she began, but Sessho-Maru cut her off,

"I've sent someone to your father's work and to your brother's school. They will be safe. But I cannot get to you on time. You need to run. But we will find you. It'll be okay."

Sango winced against one more large, loud knock on the front door.

"Trust me."

The man's voice was surprisingly sincere. The girl sighed deeply, shaking, and nodded to herself.

"Okay," she replied.

"Good."

Sango took a deep breath and gently, shaking a little, hung up the phone. She wasn't entirely sure what to do, but as she begun to hear voices from the front of the house, she realized that things were very serious.

x

She ducked down to the floor, crouching and tying her hair back with an elastic from her pocket almost immediately. She also pulled her socks from her feet for fear of slipping, and instantly headed for the basement.

x

Her basement was set up similar to a dojo. Her family had been demon-hunters in the past, and though they didn't actually do that sort of thing any longer, her father had kept up their training, even to this day. She knew there were weapons down there. She had to defend herself.

x

As she descended the first few stairs, she heard, to her horror, the front door slam back on its hinges. Pieces of the door lock clinked to the floor. She sped her steps, staying quiet, and she slipped onto the matted floor below. She didn't turn on the lights and headed simply for the far end of the room. She could see the faint outline of a low table and knelt before it. Her heart raced as she heard heavy footsteps above her, creaking the floor, and her hands shook a bit as she, slowly; cautiously, moved the table to her right. Instantly, her fingers raced over the wood until she felt a tiny metal bump with her finger. Her eyes lighting up, she pressed down on it. She winced to hear the click it made and had to reassure herself that those upstairs couldn't have heard it.

x

She felt around in the dark once more to feel five wooden pegs that had popped up after she had pushed the first button. She took a deep, quiet, steadying breath: she had to hurry, but she also could not afford to screw up. Methodically, she pushed the pegs down in the order her father had taught her. She heard another click and the panel loosened and dropped down a little with a thud. Sango froze utterly, her heart pounding, feeling suddenly very cold, but after a moment of absolute stillness on her part, it didn't seem as if it had been heard. She held in a sigh of relief and cautiously hooked her fingers around the wooden panel and pulled it out of the floor. Though she couldn't see it, she knew what was beneath. Her family didn't keep guns. They did, however, have a few well-maintained swords and Sango's personal weapon, the Hiraikotsu.

x

The Hiraikotsu was like a massive boomerang. Made from the purified bones of demons long dead, the thing was large, heavy, and very strong. It was unconventional, but Sango had grown up with it. She was the only one who could use it properly.

x

Carefully, she slid it from its hiding place. She had to be incredibly careful; the weight was immense and the thing tended to be rather noisy when moved. Her fingers knit tightly in leather straps bound near the end, she heaved it up onto the floorboards, and then snatched up a sword by its side. She got to her feet, hooking her sword's sheath into her pocket as she went, and then hefted the Hiraikotsu upwards.

x

Sango snuck to the base of the stairs and put the cautious weight of one foot on the first step. The wood creaked and Sango winced and hopped back, knowing immediately that the Hiraikotsu was too heavy to let her sneak. To leave it behind, however, didn't seem very wise at all. As she listened to the footsteps above, heavy and methodical, Sango bounced nervously on her toes. When she saw the edge of clean black shoes block the light from the top of the stairs, however, she was denied any sort of choice.

x

She might have heard the man up there shout. She wasn't sure. She was up the stairs, knocking him down with the Hiraikotsu in an instant, her heart beating furiously. He tumbled heavily to the ground, slamming over the top of and end-table and shattering it. Sango whirled to keep her eyes on him, though her gaze automatically shifted to his friend, who was reaching into his jacket pocket. Within moments, Sango whirled the Hiraikotsu and shielded herself. She cringed and was forced backwards a little as the impact of bullets slammed against the solid bone. She braced herself, though her mind was racing. She didn't have enough room to throw her weapon in the house, and he was too far to hit without exposing herself to getting shot. Cautiously, she looked around the house for something, anything at all that could help her escape. The bullets were making her ears ring, but her eyes caught on the light from the back glass sliding doors. It was her best option. Gulping; scared, she propelled herself in a swift summersault, taking the huge weapon with her, towards the door. Two more shots rang out: one heralding the high, reassuring sound of breaking glass while the other elicited a cold, shocking pain through Sango's leg. She didn't cry out though, she had no time, and forced herself through the shattered back door as fast as she could go. In the grass, still slick from the downpour, she felt her leg give out and cold terror struck her. She gasped and tried to force herself up, when a shadow, huge and dark, swept out the sky overhead for just a moment. Sango heard a roar, and a scream. She stumbled and turned in the grass. The expression on her pale and distraught face turned to one of utter shock.

x

Behind her stood a massive beast, tawny in colour, with two tails. She knew immediately it was a demon. She saw the man who had been shooting thrown to the side, a bloody mess, and the youkai turned to face Sango. The face was like that of a sabre-toothed cat with eyes as red as the blood staining the fur around its mouth. It took Sango a few seconds to realize this giant beast must have been her demon. The similarities were uncanny.

"Kirara?" she breathed, stunned.

She had never seen the little neko youkai in such a form, but there was no denying that everything was the same, with the exception of the ferocity.

x

Kirara bounded to her immediately and lay down, licking Sango's face and then presenting her back. Sango was stunned, but was jarred from that when she saw the man she had knocked down finally righting himself. Immediately, despite the pain, Sango lifted herself onto Kirara's back, and the youkai stood promptly. With a roar like thunder and a leap forward, Sango was shocked to see that they were, all of a sudden, flying. The girl didn't even know what to make of it. She knotted her fingers deep into Kirara's fur and held on as if for dear life, and the youkai purred out a surprisingly gentle reassurance. Sango bit her lip and leaned forward, hearing a sudden burst of gunshots. They seemed not to connect with anything, and the wind rushing by her head soon drowned out much else. Her eyes began to water and she clutched closer into the demon's fur. She was starting to feel very weak and very tired, and her head was swimming. She supposed a nap wouldn't be so bad. She closed her eyes without much thought, but tried to stay latched tightly to Kirara.

"Thank you," she whispered, and within seconds, all was dark.

oOoOoOoO

It was late afternoon when the wounded teens were finally dropped off at Sessho-Maru's house. There was a strange car in the driveway, but other than that, the house was the same as it had always been. It was incredibly reassuring. In this place, in his exhaustion, Inu-Yasha felt more secure than he had in a long time. It was truly like coming home. He hadn't felt like this in what felt like ages.

x

As far as he knew, all three of them had fallen asleep very quickly in the large and comfortable limousine. Both Kagome and Koga were awake before he was: not surprising, he supposed. He was glad to see Kagome was doing well. She had smelled a little of tears, but she looked okay. It was another panic attack, she had told him, but she was all right. In truth, Inu-Yasha knew the feeling; was uncomfortably familiar with it. After his first capture, he had experienced panic attacks from seemingly nothing, stemming from memories he had either suppressed or that the sedation had suppressed for him. This time around, his memory was mostly intact, though before Kagome had released him was quite fuzzy. He understood the sudden feelings of panic and the sense of being totally overwhelmed. He was experiencing them himself, but he wasn't really one for tears or explanations. Better to suffer alone for the most part, he thought: keeps others from worrying.

x

Koga was doing much better than both of them, and Inu-Yasha envied him a little for that. Despite the minor remnants of a bullet to the head and complaining of a mild headache, the wolf was holding up well. He was in fairly good spirits, considering. Inu-Yasha guessed it was probably still lingering relief from finding both of them alive. He couldn't imagine the panic of having his friends torn away from him like that, but he thought, rather reluctantly, that Koga had handled himself well. To sneak in to help them was rather clever. Inu-Yasha suspected that he probably would have done nothing more than try to fight his way in.

x

Outside, in the lawn, Kagome had flopped down, enjoying the feeling of grass on her bruised skin. Koga sat beside her, a bit more alert than usual, his attention shifting from her to the house. Inu-Yasha suspected why. He felt an unfamiliar youki, a canine one, inside the house and approaching them rather quickly. It didn't feel threatening, though, so he didn't pay it much heed, that is, until a large burst of energy crackled out from the upper floor. Inu-Yasha took a step back, Koga's eyes went wide and Kagome sat up straight, quickly, demanding,

"What was that?"

She gave him a pained look that told him she was absolutely not ready for more trouble, but he shook his head and smiled just a little.

"I don't know what that is, but this is Sessho's house; it'll be fine."

Kagome looked uncertain and Koga got to his feet; taking a deep breath, Inu-Yasha proceeded towards the house.

x

Before the hanyou had even reached the front steps, the door opened and out stepped a dog demon, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a casual black jacket and tight jeans. Her hair was silver, tied back in a bun; she bore two pink stripes along each cheek and her eyes were a bright amber, typical of the inu youkai. She looked almost as if she could be Inu-Yasha's sister.

x

She looked moderately surprised to see the hanyou standing before her. His expression was similar. Kagome scooted up behind him, and Koga beside her, looking at the new demon with wary curiosity.

"Hello," she said.

Inu-Yasha frowned a bit. She seemed familiar.

"You're Inu-Yasha, right?" she continued.

She smiled at him, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I am. And you are?"

"Rin's babysitter," she said a bit cheerily.

Inu-Yasha nodded and eyed her up and down curiously.

_Where do I know her from?_

"Remember me at all?" she asked, but before he could answer, she said, "I'm Otori, remember? Your brother killed and saved me."

Koga and Kagome both looked utterly baffled. Inu-Yasha frowned but he nodded, feeling a little dumb for not realizing right away. Then again, he had been six when he had seen her last. He felt a pang of anxiety. He remembered her crashing through a window in their house, the blood, and the thunder and lightning. It hadn't been a good evening. He hadn't realized that Sessho-Maru had kept in contact with her. It made sense to him, though. Inu youkai, from what he had experienced, usually formed a general trust between each other. Sessho-Maru must have taken her into their "pack" after what had happened, probably to protect her. He had done the same with many other youkai, many of whom seemed to work for him now even though Inu-Yasha had never met them.

"It's been a while," Inu-Yasha said, and then pointed to his friends, "That's Kagome, and Koga."

She shot them a smile and then turned back to Inu-Yasha.

"You got tall," she joked, and then said, "Your brother mentioned something bad happened? With... you know."

She looked uncomfortable even mentioning it.

"I'm glad you all are okay."

"Thanks," Kagome said a bit shyly.

Otori gave her a kindly smile, a bit more pitying than she had looked at Inu-Yasha, and then turned back to him.

"I should head out," she said, "Stay safe, pup."

Inu-Yasha nodded and Kagome squeaked out a polite "good-bye!" as Koga waved a little. The dog demon was at her car quite quickly, and Inu-Yasha eyed her with mild suspicion. The energy burst he had felt was hers, he was sure of it. It didn't feel threatening, but it certainly was odd.

"Inu-Yasha, what is it?" Kagome asked.

She took his hand and he assured her, "nothing," before turning his attention on her. Her brow was a little furrowed, but she hadn't been able to catch him lying, not without looking at his face.

"Okay," she said, though nonetheless, didn't sound entirely convinced.

x

Inside the house, they were greeted jubilantly by a frantic, relieved Ah-Un, who nuzzled, licked and pawed at all three of them. When Inu-Yasha freed himself from her embrace, his friends still affectionately trapped, he was a bit startled to see Jaken, standing in the doorway to the living room, wearing a strange expression of tiredness and regret.

"What's that face for?" Inu-Yasha asked, "Yeah, I'm back. Again."

"It isn't that," the toad grumbled snidely, but then seemed almost apologetic, "I'm... glad you're not dead."

He shuffled away and Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrows, thinking the exchange to be rather odd. He was then a little confused as to why Sessho-Maru had had Otori over to babysit when Jaken was home. It didn't make sense to him, but he supposed Sessho-Maru had some reason for it. He rarely did anything without a reason.

x

Behind him, Kagome wriggled from Ah-Un's arm and latched onto his tiredly with a small smile.

"Oh, man, nothing says 'safety' like coming home to a dragon, right?" she laughed.

"I would say so," Inu-Yasha agreed.

Koga was still on the floor, stroking the dragon's right head as her left one nuzzled him all over.

"I wonder what it's like to have two heads," Kagome mused.

"I never really thought about it," Inu-Yasha admitted, and then turned to the stairs and pointed, "Rin's upstairs, I'm just going to check on her. And... I'll probably change, I definitely bled on this shirt."

Kagome pulled back a little and mumbled out, "damn it," while looking at him quite worriedly. She put a hand to his stomach to feel for blood, but he simply put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, but he was already up the stairs; she pouted and called, "Well, can I borrow a shirt? You bled on _it_, too."

"Sure."

As Inu-Yasha stepped into the room that he knew to be Rin's, just by the smell, he heard Kagome scamper up the stairs behind him.

x

Rin's room looked almost as if it were from a completely different house. The walls were bright blue, with posters of some girl bands stuck up with tape, and a bed with sheets covered in cartoon cats. Rin, sitting at a pale writing desk under a bright lamp, seemed to be doing homework. She looked up a little after he closed the door, first seeming surprised, but then her face lit up and she jumped to her feet.

"Uncle!" she squeaked, and rushed to him with arms outstretched.

He knelt to the short child and let her hug him around his shoulders. He put his arms around her lightly as well, and she said,

"Uncle, you look pretty bad. Dad said things went wrong at your place, are you okay?"

"Do I really look that bad?" he asked, laughing a little, "I'm okay now, Rin. Thanks."

He released her as she pulled back and she smiled at him apologetically.

"Well, you look really, really tired," she told him gently

She patted him on the top of his head three times and then jerked her thumb over her shoulder back at the desk.  
"I should finish that stuff, they're making me colour maps! It's so dumb!"

Inu-Yasha smiled a bit and nodded.

"Sure," he said, "Just wanted to let you know I'm back. My girlfriend and her brother are here, and we'll be around if you need anything."

Rin withdrew just a little, seeming a bit shy at the mention of the strangers, but she smiled and nodded before turning back to her desk.

"Okay, thanks, Uncle."

Inu-Yasha smiled a bit and stood up, though felt a little strange about being called Uncle, even now. He left the girl's room; walked back into the darkened, grey hallway and closed the door behind him. It suddenly struck him that he had called Koga Kagome's brother. He wasn't sure if he should go back to Rin and correct himself, and then he simply decided he didn't care and continued into his bedroom a little ways down the hall.

x

Kagome was in his room when he entered, pulling a baggy black t-shirt on over her head. There was a small pile of shirts beside her, but she seemed rather satisfied with the one she had.

"Found one?" the hanyou asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

She turned to him and straightened the shirt a bit.

"Is this from when you were younger? It almost fits me."

"Could be, I dunno," he said, shrugging as he picked up a red shirt from the pile she had left and switched his with it without much care.

Kagome bounced on the bed a bit and then beckoned him to her. Curiously, he sat beside her, and her fingers went to his hair and poked around his head.

"So, what'll you do with this?" she asked.

"Grow it back in a few days, I guess," he said, "Why?"

"Just curious. Koga's keeping his short."

"Oh, is he? Maybe he'll look a bit less like a girl," he joked

"You're one to talk!" Koga called from below them.

Inu-Yasha snickered and Kagome lightly whacked his shoulder.

"I didn't think either of you looked like girls!" she protested, sticking her tongue out at him.

She grasped his shoulder gently and bounced forward to kiss him lightly on the forehead, and then hopped to her feet.

"I still feel a bit funky, I'm going to have another shower, if that's okay."

"Oh, sure," he replied.

He was about to tell her that she smelled fine, but he guessed it might be just a little creepy. She got up off the bed and a confused expression passed over her face, and Inu-Yasha said,

"At the end of the hall on the right."

"Thanks," she said rather brightly, and was gone in an instant.

x

Inu-Yasha felt a bit of a twinge run down his spine to suddenly be alone in the room. He took a deep breath.

_Shut up, you paranoid asshole,_ he ordered himself,_ This is Sessho-Maru's place, it's like a fucking demon fortress. Nothing can get in here anymore. Nothing._

A tiny voice in the back of his mind piped up with, _yeah, but what if-?_but he shut it down almost instantly. There was no point in letting his thoughts wander and make him more jumpy than he already was. He then wondered if it was normal to have internal dialogues with himself, and then decided he didn't care.

x

Inu-Yasha wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself now. He was tired, but not tired enough to sleep again. He was still twitchy, but there wasn't much he could do about that. His computer wasn't here, and he didn't want to put on music because of Koga's headache. Before he could even consider reading a book or something else, he was startled to see Koga bound into his room.

"Hey," the youkai said, "I'm hungry."

"So?" Inu-Yasha replied blankly.

"So I thought you could show me around your kitchen and we could make a shit-ton of food."

Inu-Yasha paused to consider it. He was hungry, come to think of it.

"Yeah, alright," the hanyou agreed.

Koga's expression brightened immediately, his tail wagging, and he cast his gaze around the room curiously.

"Where's-?"

"Shower."

"Oh. Okay. Is she okay?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped a bit and a look of worry dampened Koga's cheery expression.

"She seems, on the outside, at least, to be holding up alright, but we both know how credible that is," Inu-Yasha grumbled, picking at the blanket beside him absently.

"Right," Koga agreed, "Shit."

"But who knows? Maybe some proper food will be good for all of us," the hanyou continued.

Koga nodded and, finally, Inu-Yasha rose from his bed and followed the wolf back down the stairs.

oOoOoOoO

With water coursing across her body, hot and steaming, Kagome hoped that maybe she would feel less dirty; less violated. It wasn't working. She scrubbed tenderly with a soap and cloth at the swollen injection marks on her shoulders and the purplish scars that marred the arm that had become dragonoid. She still felt like there was mud on her somewhere as well; she shampooed her hair several times, but she was still afraid that there was some left. She even felt like it was in her ears.

x

Her legs were tired after last night, her muscles achey and probably a bit swollen. She had never done so much running in her life. She couldn't decide which was worse anymore, the forest or last night. She had been trying to compare them while the others had been asleep in the limo, though was unable to decide if one or the other had been more traumatic.

x

After a little while, she grabbed a plastic plug from the side of the tub, stopped the drain, and sat down, letting the shower above fill the area around her with hot water. It took just a little while for it to feel wonderful. Even though her wounds stung in the heat, she was finally feeling her pulse start to settle. It was... nice. She leaned back in the water as it rose and breathed deeply, her mind finally blanking under the sprinkling sound of the shower's spray.

x

She didn't know how long she had been there, but when she noticed her fingers were quite pruned, she decided, a bit reluctantly, to drain the tub and get out. Her legs still felt awful, and even now, she was scared to look at the bottom of her feet, but she decided it would be best to start to get on with the rest of the day. She took a white towel from a hook on the wall and wrapped herself in it before taking a peek in the mirror above the sink. It was completely fogged with steam, so she reached forward and wiped the glass with her fingers. Through the uneven gaps on the mirror, she was only a little startled to see how pale she was now. She looked better, but still sick and very tired. Her eyes looked almost sunken in, so dark were the circles under them. She cringed away a little and then, hesitantly, dropped her towel down to inspect herself. Old scars on her chest were darkened with bruising and the lines leftover from the brief transformation reached down to her collarbone. They certainly didn't look better than last night. She poked at them tenderly, wondering when or even if they would ever heal properly. Sighing, Kagome rubbed tiredly at her eyes and then lifted her towel up again and dried herself off as thoroughly as she could before pulling her clothes back on.

x

As she finally emerged from the bathroom, a small fog of steam trailing behind, she was hit with the surprisingly enticing scent of cooking meat. Her stomach growled loudly before she could even decide if she was hungry or not. She rubbed at her hair and scampered down the stairs, trying not to seem overly eager. It didn't matter, however, because as soon as she hit the bottom floor, Koga was there, presenting her with a plate laden with one of the largest steaks she had ever seen, rice, and some vegetables while holding a second.

"We made food, I hope you're hungry!" he said brightly, his tail high and wagging.

"Y-Yeah," Kagome said.

"Since you're human and all, we gave you a smaller steak, I hope you don't mind," he said, "Inu-Yasha said we shouldn't overstuff you."

Kagome stared at him blankly, then looked at the plate again and then back to him with a smile.

"Of course, that's perfect," she said.

She didn't want to say how hilarious it was that he found this monstrosity small. Before she could say any more, he handed her a fork and a knife, and then said, "Eat wherever, we're almost done with the rest."

"The rest?" Kagome repeated, but the youkai was already gone up the stairs, calling, "Hey Rin? My name's Koga, I brought you some dinner!"

She barely even knew what to think about what "the rest" could possibly be, but at the behest of another stomach growl, she headed into the living room she had sat in with Sessho-Maru during her first visit, curled up on the corner of the couch, cross-legged, with her plate on her lap and began to eat.

x

It wasn't long before Inu-Yasha joined her, a slight frown on his brow as he took a seat beside her.

"You doing okay?" he asked.

"Relatively," she assured him, and then pointed her knife at the steak, "This is really good."

"Is it enough?" he asked.

"More than, don't worry," she laughed.

"Right. Right, human. Human girl. Yes," he told himself, and then laughed and put his hand to his brow, "I'm fucking tired, could you tell?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Kagome joked.

She ate a little more as the hanyou watched her inquisitively, his eyes wandering across her body. When his gaze arrived at her feet, his face paled and his expression turned to one of shock and he jumped upright almost immediately, saying, "be right back," very quickly. Kagome could only make a confused face at the air: he was already gone. She rolled her eyes and took the last bite of steak she thought she could muster and then put the plate down on the coffee table in front of her before sitting back against the couch. As soon as she did, however, her leg was grabbed and she let out a sharp, "hey!" as Inu-Yasha, at the other end of the couch, pulled her foot up onto his knee.

"How do you keep doing that?" she demanded.

"Doing what?" he asked.

He seemed rather preoccupied and he touched her foot lightly, saying, "Does that hurt?" just as she replied with, "Moving so fast."

He smiled embarrassedly at her and, flustered for a moment, she shook her head and replied, "Not really."

"Good. Because it looks horrible."

Kagome cringed, but didn't fight him, and he took a tube of antibiotics from somewhere beside him; Kagome leaned forward to look and noticed a pile of towels and bandages a bit visible past his legs. He put some of the cream from the tube onto her foot and she winced at the cold against the cuts on her skin.

"I'm a demon, remember?" he said finally.

Kagome rolled her eyes a bit, but nodded, saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"What happened?"

He began pulling off a strip from the roll of bandages and looked up at her worriedly. Before she could answer, however, Koga entered the room, starting to say, "Hey guys!" but cut himself off halfway at seeing what Inu-Yasha was looking at as well, and instead barked,

"Kagome, what happened?"

"This isn't new, guys!" she replied, trying not to laugh, "I was barefoot the entire time we were trapped."

Inu-Yasha's brow furrowed and Koga's went in the opposite direction.

"You should have said something," the hanyou replied with a grimace.

He tied the bandages around her foot cautiously and she leaned forward a bit, inclining her head.

"Is it really that bad? Or are you two just overreacting because you're... you know, you?"

Inu-Yasha didn't answer as he grabbed her other foot and began to repeat the process.

"It, um... well, it... sort of... looks like raw meat?" Koga suggested a bit sheepishly.

"Good thing I just finished eating, then," the girl joked.

Koga managed to smile just a little, but Inu-Yasha didn't look amused at all. He took another few moments to bind her foot and then said,

"There; do you think you can walk on it?"

"Probably," she said.

She slid to her feet abruptly to test, even though Koga looked at her like he was about to pounce her if she even made a misstep. Once upon a time, Kagome had seen a video of a dog lifting its legs high while wearing boots in winter, perplexed at not feeling the floor properly on bare feet: she felt quite like that. At even the slightest hint of a slip, Koga grabbed her arm and sat her back down on the sofa.

"It's a little sore, and the bandages feel kind of weird," she decided, "But I'll be okay. Thanks."

When the hanyou down the couch from her continued to frown at her, she grinned and kicked him lightly on the leg.

"You worry too much!" she insisted.

"I think I worry just enough, thanks," he said, finally smiling just a bit.

"Perhaps I could take over?"

Kagome looked over her shoulder to Ah-Un's voice, and the large dragon plodded into the room and then, clambered up onto the couch as Inu-Yasha barked, "hey!" and had to scoot off the sofa and out of the way of her back legs and tail. Her weight made it sink, and she spread herself out, cuddling up against Kagome. The girl was surprised, especially at how warm the scales against her were, and was then startled again by Ah-Un licking her face with her right head, while the left said,

_"Brave little ningen, you're doing so well. I'm proud of all of you, yesss!"_

Kagome was stunned, but she couldn't help hug the dragon around the closest neck, saying,

"Thank you so much."

She was overwhelmed by the warmth and affection, and couldn't help but not want to move from the dragon's grasp.

x

Inu-Yasha watched, a little exasperated at first, until he felt an echo of Kagome's calm through his chest. He sighed and looked to Koga, who seemed as if he was trying not to laugh.

"Okay, okay fine, I give," Inu-Yasha said tiredly, raising his hands in surrender, and then cut his eyes at Kagome, "Just let me know if you need anything."

He headed to leave the room past her side of the couch, ruffling her hair as he went.

"Thanks!" she said, "Same to you, you know!"

oOoOoOoO

Kagome was napping on the couch with Ah-Un before she knew it. Inu-Yasha was relieved to see it when he peeked in to check on her a few minutes later: it looked like she could really use the rest. Ah-Un seemed to have dozed off as well. Koga now sat across from them, cross-legged and in an armchair, reading a large book he had sat squarely on his knees.

_Nothing to do here_, Inu-Yasha thought.

He was a bit envious of Kagome at the moment. With a bit of pressure on his temples and a feeling like he had sand in his eyes, he wanted to sleep but felt like he wouldn't be able to because of how much he had slept on the ride home.

x

On his own, he headed up the stairs, prodded by curiosity. He had felt Otori's energy explode from up in what he was fairly sure was the attic. He wasn't worried, per se, but he was curious. Heading up past Rin's room, he heard the faint shrillness of girly pop muffled behind her door, and passed on by with a cringe on his face and headed towards the attic. It wasn't a place that was used frequently, and the entrance was inside Sessho-Maru's room behind a door that seemed to be masquerading as a closet.

x

Up the recently dusted stairs and onto the topmost level of the house, Inu-Yasha was first greeted with the sight of piles of old relics; more items Sessho-Maru had fished from their father's tomb. Most of the objects were in boxes, old and a bit tattered, but well kept for the most part. The ones near the top of the stairs had recently been moved, so Inu-Yasha simply followed the path of least dust. It quickly lead him to the farthest wall of the house from his originating spot, where, peering around a tower of boxes he was confronted with the site of glowing, almost liquid-looking blue runes emblazoned onto the wall. He frowned, his ears folding back and reached a hand out to touch it almost immediately, but paused mid-movement. How smart was it to touch it, _really_? He flinched back for a moment, but then curiosity overtook him and, very gently and very quickly, he brushed the tip of his index finger across the blue of the marking. Pulling it back, he didn't feel much, just a bit of a cold tingling. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in and inspected his finger. A bit of the blue lingered as if some of the light itself had been rubbed off, though it disappeared very quickly. He frowned deeply and looked at the rune. It wasn't any symbol he recognized. He had no idea what it was for, not even a clue. Taking a step back, he cast his gaze around the room, just in case there were more marks he had missed. He felt a chill run up and down his spine. It was quite enclosed, wasn't it? Small, as well. Irrational nerves stung his mind and before he knew it, he was on the ground floor again, shaking just a little.

x

Inu-Yasha tried to put his nerves aside, though the lingering anxiety still stuck. His headache was getting a little worse, and after taking a triple does of Aspirin, he headed to the kitchen. Plopping down at the table with a mug of soup, he sat tiredly, wondering what the hell he had just seen in the attic. He thought for just a moment of calling Sessho-Maru again but quickly decided against it. He nursed his soup slowly: he had just eaten a huge meal, but he wanted it more for the warmth than anything.

x

It wasn't long before he heard a flat slapping of feet on the tile and, to Inu-Yasha's surprise, a chair across from him pulled out and up hopped Jaken, a mopey expression on his little green face. He stared at Inu-Yasha with his huge, buggy yellow eyes for some time, not saying a word. Inu-Yasha sipped at his soup, his ears pressing back a bit, and after a while of uncomfortable silence, the hanyou asked,"Did you want something?" with sincere confusion. The youkai fidgeted around for a bit, before he squeaked out a shrill, "Well-!" as if starting a thought, but quickly quietened. Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrows and watched as Jaken looked more and more uncomfortable, the skin on his cheeks flushing a darker green.

"Does Lord Sessho-Maru trust me?" he asked awkwardly.

Inu-Yasha was taken aback. He didn't know how to answer, but before he could say a word, Jaken continued,

"He hired a babysitter while I was here."

He looked perturbed.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you," Inu-Yasha replied almost apologetically.

He felt a bit bad for the shrill, green man; it must've been quite dire in his mind for him to seek the advice of a hanyou, of all people.

x

Again, Jaken moped, and simply slumped lower as Koga entered the room and headed towards the sink. He looked at Jaken with confusion and jerked his thumb at him as he filled a glass with water.

"What's wrong with _him_?" Koga asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged and got to his feet to check the fridge as Koga chugged his water. The hanyou scoured the inside of the fridge for a moment and then turned to Jaken.

"Hey. You're, like... a kappa, right?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," Jaken snapped, but then looked confused, "Why?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged again and then fished a cucumber from the back of the fridge and tossed it at him. He caught it in his stubby fingers, his eyes just about bugging out of his head.

"I can have this?"

When Inu-Yasha nodded, Jaken enthusiastically bit into it, not seeming to care even a whit that it was still covered in plastic wrap. He scurried from the room in a very pleased sort of way, and as he went, Koga took his seat, letting out a sigh, seeming unsure of what to make of what he had just seen.

"Anyway," Inu-Yasha said abruptly, "What's up?"

"Almost literally nothing," Koga said, his shoulders sagging, "I'm... I guess I'm tired?"

"That's it?"

Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrows. The youkai shrugged in response.

"My head still feels kind of weird."

"Well, you did get _shot_ in the _face_."

"I guess I'm not doing too bad, then."

Koga grinned a bit despite himself, but his expression fell rather quickly to one of melancholy.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked hesitantly.

"...Promise they won't take Kagome again," he said quietly.

The hanyou froze and felt a sort of chill up his spine. He nodded, and Koga quickly added, "I'm not blaming you or anything. I'm just worried about her," to which Inu-Yasha nodded again. Even though it was just words, it clearly made Koga feel much better and he immediately straightened up and looked around the kitchen.

"Do you have any paper and, you know- writing stuff?"

Inu-Yasha tilted his head in confusion, and without him even having to ask, "why?", Koga quickly said,

"I want to record all the stuff I can remember that they had in that place. For your brother. I know we broke a lot, and that might help, don't you think?"

Inu-Yasha was a bit surprised.

"That's actually a pretty good idea," he said as he began to look around for something to write on; Koga grinned once more.

"I occasionally have pretty good ideas," he joked.

x

When Inu-Yasha found a notepad and pen, he quickly jotted down what he had seen before Koga arrived and then tossed them to him. The wolf looked at the notes, cringed, and then began to add his own, saying, "Did you know that strong demon energies mess up cameras?"

"No," the hanyou replied as he sat down across from Koga; again, he was surprised.

"Yeah, I saw it when I was pretending to be a tech guy or whatever I was pretending to be," he explained as he wrote.

"Huh."

Inu-Yasha leaned back in his seat and he folded his arms to his chest. He never would have thought of that.

x

After a little while, his ears perked to the sound of a car pulling up the drive. He wondered if it was his brother for only a moment before scents told him otherwise. There was a demon he didn't know, but a human he did. A young human, a male.

x

Inu-Yasha got to his feet and walked to the front door to meet the sound of light footsteps and wheels of a dragging suitcase. The hanyou opened to door before anyone could knock to see exactly what he had suspected: Sota, dragging a massive brown suitcase too full for its wheels behind him. The kid was wearing an old, oversized t-shirt and jeans with holes; even his socks were mismatched. It seemed as if he hadn't been expecting to go outside at all today. The boy gawked up at Inu-Yasha, his fist raised as if he had been about to knock on the door.

"Oh," he said, blankly, "Inu-Yasha, I-! I didn't know this was your place, I-"

"It's okay, kid, come in," the hanyou replied.

He stepped out of the way for Sota to go inside and took the suitcase from him, lifting it as if it were nothing.

"Thanks," Sota said, a bit stunned, and he scooted inside; Inu-Yasha closed the door behind him and sat the suitcase down on the front carpet.

"Did they tell you anything?" he asked.

Sota looked a bit nervous, but he nodded quickly.

"Just a bit. They said I was in danger, and that it had to do with demons," he said, "They said I'd be meeting Kagome, is she-?"

"She's napping in the other room," Inu-Yasha assured him.

Sota seemed to sag a bit, his face relieved, but he quickly straightened and frowned.

"So, what's going on? I guess you told her? And what's the danger? What-?"

"Slow down, kid," Inu-Yasha began, and then sighed, "Come with me."

He beckoned and Sota began to follow him to the kitchen, but then doubled back to get his suitcase until the hanyou said, "leave it." The boy skittered after him and awkwardly followed him into the kitchen. He stalled, surprised to see the stranger that was Koga sitting and scribbling notes on a pad of paper at the table, his tail swishing out the back of the chair.

"What...? Um, who-?"

"Oh, hi," Koga said abruptly looking up, "Hi. I'm Koga, and you?"

"Um... I'm... Sota," he said.

"He's Kagome's little brother," Inu-Yasha explained.

He was at the fridge, searching through, and then abruptly pulled out a small bottle of juice from the back and tossed it to Sota. The boy caught it a bit awkwardly and Koga scooted his chair over a little and beckoned to the one beside him. A bit shyly, Sota pulled it out and sat down, and then popped the cap off the juice.

"What's going on?" he asked, "Is Kagome okay? Did I really have to leave my friend's place?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied, but when he didn't elaborate, Koga put in,

"It wouldn't have been safe."

"But why?" Sota pressed, but then turned to Koga and asked, "Are you a demon or whatever, too?"

Koga smiled a bit and nodded, and Sota took a deep breath and then a swig from the juice.

"Kagome can probably explain it better than us," Koga volunteered, "How much do you know?"

"Like, nothing," Sota mumbled, and then scratched his head, "So you guys are both-?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said.

He took a seat across the table, his ears pressing back; Sota's eyes darted to them immediately. He leaned forward and put his forehead in his hand.

"Okay," he said, more to reassure himself than anything else, "So... how long do we have to stay here? I have a project due on Thursday."

"I don't think that'll be an issue," Inu-Yasha said, "It won't be safe for you to go to school for a while."

Sota immediately sat up, eyes wide, not entirely sure how to react: he seemed like he he was caught between anxiety and excitement.

"You mean I don't have to do my homework?" he asked, "But... what about my marks?"

"Well..." Koga said a bit awkwardly; he didn't have an answer.

Inu-Yasha didn't really either, but he said,

"I wouldn't worry about that."

Sota looked only half convinced, but he quickly began to smile, presumably at the thought of shirking all his homework.

"Cool," the boy said simply, and then looked at Inu-Yasha hopefully, "Do you have any video games? Or movies?"  
"Nothing recent. They're all at least two years out of date, and most of the good ones are at Kagome's, but yeah," the hanyou replied, and then beckoned Koga to follow him as he left the room.

Sota took a moment to slide down from his chair, clutching his bottle of juice and looking back to Koga as he hit the floor.

"Nice to meet you," he said with a quick bow.

Koga dipped his head in response and Sota smiled and scurried out after Inu-Yasha.

x

There was a small study room in the back of the house with a two-seated sofa and a disused television set tucked away inside a cupboard. Inu-Yasha set it up for Sota, but couldn't find his old game system, so instead piled the child's arms high with movies and then left him to his own devices. He plopped down on the sofa and tried to put most of the day out of his mind. He couldn't help but think maybe he should start watching more movies. Escapism sounded wonderful at the moment. As Sota sorted through the movies, Koga soon joined them. Against Inu-Yasha's advice, Sota picked the Death Note movie done in live-action for them to watch, siting that a lot of his friends had liked it. By the credits, all three of them regretted it immensely.

x

As Sota, clutching the remote in an almost fearful way, ejected the disk, he looked at the two demons and said,

"Sorry. I didn't... oh, man, that was dumb. I thought it would be... better. I mean, the show was good..."

He looked ashamed.

"There's a show?" Koga asked, "Oh no..."

"No, no, that's good, I swear!" Sota whined, "Okay. Why do you even have that, Inu-Yasha?"

"Mistake," the hanyou said, cringing, "Someone pick something else."

Koga and Sota looked at each other and rock-paper-scissored very quickly, which resulted in Koga getting up and searching through the movies cautiously. In the pile, he was completely lost. He knew nothing at all about movies.

x

However, at that moment, Kagome stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. Sota looked at her in surprise, squawking her name abruptly. She turned her surprised gaze on him suddenly and her face went from shock to joy in an instant.

"Sota!" she said loudly, and she rushed him and lifted him up into her arms, clutching him close.

Inu-Yasha couldn't help but feel surprised that she could lift the boy with her arm like it was.

x

The young boy hugged her around her shoulders after a moment pulled back and frowned at her, saying,

"Kagome, what the heck is going on? Why is everyone a demon all of a sudden?"

The girl laughed and let him back down onto the floor, ruffling his hair.

"I'll explain everything," she assured him.

Before she guided him from the room, however, she darted to Inu-Yasha, asking,

"You look kind of edgy, you okay?"

"Fine," he assured her.

She nodded and smiled, and then kissed him quickly and softly before turning back to Sota. The boy's face was totally red and he looked stunned, but nonetheless, Kagome took his hand and pulled him from the room. It was only a few seconds before they heard Sota shriek.

"Must've seen Ah-Un," Koga snickered, and then finally pulled a movie from the stack, "This one says Ghostbusters on it."

He looked to Inu-Yasha questioningly. The hanyou's ears perked up a bit.

"Put it on immediately.

oOoOoOoO

Demons were everywhere. It wasn't hard to make Sota understand, especially after his run-in with Ah-Un. Kagome had suspected that it would be, but he accepted the notion readily, she supposed with the eagerness of a child. She sometimes forgot how young he was; how young she was as well. Telling him the very basics of what they had been through made her feel like she was ancient. She barely grazed across their capture, but somehow, her brother knew something worse than she had described had happened to her. He hugged her for over five minutes. She hadn't realized how much she missed him, nor how much he seemed to have missed her.

x

As the light waned, the day was slow from there on out. Kagome was still absolutely exhausted; still felt sick with nerves over and over again. Hugging Inu-Yasha helped, but she knew he must have been feeling awful as well, though he didn't show it. Her hanyou was a picture of calm indifference for most of the day. He was good at that. She didn't know if he did it for her, but she suspected he did, at least a little.

x

A call from Sessho-Maru a bit later set everyone a bit on edge again. His words were terse, his voice even more suppressed of emotion than usual as he explained that destroying as much of the building as they had had undoubtedly lead to the rescue of over a dozen demons from deep within. He also told Kagome, very bluntly, that he had some questions for her later before he hung up.

x

The night faded in, trying the girl's nerves. Still, Inu-Yasha seemed fine, if not a bit colder than usual. She wondered if he was adapting what seemed to be his brother's coping mechanism. Koga was visibly shaken past dark, but he seemed to calm himself by hanging out and watching movies with Sota. Kagome was a bit worried about Buyo, but she knew that if he was with Sessho-Maru's people, he would probably be fine. She was glad to see her two "brothers" getting along well, though. Despite her naps, Kagome's energy levels were dropping quickly again. Everyone else in the house seemed similar.

x

Inu-Yasha set up beds; old mattresses with lots of blankets in several parts of the house for the many extras now there. Kagome would share his bed, though; no reason for her not to, really. As she was getting ready to go to bed, Inu-Yasha changed into basic sleeping clothes in his room. It was mostly empty now, with most of his things being moved to Kagome's house. Though he could hear the others moving around, he felt rather alone; rather isolated. Despite his reluctance to show it, it left a heavy knot in his stomach. After turning out the light, he sighed, plopped down on the bed and flopped onto his back, rubbing his forehead; nursing a headache. His own bed felt odd, almost as if it were a completely new mattress. He lay still, trying to stop his head from spinning. He stretched out a bit, attempting rather vainly to get comfortable, and forcibly closed his eyes. He felt like complete and utter shit.

x

He wasn't even close to falling asleep and so wasn't really startled when his door creaked opened. He opened one amber eye to see Kagome, wearing a baggy t-shirt and some boxer shorts; he wasn't sure where she had taken them from. She was rubbing one eye groggily and yawned widely as she pulled the t-shirt up around her shoulders a bit more securely.

"Hey, what's up?" she said tiredly as he sat up a bit, and lazily she slipped into bed beside him, "Going to bed, that okay?"

"Uh... yeah, of course," he replied, a bit confused by the question, though she didn't seem to care.

She merely settled down beside him, tiredly worming her way under the blankets and closing her eyes. Slowly; a bit tensely, the hanyou sunk back down until he was on his back again. Kagome didn't move much, other than to shuffle just a little closer to him. His eyes darted to her face and he immediately felt a little calmer. Everything about her presence helped him to feel at ease. When his heart rate finally began to drop, he let himself close his eyes. He felt like he was simply staring at the back of his eyelids, and his mind still spun. His body, too, felt like it was moving; like the bed was dropping out from under him as his brain ran away with him like it was being chased by a monster.

x

In the dark fog of his mind,_ red eyes looked at Inu-Yasha with a jeering expression through a smokey, dark abyss. Bood was rank in the air; Inu-Yasha recognized it immediately. He felt locked into those red eyes, however, and the deep, distant laughter of a man rumbled through the air like a sinister thunder. He flinched involuntarily and managed to tear his gaze away. As if in a spotlight, on a sterile, white floor in a circle in the middle of the darkness, lay a girl, her back to him. He couldn't see her properly, but he knew she was Kagome. One blink and the white turned red and slick with blood, and terror took him. He willed his body towards her, but nothing happened. He tried to call out, but his voice was useless; he felt like he was choking. His vision blacked out and he heard a shrill ringing. _With a gasp, the hanyou's eyes shot open, his body cold and trembling. He stared up at the ceiling in the nighttime darkness. His hand went to his throat quickly, and, a bit hesitantly, he tested his voice, looking to Kagome and saying her name quietly as if to try to wake her. He was a bit startled when he realized he could speak just as normally as ever. He sighed deeply and lay back down slowly, still shaken.

_Just a dream,_he reassured himself, None of that was for real. It's just the stress getting to me, like last time.

He put a hand to his brow and winced a bit, and then lay still for a little while, wondering how long he had been out; unable to stop himself from shuddering.

x

After a few moments, Inu-Yasha was jarred by Kagome lazily stretching out and lying on his chest. The hanyou's eyes went wide and he stared at her, his heart thumping heavily against his ribcage, and, hesitantly he put a hand on her shoulder. The contact reassured him that he was, in fact, awake, and Kagome's groggy, "Did you want something?" snapped his mind back into reality rather quickly.

"No," he replied quietly, "No. Bad dream. Sorry."

"'Kay," Kagome mumbled, "Love you; goodnight."

She scooted upwards, just a little, and mostly out of convenience, kissed his neck before slumping and pulling blankets up around both of them.

x

Inu-Yasha felt cold; sick. Even in the blankets, even with Kagome clinging so close to him; even with the feeling of her heartbeat against him, he shivered. Slowly, he sat up, slipping out of the bed. He, with shaking fingers, pulled the comforter up around her before he stood. He felt a sense of vertigo for an instant and, again, his stomach tumbled. He cringed as the room spun and the walls seemed to buckle in around him. He gulped deeply, tried to reassure himself, and slowly headed out of the room.

x

In the bathroom, Inu-Yasha flicked on the light and leaned over the sink tiredly, propping himself up with a hand on either side of the porcelain. He turned on the water, just a little, and splashed it on his face. It was still cold; it didn't really help. He kneaded his closed eyelids with his knuckles and winced. He took a deep breath and turned off the water, cringing as the tap squeaked in the quiet of the night.

x

He stood still for a while, shivering, and his mind starting to race. The last twenty-four hours shot across his brain and he cringed, putting a hand to his brow. Before, his head had been so scattered, but he could remember what had happened now with a sense of sobriety. He would never have said so aloud, but it terrified him.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but he found himself sitting in the middle of the bathroom. He supposed he must have fallen over or something of that nature. His heartbeat was fevered, his mind racing as the feeling of cold metal pressed to his skin. It wasn't real- he knew it wasn't real, but it shortened his breath and he had to put a hand to his face to make sure he was still free. He shivered and curled in on himself a little. He couldn't even bring himself against the wall. It reminded him too much of being stuck there. He breathed deeply, reassuring himself that he wasn't trapped, but the air still felt suffocating and he didn't know where to go.

_Outside?_he wondered, but to look at the door even felt terrifying.

It was like he was convinced there were people out there to take him away, despite his rationality assuring him that it was impossible. He put a hand to his brow and scowled daggers at the floor, intent to get through his mental trap. He was starting to feel nauseous and his temples were throbbing.

x

He spent a quiet few minutes concentrating only on breathing, and so was shocked out of his stupor and almost jumped upright when Kagome, groggy and rubbing her eyes, stumbled into the room with an empty glass. They each stared at each other with surprise for a moment, until Kagome said,

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were in here!"

The hanyou's ears folded back and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat, and he smiled a bit and shook his head.

"No, it's okay, don't worry."

The girl smiled tiredly in return, but then looked rather confused.

"What are you doing in here, anyway?" she asked.

She sounded concerned and he felt himself blush, and his eyes went to the floor; he took a deep breath.

"Just... trying to... I dunno," he mumbled a bit incoherently.

He didn't know how to admit what he was really feeling, what was really bothering him. Above him, Kagome sighed and pulled her baggy shirt up over her shoulder a little more as she put her glass down on the rim of the sink. She tiredly plopped down onto the floor before him and stared at him with an expression on her face that said she wasn't going to take any nonsense.

"Tell me about it," she said.

His eyes shifted away from her and he muttered, "There's nothing to tell," rather unconvincingly. He didn't want to lay it all on her: his thoughts were rather distorted and he still felt so irrationally fearful. Before him, Kagome pouted just a smidgeon, though she soon began to frown and she put a hand on his head lightly. He jerked away before he had even thought of what he was doing, his eyes wide, his heart thudding with panic. It took only a moment before a shameful blush stained his face and he bent his head and growled out a very sincere, "Sorry," despite his disappointment in himself. He had never pulled away from her like that before; he had never intended to. His head was starting to pound.

"Okay, what?" the girl demanded, "Seriously, _what_is going on?"

Inu-Yasha was quiet for a while, his eyes locked on the floor as he mulled through what he would tell her, the words at the back of his throat.

"I'm remembering," he said slowly, "The parts from when I was drugged."

Kagome was quiet; her face told that she was taken aback.

"What? I didn't know you didn't remember," she said.

Her voice was shrill, worried, and her eyes were wide and scared on his behalf.

"There were some parts I didn't, before you got to me," he admitted, "And... I'm remembering the rest of it as if I wasn't on drugs. It's... difficult."

He sighed and Kagome scooted a bit closer to him. He frowned to himself and looked at her properly.

"I killed a lot of people," he said, and put his hand to his head, "I'm... I mean, I knew I was... I knew I was a monster, I just didn't... I don't know..."

He shook his head and huffed out a deep breath, kneading his forehead with his fingers. Kagome merely stared back at him with dismay, her mouth agape. After several moments of silence, without warning, she rushed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders tightly. A cold shock passed through Inu-Yasha and he was about to question her, when instead she squished him to her shoulder with a strength that surprised him and held him, cupping the back of his head with one hand.

"You think you're a monster? Why would you say that?" she demanded, though her voice was gentle, almost therapeutic.

"Because I am one, simple," he said.

"Don't be stupid."

"You don't be stupid. I killed over a dozen people."

He pulled away from her as he said this, frowning, expecting to see the same sort of expression on her face. He was taken aback when she looked back at him with a very gentle, concerned smile.

"You're not a monster, Inu-Yasha," she said, "You did what you had to to survive. Same as anyone. And you weren't entirely in control of your own actions, were you?"

"No excuse," he muttered.

Kagome sighed and she pressed close to him again, holding one arm tightly while her other hand rested on his head. Inu-Yasha gulped; her touch was so reassuring that all this was what was real.

"Kagome, I really... I don't know what I'm doing," he muttered.

"I know," she replied gently.

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"...Any suggestions?"

"Deep breaths, don't worry about something you had no control over," she suggested kindly, "You helped a lot of people, you know. Your brother said there were over two dozen demons in there. You saved those people, doing what you did."

Inu-Yasha grimaced a little. In a way, she was right. It made little difference, however, he still felt sick, still felt utterly trapped; was still worried that he would wake up sealed tightly in the imprisoning armour. He was quiet for a long while, not sure what to do with himself; not sure what to say to Kagome, either. She didn't press him further, she just clung to him affectionately.

x

After a few minutes, Inu-Yasha's ears twitched as Kagome cleared her throat.

"I just want you to know," she said, "No matter what you think you are, I will _always_be here for you."

Her fingers ran along his scalp affectionately and he felt a strange tingling up his spine. He gulped deeply but couldn't for the life of him think of a thing to say to her. He hesitantly reached for the hand that rested on his forearm, only to have her grab him, warmly and confidently. He was chilled when he felt her fingers brush his claws without any trepidation. He didn't know if it was deliberate or not, but he suspected she knew the sort of reaction it elicited. The hanyou had a hard time discerning why, but her willingness to do that: to place that kind of trust in his talon of a hand, one whose nails had bit through flesh and bone; that could so easily harm her- almost nothing made him happier.

x

Gently; cautiously, he ran his thumb across the top of her hand, and she smiled and giggled, just a little. She scooted a bit closer and, very gently; quickly, kissed him on his lips, which sent heat coursing through his body. He shivered a little and he carefully cupped her cheek with his free hand and, though before he could make any move, the girl startled him, stroking his head and kissing the tip of his nose.

"You're not a monster," she said reassuringly, "You're just not."

She looked into his eyes with such affection as she smiled back at his stunned expression that he wasn't able to hold himself back for an instant longer.

x

He kissed her once, quickly, and then again, clinging, so desperate; so longing to be close to her. She let out a sort of quiet, surprised squeak, only to take his face in her hands and kiss him back lovingly; happily. His heart began to race and his mind went all but blank, leaving out all thoughts but how much he adored this girl, how worried he had been about her; how he never wanted to let her go. His own problems seemed to melt away. He barely took time to breathe as if he didn't need to at all, pushing forward, and knotting his fingers into her hair gently as he held her to him.

x

She let him quite eagerly, leaning back under him until she was lying on the cool floor, gripping him tightly, kissing him deeply and trailing her fingers along his cheek with the utmost gentleness. It was a shock to her, to be kissed with such insistent intensity, but it felt very right, like it had been something she had been waiting for. It made her heart race.

x

The hanyou lay over her, one hand bracing the back of her head, the other holding himself up a little to her side, his lips still pressed to hers lovingly. When he pulled back, taking a shallow breath, it abruptly sunk into his mind what he had done. He pulled back, slowly, his ears pressing to his skull, his face red and hot with embarrassment. Kagome looked back at him rather innocently as if expecting him to continue, but his shame was too great and he sat back, off her body and on his knees, unable to look at her in a bout of utter embarrassment. His hand went to his forehead and he mumbled out a quiet, "I'm sorry." Kagome sat up with him and looked at his bashful, grimacing expression and couldn't help but feel confused. She almost began to question, but he continued, saying, "...too far," almost inaudibly. Kagome blushed just a little, feeling almost disappointed, but she understood. He had never done anything even close to that before, and he had been so upset that it must have been what he needed. She smiled fondly at him and put a hand to his shoulder gently.

"It's okay," she said softly; reassuringly.

x

He still didn't look at her: his heartbeat was fevered and he felt overwhelmingly embarrassed. He had never lost control of his emotions like that before. His body trembled a little, and couldn't even meet Kagome's eyes when she scooted in front of him. Despite this, determined, her fingers careful and soft, she touched the underside of his chin to guide his face upwards and she kissed him once more. His ears drooped back and before he could even think about stopping himself, a sort of distressed whimper passed his lips and he jerked back in an instant, mortified, and looked to the floor again. His brow was furrowed and his fists were clenched tightly, his heart throbbing and his body feeling uncomfortably warm.

"Oh, Yasha," Kagome cooed, pityingly, and she reached a hand to his head to stroke his ears, "Is there anything I can do?"

He couldn't even bring himself to speak. He shook his head stiffly and his entire body tensed. The girl looked back at him, her brows bent with worry and ground her fingers lightly into his hair.

"Could... Could I...?" he mumbled, but was unable to finish.

He needed to be alone. He knew this. He needed the cool of the tile and the quiet to sort out his disturbed and scared mind. He couldn't ask her, though. He didn't want her to misunderstand. He loved her more than anything and he wanted nothing more than to hold her to him, but he could barely function. He felt sick.

x

However, Kagome stared at him, inclining her head, and after a moment she smiled sympathetically.

"Would you like me to go?" she asked gently.

He gulped.

"...It's... it's not like that," he muttered.

"Listen," she said softly, "How about I go downstairs and make some food; some coffee, and when you're ready you can come get some, okay?"

"Kagome..."

"Don't worry. I understand."

Finally, he let himself look at her properly. Her hazel eyes were gentle and had a sort of knowing in them that startled him, and she wore a reassuring smile on her face. After a moment of silence, Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Thanks," he said.

Kagome nodded at him, leaned forward to kiss his forehead, and then got to her feet.  
"I know this is all shitty," she assured him, "Take as long as you need. And... I mean, let me know if you need anything in here. Like, icepacks or Advil or anything."

Inu-Yasha finally managed to smile a bit.

"I will."

The girl nodded again and smiled a bit more brightly, and then quietly tiptoed from the room, closing the door carefully behind her. Alone, Inu-Yasha followed the sounds of the house around him, the whirling of the wind outside; he took a deep breath. His mind was racing; he still felt trapped. He breathed deeply again and unwittingly put a hand to his head as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

x

As Inu-Yasha receded into his mind, trying to figure himself out and calm down, Kagome stood outside the bathroom, up against the wall, listening to him intently. He was utterly silent, and it was all she could do to not rush back in there and hug him. Her worry made her sick to her stomach, and she felt- she didn't know how to describe it, but a cold sadness took her. She couldn't believe what he had said about himself. She bit her lip and her shoulders sagged as she leaned against the cool wall. She couldn't believe he thought he was a monster.

x

Kagome sighed and put both hands to her forehead, kneading at her eyes as she felt them start to water. She felt like crying; her chest hurt. She bit her lip and tried to swallow back her sorrow. She couldn't stop a few stray tears leak down her face, but she quickly wiped them away and straightened herself a bit, trying to regain some composure. Before she could try to figure out what do to with herself, though, she was startled by a cautious hand grabbing hers. She nearly jumped, and turned quickly only to see a young girl in pyjamas clutching her and looking up at her with dark, concerned eyes. Koga was standing just a few feet back, looking extremely worried.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Kagome had never seen the child before, but she knew it must be Rin. Kagome sniffed again forced a smile, nodding and saying,

"Yeah, I'm just-"

"Don't say tired, I know that's not true," Rin replied, but gently; Kagome was surprised, "Can I help?"  
The little girl looked at her sympathetically and smiled; Kagome lost it. She wasn't aware that she had hit the ground until she was lifted from it and onto her knees in Koga's strong arms. He sat with her, cradling her as she unwillingly sobbed, the young girl rubbing her shoulder consolingly.

x

"What the hell did he say to you?" Koga asked a bit sharply.

Kagome sniffled and choked out a feeble, "W-What?", clinging to him tightly.

"Inu-Yasha must have told you _something_," the youkai asserted, "Where is he? He should be here."

Kagome took a deep breath and cast her watery gaze Koga's face. His expression was worried, but also frowning; annoyed. Behind her, Rin looked on with concern before saying, "I'll get you some water," and hurrying off.

"Oh, no, it's not like that," Kagome said quietly, "It's... Don't be mad at him, he's having flashbacks. "

She sniffled again, uncomfortably mucusy, and leaned back to wipe her eyes on the back of her hand; it didn't work very well, so Koga's sleeve was quickly implemented to dry her face. She laughed a little, weakly, her throat dry and itchy now, and croaked, "Thanks," only to repeat the word rather quickly when Rin returned with tissues and a cool glass of water. Kagome blew her nose and took a quick gulp of water.

"Thank you both," she repeated.

She took a deep, but shaky, breath of air and said,

"I'm sorry. It's been rough."

"Don't apologize," Koga said immediately, "But Kagome, what's going on?"

"It's just... everything," she explained, without explaining a thing.

Koga and RIn both looked at her with rather confused expressions until Rin asked,

"Is it something Uncle said?"

It took Kagome a moment to figure out whom "Uncle" was referring to.

"Yes and no," Kagome replied, "It's just... he told me sort of what's happening in his head right now, and how he thinks he's a monster, and I'm just really worried about him."

She blew her nose again and Koga and Rin shared a look of relief.

"Oh," Koga said understandingly, and then looked embarrassed, "I thought maybe you had a fight."

Rin nodded, and Kagome stared at them blankly, wide-eyed, before shaking her head and laughing just a little, saying,

"No. No... Nothing like that, it's more about... You know, we got kidnapped. It does something to you, you know?"

She put a hand to her forehead, but almost immediately found Rin clinging to her around her waist, hugging her as tightly as she could.

"I'm sorry that happened," the young girl replied, "I'm sure if dad knew, he would have saved you all. I'm sorry he didn't know. But I'm glad you're all safe now. Tell me if I can help, okay?"

She looked up at Kagome with big brown eyes and Kagome smiled a bit and drooped, giving the child a hug in return.

"Thanks," she said gently.

Rin nodded and held her tightly for another few seconds before letting go, saying, "I know what will make it all better!" and darting off again.

Kagome watched her run off down the hall and grinned despite herself, wiping her eyes again.

"Nice kid," she commented.

"Seriously though, are you okay? Can I do anything?" Koga asked cautiously.

He put a hand on her shoulder and she blew out a sigh and slumped where she sat. Koga had her in his arms again in an instant.

"You don't need to-" she began, but he quickly replied with, "You're practically falling over. I mean..."

His face reddened.

"I mean, if you don't want a hug, just tell me."

"It's not that," she assured him.

She really did want a hug. She wanted _all_of the hugs.

"I just don't feel well," she said quietly, "I didn't think it would get to me like this."

She sighed again.

"We could have _died_so many times."

She grimaced and huddled closer to Koga, feeling hot tears begin to slip down her face again.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "It's... hard."

x

Koga didn't say anything in response, his face grim. He didn't know what to say to comfort her. He hadn't been captured like the others had been. He felt a little detached from the situation despite taking a bullet to the head, perhaps because he hadn't experienced it first hand. He supposed he didn't feel as violated as she must have. Unsure of what else to do, he squeezed her to his chest a little tighter and nuzzled her head, assuring her,

"Kagome, you're the bravest person I've ever met."

"No," she laughed: she didn't believe him.

"I'm serious," he said, "When you saved me, you didn't have anything to gain and everything to lose. And this time, you managed to get through that entire place by yourself to meet up with Inu-Yasha, even though I'm sure you were terrified."

"It was pretty bad," she agreed half-heartedly.

Koga grinned at her and proudly asserted, "You're like a superhero!"

Kagome made a sort of dismissive, "pfft" noise but laughed a little nonetheless.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

She hugged him tightly around his middle and then pulled back, wiping her face again.

"I think I'm okay now," she said.

She started to stand and Koga was on his feet helping her to hers in an instant.

"Thank you," she repeated.

He shrugged and smiled, as if it were nothing, and Kagome couldn't help but smile a little as well. She bent and picked up her glass and took a deep swig of water.

"It'll all be okay," she said, reassuringly; mostly to herself, "We all got out. No permanent damage was done. It's _all good_."

"And Sessho-Maru took the place down," Koga added, his tail finally beginning to pick up and wag a little.

"Yes," Kagome agreed brightly; she took another gulp of water, "Yes, that's true. And that's really good. And if we hadn't been caught, he never would have found it."

"That's one way to look at it," Koga said, nodding.

He grinned and Kagome laughed a bit and finished the water. It was helping tremendously. She hugged him quickly once more.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and see what Rin is up to," she said, "Coming?"

"Sure," he said brightly.

x

The two went downstairs quietly, only to be met by Rin as she emerged from the kitchen, awkwardly balancing three mugs of cocoa.

"Oh good!" she said, passing one to Koga, and after shifting the remaining ones around, handed the other to Kagome, "There you go!"

"Wow, thanks, Rin," Kagome said brightly, "That's so nice of you."

Koga nodded readily even as he had a mouth full of cocoa.

"Well, even before he brought me to live with him, dad would make me cocoa when I wasn't feeling good," she explained.

Kagome smiled unwittingly: it was hard picturing Sessho-Maru doing such a thing, and she found it rather sweet. Rin grinned back at her and patted her leg gently.

"Feel better, okay?" she said, and then turned and skipped off out of the room.

Kagome watched her go back up the stairs; she supposed she was going to bed. It must've been quite late, now that she thought about it. She took a small, cautious sip of hot cocoa and smiled.

"Nice kid," she commented quietly.

She turned to Koga as he made an "mm-hmm" noise. He had his finger in his mouth and then scraped it around the edge of his mug to get the chocolate residue: he had already finished his drink. Kagome snickered, wiped her face again, and rolled her eyes before heading for the kitchen.

"Where you going?" the okami asked, his finger in his mouth again.

"Might make some food," she said, "And coffee for Yasha, when he's ready."

Koga nodded and followed along behind her as she went.

x

In the kitchen, Kagome plopped down at the table, nursing her drink. Koga put his mug in the sink and rinsed it, and then hopped across the room to sit in the chair opposite her.

"You're looking better already," he said with a smile.

Kagome laughed quietly and nodding, saying, "Good," before hiding a yawn behind her hand.

"I really need to stop crying so much," she said with a pout.

"Why?"

Koga looked baffled.

"...Well... because I just keep doing it!" she said, her eyes widening.

Koga looked at her thoughtfully and she felt a blush creep across her face. She was about to ask him what he was thinking, but before she could, he said,

"You think it makes you weak."

Kagome felt her heart thud in her chest and she opened her mouth to protest, but she realized rather quickly that was exactly what she thought. She flinched and drew back in her chair, but Koga smiled sympathetically.

"It doesn't," he assured her, "Maybe tough guys like your boyfriend never cry, but for people like you and me - normal people - it's fine. You shouldn't worry about it."

He grinned at her. She was taken aback, but hesitantly nodded. She wanted to believe him. His smile widened and he got up from his seat and leaned over her, kissing her forehead gently. Her spine tingled and she looked up at him with surprise.

"You're gonna be just fine," he said, "Now, I think I'm going back to bed."

"Oh, okay," Kagome replied quickly, "Um, goodnight! ...And thanks."

He gave her the thumbs-up and ruffled her hair before heading off, his tail wagging behind him.

x

Kagome smiled into her mug, warmed by her friend's words. She spent a few minutes finishing the cocoa, tired, thinking about what he had said, and about what Inu-Yasha had admitted to her. She put a hand to her forehead, wishing Buyo were there; wishing she could somehow help Inu-Yasha more. She didn't know what to do, though. She didn't know how to support him; didn't know the first thing about how to deal with the trauma housed in her poor hanyou's brain. She had seen how Sessho-Maru looked at him when he came to meet them, knew he was worried too. It was just a guess, but she thought that he was probably worried about the events triggering memories of the first incident, the one Inu-Yasha had blocked out almost completely. She wished she knew what to do.

x

Sighing, the cocoa gone, Kagome got to her feet. Remembering her promise of food and coffee, the girl began to scour the kitchen. She did't know what to make, but she'd figure that part out as she went.

oOoOoOoO

It was almost an hour later when Inu-Yasha had sorted himself out enough to feel confident leaving the bathroom. He still felt a little shaken, but he had rationalized his was out of the holding cell and back to the present. It felt somewhat liberating.

x

Getting up off the floor, he took a deep breath. What he really wanted, now, was to be with Kagome. He didn't want to come off as over-clingy, but he knew that she could help him. Eager to reunite with her, he left the bathroom, trying to be very quiet. Outside the door, however, Inu-Yasha was startled to see Rin was there, clutching a mug in both hands, blinking with droopy eyelids at the opposite wall.

"Rin?" he asked, perplexed, and then little girl's gaze turned to him, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Uncle!" she said quickly, rubbing her eyes with a fist.

She placed the mug beside her and got to her feet, hugging him tightly around the middle.

"I heard you weren't feeling so well," she explained, and then stooped to pick up the mug again and passed it to him, a tired but proud look on her face.

Inu-Yasha accepted it readily, and though it was cool now, he knew it had once been hot cocoa by the smell. He smiled at the girl and nodded, saying,

"Thanks, kid, I appreciate it."

Rin grinned widely, though almost immediately raised a hand to muffle a huge yawn. The hanyou folded his arms and was about to inquire as to what time it was, but then changed his mind rather quickly. He placed the mug near his feet and then dipped down to lift the young girl into his arms. She let out a small squeak, though she hugged him around his neck as he said,

"C'mon, kid, let's get you to bed. It must be late."

"Yeah, kind of," she admitted sleepily.

She was having trouble keeping her eyes open, it seemed.

x

Inu-Yasha took the half-asleep girl back to her bed and tucked her in gently before returning to the mug she had left him. Appreciative, he downed it in one gulp and then walked back into the cool bathroom. He filled the mug up with water and drank that as well before clunking it down on the side of the sink and quickly splashing a bit of water on his face. It woke him up a little; he felt a bit better.

x

Silently, Inu-Yasha went downstairs, following his nose to Kagome. When he saw her, she was preoccupied, her back to him as she filled a kettle with water and leaned over to check what seemed to be a chicken in the over. As Kagome placed the kettle down on the heating plate, Inu-Yasha watched her, leaning against the doorframe. He was so grateful for her that it was impossible for him to articulate. Even tired and disheveled as she was, she was utterly gorgeous to him. The most beautiful thing in the world: his Kagome. He was silent still, his thoughts mulling about in his head; sometimes it simply struck him dumb to think that he had been so long without seeing her at all. Every once and a while, the hanyou was hit with an overwhelming relief. He sometimes wondered if he would get over it. He supposed it didn't matter: it made him appreciate what he had all the more.

x

Quietly, he approached Kagome from behind, and, though he paused, blushing just a little, he gently wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed close. The feeling of her heartbeat through her body warmed him immediately. She laughed just a little and said,

"Hi, Yasha."

One of her hands went to his affectionately and he found himself smiling quite widely, and he nuzzled his face into the side of her neck. She giggled, leaning towards him a bit as she was tickled by a careful kiss.

"Feeling better, I take it?" she said.

He pulled back just little, saying, "Yeah, a bit."

Kagome grinned and turned in his grasp as he looked back at her with a shy smile, his cheeks tinted red. This was unusually romantic for him; she knew how insecure he could be about being overly affectionate, and she truly appreciated the effort.

"About earlier-" he began, but she simply shook her head, smiling at him.

"Don't even worry about it," she said, "Everyone needs to be alone sometimes."

"...Thanks."

She grinned a bit wider, her expression still charmingly sympathetic.

"Just... you know, deal with it however you have to. I know it's scary," she said, "I've still got some stuff to work out in my head too."

He nodded and smiled a little; more genuine this time instead of his tense facade of normalcy.

"It's easier with two of us," he suggested; she nodded readily.

"We can whine at each other," she said rather brightly.

She quickly snuck her arms under his and gave him a tight, affectionate hug, cuddling up to his chest in a way, she hoped, would make him feel quite secure. It seemed to work, as she heard his heart begin to race and he adjusted his hold on her, taking her in almost a protective sort of way. He said nothing, however, feeling at a loss for words in the wake of her affection.

x

The hug was a simple thing, but after what had happened; after everything, just the sight of her could often set him aflutter. He felt so lucky, so absolutely in awe of this girl: so compassionate and optimistic as she was, despite the world going to hell around them. He would have very much liked to have told her that she was probably all that was keeping him sane in this moment, but the words wouldn't come in a bout of shyness that he wished he could get over. He wasn't sure what it was, maybe a fear of saying the wrong thing, or coming across as too soft, but it was still hard for him to say what was really in his heart. Instead, he quietly said, "thank you," and this made her giggle. He smiled at the sound, and she looked up at him, her eyes alight with a sort of pride that confused him for a moment until he realized, rather surprisingly, that she must have understood. Finally, he relaxed a little, smiling and pressing his forehead affectionately against hers. After much pause, the words dancing tentatively on his tongue, he took a deep; quiet breath.

"I love you," he whispered, "I love you so much."

Kagome held him even more tightly, her expression smoothing into one of utter contentment, and he knew it had been exactly the right thing to say. She had needed to hear it as much as he had needed to tell her.

"I know," she replied, a sort of soft, tinkling laugh in her voice, "I love you, too."

She pulled away gently and then, sticking her tongue out, elbowed him lightly in the side as she turned back to check the kettle and moved the boiling water from it and into the coffee pot.

"See, that's the proper 'I love you', 'I love you, too' exchange!" she said brightly, and then, satisfied, spun to look at him with a grin, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"But... you know I love you already," Inu-Yasha said, confused, his ears cocked to the side and his brow furrowed.

"Sometimes a girl just needs to hear it, you know?" she said, smiling a bit shyly back at him.

He grinned and approached her, hands in his pockets, and bent to her and gently; sweetly, kissed her forehead. She squeaked out a pleased giggle and he pulled back, ears drooped, looking back at her shyly.

"I guess I could... try to say it more?" he suggested.

"No, it's okay, it makes it more special the way you do it!" she explained, grinning widely.

Inu-Yasha was taken aback, his eyes wide and round, his ears flattening completely.

_I hadn't thought of it like that_, he thought, jarred.

"Oh," he replied rather dumbly.

"Idiot," Kagome cooed.

She turned back to the counter and pulled the mugs towards her, and then poured a generous serving of coffee into each. She put milk and sugar into her own and was about to ask Inu-Yasha what he wanted in his, but he slid up beside her and took his mug as it was and took a deep swig. Kagome cringed, anticipating that it was far too hot, but the hanyou didn't even flinch.

"That helps," he decided, and then plopped down at the kitchen table tiredly.

Kagome smiled and quietly slid into the seat across from him, taking a tentative sip of her drink. Inu-Yasha was silent for a little bit, but then hesitantly said,

"So... I, um... I heard you crying before."

"Oh," Kagome said dismissively, "Just a bit of a stress attack. I'm okay."

"Sorry I didn't-"

"I know."

She smiled at him and he nodded a bit shyly and turned his gaze on the dark coffee in his mug. For once, he didn't push it farther, and Kagome was quite happy that he didn't. He had enough guilt weighing on him. She knew he didn't say anything about it, but she could tell by the look on his face sometimes; the way he would slouch his normally proud shoulders. She leaned across the table and ruffled his short hair affectionately. He looked up from his cup and he couldn't seem to hold back a grin: small, bright and genuine. He reached over and mussed up her hair quickly and she blew a raspberry at him before snickering loudly and patting it back down with one hand. Inu-Yasha looked back at her, his gaze brightening and his posture straightening a little.

x

As they continued to sip at their coffees, it wasn't long before the front door slammed open, much to Kagome's surprise. Inu-Yasha didn't even flinch and raised a hand in greetings immediately as Sessho-Maru strode quickly into the room. As Kagome watched with wide-eyed surprise, the youkai poured a mug of coffee and downed it in one gulp. He then turned on the two of them, eyebrows raised just a bit.

"I'm surprised either of you are awake."

He dumped more of the warm, brown liquid into his mug and sat swiftly in the chair next to Kagome's, finally seeming to slow down. Inu-Yasha shrugged and laughed at Sessho-Maru quietly; he swore that his brother would have bathed in coffee if he could.

_"Shut up, hanyou,"_Sessho-Maru grumbled in the demon tongue, to which Inu-Yasha simply replied,

_"No, you."_

Kagome looked on with a perplexed expression and Sessho-Maru turned his gaze on her.

"Give me your arm," he said.

"Oh, um..."

Kagome awkwardly held her arm out to him, the one now lined with faint purple scars, and he took it, his fingers searching her skin as if looking for wounds. Kagome wasn't sure what to say and the hanyou across the table merely drank his coffee, and Sessho-Maru promptly said,

"From what I saw on the tapes, I was expecting the residue to be much worse. How did you reverse the process?"

Kagome blinked at him uncertainly and tried thinking back to what had happened.

"She shot out some spiritual energy when a demon attacked her back at that place," Inu-Yasha explained.

Kagome nodded readily and Sessho-Maru released her.

"Strange that a demon would attack you," he commented.

"There was something wrong with it," Kagome volunteered.

"Seriously fucked up," the hanyou agreed, his brow furrowing.

Again, Sessho-Maru nodded. He seemed to have something more on his mind, but he said nothing more about it an took a sip of his coffee, nursing it a bit this time.

"About my arm," Kagome began, and Sessho-Maru looked at her curiously; she gulped and her face fell with worry, "Was... that stuff going to spread? Do you know? Was there more to it?"

"I can't say I can completely explain it," Sessho-Maru admitted, "But it happened because you used one of their concoctions on yourself, correct?"

Kagome winced and nodded, and her boyfriend looked at her with surprise and a twinge of worry. Before he could question her, Sessho-Maru said,

"It was supposed to awake latent demon traits. But you're a pure human, so I suppose it was from that dragon residue in your aura?"

He looked at her very seriously and she nodded shyly.

"I think so..." she admitted.

"It's not entirely unheard of for a dying demon to leave some of their energy in the aura of someone close to them," he explained matter-of-factly, "But I haven't heard of someone with that demon energy using a trigger to change physically. Best not to do it again."

"It wasn't like I had much choice last time," Kagome admitted quietly; she seemed a little ashamed.

"And it's not like she'll have a chance," Inu-Yasha put in bluntly, "I'm never letting her get taken again, so it won't be a problem."

Kagome turned to him and smiled appreciatively, though before she could say something, Sessho-Maru said,

"Good. I don't doubt it. You went from me saving you, to you saving yourself, and next time I expect you not to get caught at all. If you are, I will be quite disappointed."

Inu-Yasha looked back at his brother blankly and it took Kagome a moment, but she soon began to snicker. Sessho-Maru cut his eyes at her, but seemed approving, and Inu-Yasha looked a bit baffled before Kagome reached across the table and patted his hand.

"It's a joke," she told him, "He's joking."

Inu-Yasha said, "fuck," quietly under his breath and then put a hand to his brow, swiftly followed by a short laugh.

"I still can't tell most of the time."

"I know, this is why it's funny," Sessho-Maru said simply.

"Whatever," Inu-Yasha said dismissively, "How did it go?"

"Quite well, actually," the youkai replied, seeming rather pleased despite his neutral expression, "We took their data and prevented their computers from accessing it again, we found their "hit list" and nullified it; saved a bunch of hanyous from- oh, by the way Inu-Yasha, you do need to be quite careful, they were targeting hanyous."

"What? Why?" Kagome demanded shrilly; Inu-Yasha's face paled a bit and his eyes went wide, and though he didn't ask, the same question was obviously on his mind.

"Don't know yet," Sessho-Maru admitted, "Also, your friend Sango was on their list of people to take. Just as you were."

"What?" Inu-Yasha barked.

As Sessho-Maru calmly sipped his coffee, the hanyou nearly jumped from his seat.

"Relax, she's safe," the youkai said cooly, "She was injured escaping, but we have her now. She'll be fine."

"Can I see her?" Inu-Yasha asked as he sat back heavily in his seat.

"No. Secret medical facility; you can't know where it is."

Inu-Yasha frowned deeply and his ears folded back, but his brother, simply but genuinely, said,

"Sorry."

Inu-Yasha sighed and nodded. He was worried, but he could sort of understand Sessho-Maru's train of thought.

"Sango, that's that girl who Kirara lives with, right?" Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded, and he hoped, too, that Kirara was okay. His thoughts then turned to his friend, Miroku, and his hand went to his head.

"But, she will be okay, right, Sessho-Maru?" Kagome asked worriedly as she turned in her chair to look at the youkai.  
He nodded and then stood as if to leave, but Inu-Yasha quickly said, "wait," and stood as well, hurrying away to a counter for a moment. When he returned, he had a list in his hand.

"Koga and I made this; it's what we found out," he said, passing it to his brother.

The youkai's eyes skimmed it quickly and a slightly unnerving smile passed over his face.

"I see. Good job."

He was gone from the room so quickly it was like he had never been there to begin with.

x

"How does he keep doing that?" Kagome squeaked.

Inu-Yasha turned back to her and laughed a bit as he took his seat again.

"He's a very powerful demon," he replied simply.

"Can you do that?"

"Not yet. Maybe one day," he said.

"So... is demon power determined by age, or-?"

"Genetics, and you get stronger if you train to as you age," the hanyou explained.

"Interesting," she said, and then paused thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Back when we were trapped... you fought that other demon."

"I... yeah, I did."

He looked confused. Kagome shrugged and scratched her forehead with a finger.

"It was just... super impressive is all. Did you get hurt much?"

"Nah," he scoffed, barely convincing himself let alone her.

She smiled at him.

"But... so you're pretty powerful, then? I mean, even among other demons? Because you were kind of kicking his ass until he stunned you."

"I dunno," he admitted.

He shrugged and Kagome got to her feet, stretched, and checked the oven.

"You know," she said, "I really have no idea how to make chicken."

"Then turn it off," Inu-Yasha said with a laugh.

"No food?" she asked, surprised, switching the oven off.

"I'm not all that hungry," he volunteered.

Kagome's eyes went wide and she rushed him, putting one hand to his forehead and the other to her own. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sick."

He pulled back despite the pout that formed on his girlfriend's lips.

"But you're not hungry. That's not normal."

"I just drank two mugs of stuff, I'm fine," he replied.

Kagome still looked worried, but she nodded, and Inu-Yasha quickly ruffled her hair before darting away and out of the room. Kagome huffed in frustration and tried to follow him out, but had no idea where he went.

x

She cast around for him in the living room, only to find herself bowled over quickly and dizzily. She yelped, cringing as she reestablished her position, though found herself under Inu-Yasha as he held her on the sofa. With a grin, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead; she squeaked and he flipped her effortlessly so that she lay on his chest. Kagome couldn't help a laugh and she hugged him around his shoulders, flopping down on top of him tiredly. He snickered, though he said nothing, electing merely to close his eyes and relax. Kagome followed suit.

oOoOoOoO

The next morning, when Kagome woke up, she found herself warm and cozy, but a bit dazed. Confused, she sat up, noting the huge blankets that pooled around her and looked around. Bright afternoon light streamed in underneath closed blinds. The girl cringed and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles; her eyelids felt still, almost sticky; even the mostly shadowed room felt too bright. Awkwardly, Kagome forced herself out of bed and, yawning widely behind her hand.

x

As she stumbled downstairs, rubbing at her tussled hair, she began to hear the rambunctious commotion of a houseful of boys. Sota's voice was clear, as was Koga's. Inu-Yasha, she could hear, was on the phone with someone elsewhere. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kagome heard a familiar, "Kaggy!" and was nearly startled backwards as Buyo leapt straight at her chest. She squeaked and caught him awkwardly and he quickly pawed his way up to her face, licking her cheek gently despite his apparent fervour.

"Buyo!" she said; her voice was still groggy, but she felt utterly elated.

She hugged him close.

"When did you get here? How are you?"

_"This morning, and I'm great,"_ he said, pulling back a bit and purring, _"You? I mean, how are you? You're pretty bruised, Kaggy."_

"I'm aware," she laughed.

She kissed him in between his ears gently. He smelled of pancakes. His purring rumbled against her chest and she stroked his fur.

"I'm relatively okay," she told him, "Don't worry about me."

_"Yeah right,"_he said, rolling his eyes.

He licked her again, eliciting a bright smile. Holding him close, she ambled into the kitchen where she knew there was a phone. Inu-Yasha wasn't in there, however, but she did see the time. It was almost 1 in the afternoon.

"For real?" she squeaked aloud.

Buyo looked up at her curiously, though she merely sighed. She stroked his fur again and then gently placed him down on the kitchen table.

x

From there she went into the next room, the living room, to find, to her surprise, a large pile of their belongings near the threshold that opened into the main hallway. She supposed whomever had brought Buyo had also brought a good deal of other things from their old house as well. Also, Inu-Yasha was in there, curled up on the sofa with a phone beside him. He turned to her when she entered and flashed her a grin, saying,

"Glad to see you didn't sleep the whole day."

Kagome laughed as she plopped down on the sofa beside him, whacking his arm.

"Shut up," she joked, "When did you get up?"

"Technically, I didn't."

He got up and took the phone; Kagome stood with him, a puzzled expression on her face as she trailed after him when he went to the kitchen.

"You mean you didn't sleep?" she asked worriedly.

"I had some issues."

He shrugged as he hung up the phone. When he looked back at her, Kagome could see a quiet fear still lingering in his eyes. She sighed and hugged him affectionately.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

He patted her shoulder and when she pulled back, grinned at her. Kagome forced a smile onto her face as well despite her concern and pulled back, asking,

"So who was on the phone?"

"Someone at Sessho's super top-secret hospital," he said, "I was just asking about my friend."

"Is she okay?"

"Unconscious, but fine otherwise."

Inu-Yasha looked quite pleased, and Kagome's smile turned genuine.

"That's a relief."

"Tell me about it," he agreed, "I think I get to see her in a few days. Would you like to come?"

"Sure, why not?" Kagome replied.

His smile widened and he looked surprisingly relieved.

x

Kagome and Inu-Yasha hung out with Koga and Sota in the back room for a few hours, taking turns on video games interspersed with munching on cookies the wolf had made in the early morning. They were burnt, but chocolatey, and to the tired teens, that was all that really mattered.

x

After dying three times in a row in a fighter game and forfeiting her turn, Kagome got up, curious to look through the pile of things that had been brought in. When she began looking near the door, however, Kagome found mostly movies and the basics of clothes piled into bags. There was also some objects that looked relatively expensive. She was a bit disappointed to see that her retailored boots weren't in the group, but after a bit of digging, she found the silver chain Inu-Yasha had bought her. She put it on eagerly.

x

Among a few books, she found some of her school work. Surprised, Kagome wondered what she would be doing about school. Her mind then jumped to Cho. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She didn't feel right just up and leaving just after telling the other girl she could rely on her if things got bad at home. Kagome winced, unsure of what to do, what to tell her; even where they would be staying from now on.

x

Kagome wasn't left alone to think on it for long as, quite soon after, Sessho-Maru walked through the front door, with Rin trailing close behind. The young girl was pristine, dressed in a blue and white school uniform and carried a small backpack over one shoulder. She waved at Kagome cheerfully as Sessho-Maru closed to door behind her, only to have her scurry off, saying, "Are those cookies, can I have some?"  
The boys in the other room greeted her and one of them gave up a controller to her. Kagome smiled a little to herself. Sessho-Maru, on the other hand, looked down at her.

"Why are you on the floor?" he asked.

"Just looking through some stuff," she replied.

She quickly got to her feet, straightening her shirt as she went, only to realize that she was still in her pyjamas. She felt her face heat up, but Sessho-Maru didn't seem as though he could possibly care less.

"This is what my people decided were objects that might be of immediate use, clothing and such."

"No coats though," Kagome commented.

"No, your entry closet was destroyed, apparently."

The youkai shrugged. Kagome nodded and looked a bit downtrodden.

"Missing something?"

He tilted his head, but Kagome forced a smile and shook hers.

"Nah, it's fine," she replied.

He seemed satisfied and moved to remove the blazer he was wearing. Kagome was a little intrigued. He moved as if he wasn't missing an arm at all.

x

As the youkai was about to leave, Kagome shyly asked,

"Sessho-Maru?"

He paused and turned to her with an expression that simply told her to continue, so she did,

"Where will we be living now? I mean-?"

"I'm having a house set up, near Inu-Yasha's old school," he said simply, shrugging, "Installing some barriers and such. It should be safe."

Kagome felt her body sag with relief and, quietly, she said,

"Thank you so much."

She wanted to ask him more; wanted all the contact info, wanted to tell Cho as soon as possible. Then, it struck her that she didn't even have the other girl's phone number. She winced, and Sessho-Maru looked at her sternly.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she squeaked.

He stared at her for an extra moment and quickly turned, heading in towards the kitchen. Kagome hesitantly followed, seeing Sessho-Maru heading straight for the coffee maker. Inu-Yasha was in there already, at the fridge, pulling a bottle of juice out of the back.

"Hi," he said, greeting his bother and the looked to Kagome, holding up the bottle, "Want one?"

"Oh, no thanks," she said, and as he kicked the door closed and opened the drink, she turned to his brother, "Um... Sessho-Maru? Could I... um..."

"Spit it out," he said a bit boredly.

"Oh, sorry," Kagome said quickly, "I was just wondering if I could have all the phone numbers and stuff. For the new place, I mean. And for here."

Though Sessho-Maru didn't ask, Inu-Yasha looked at the girl curiously, his ears perking.

"Why?"

"Oh, well, I wanted to give it to Cho," she said.

"Cho? Why?" Inu-Yasha asked before taking a swig of the juice.

"Well, she was having 'family troubles', you know... sort of like mine, and I just thought it would be good for her to have someone to talk to."

Sessho-Maru seemed disinterested almost immediately, though the hanyou looked confused and a bit skeptical.

"What? Well... Whatever. You're doing way more than she would ever do for you, you know."

"I know, but... I dunno, it's important," she said, and then said, "I was wondering if you could take me to her place?"

"Take you?" he said, "Sure, I don't see why not."

However, beside them, Sessho-Maru sighed and shook his head, saying,

"No. Don't."

"But Sessho-Maru-" Kagome began to whine, though was cut off by Inu-Yasha letting out a growling, "What's the problem?"

"I'll take her there," the youkai volunteered.

Inu-Yasha and Kagome both paused and the hanyou looked at his brother with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"I'd rather you didn't leave," the man said simply.

"Why?"

"Why do you think, you idiot?"

They stared at each other for a moment, though Inu-Yasha gave up first, tiredly putting his hands up and saying,  
"I get it, I get it. Fine."

"Good," Sessho-Maru replied with an approving nod, and then looked to the girl, "Now?"

"If that's okay," she squeaked, "I'll get changed."

x

Kagome hurried upstairs and changed into normal clothes, a simple green t-shirt and jeans, also borrowing a smaller pair of sandals she found, before returning downstairs. She saw Sessho-Maru there, looking just as he had when entering with Rin, standing beside the pile of junk. He beckoned to the door and Kagome nodded and moved to follow, but Inu-Yasha put his hand on her shoulder and said, "wait," quickly. His brother looked at him sternly and Kagome was confused, but he said,

"She'll meet you in the car. Just a sec."

Sessho-Maru shrugged and headed outside, though Kagome was still puzzled.

"What's up," she asked.

"Oh, nothing really, I just want to get you my coat," he said, "Since... you know, you don't have much clothing stuff."  
"Oh!"

She had forgotten, and it was getting cold out.

x

Inu-Yasha was gone and back in a second, handing her his jacket as he returned, along with a note with the contact information she had wanted on it. She put the jacket on while saying a quick, 'thanks'. He nodded and smiled a bit, but then leaned in close and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled, feeling a blush streak across her face, and she said, quietly,

"What was that for?"

"Nothing, really," he said, "Just be careful, ne?"

"Always," Kagome assured him, winking as she pulled back, but then frowned a little, "You're not planning on following, are you?"

"Not this time," he laughed, "Sessho-Maru's there. You'll be safe."

Kagome smiled. He may not have always gotten along with his brother, but the amount of faith he had in the man was very reassuring.

x

She headed to the car after giving him a quick hug goodbye. Hopping into the passenger seat of Sessho-Maru's car, however, suddenly made the world seem very quiet.

"Towards your old place?" the youkai asked, and when Kagome nodded and was about to give him an address, he said, "I know where it is."

Kagome nodded and internally smacked herself; of _course_he knew.

x

The car ride was quiet; almost unbearably so. Sessho-Maru said nothing as they headed back into the city, barely even looking at Kagome. She didn't even know how to begin a conversation with him. What did they possibly have in common? He was centuries old, and a full youkai. She decided not to bother for now; he didn't seem to mind. Instead, she took to looking out the window, watching as blurring green became dull grey and bustling people. She was nearly falling asleep against the window when she heard the youkai beside her let out a dry chuckle.

"Sleeping again?"

"What?" Kagome asked groggily, and then sat up straight, blinking in the light as she said, quickly, "No, no... Just..."

"Bored?" he asked, "I apologise. Conversing with teenage girls is not exactly my forte, as you may have guessed."

"Maybe you should practice before Rin gets there," she joked.

A small smile crossed the youkai's face.

"Maybe you're right," he said, shrugging, "But... I did have something I'd like to ask you."

Kagome was surprised, almost more-so that he was making conversation than that he was asking her something.

"Sure, anything," Kagome said.

"Inu-Yasha, did he...?" he said slowly, and then paused, picking his words carefully, it seemed, "Did he remember anything from the first time?"

"No, not that he's told me," she said, "He had a bit of problems with this time. Dunno if he'd want me to tell you that, but... no, nothing from the first time."

Sessho-Maru nodded thoughtfully.

"And how long was he a full youkai? With the red eyes, like when I got there?"

"Oh," Kagome said, and then frowned, trying to remember, "Um... All night. He had Koga stab him."

Her stomach twisted as she remembered, or, more accurately, unsuccessfully tried not to remember. She bit her lip and Sessho-Maru frowned, tapping his claws lightly on the steering wheel.

"So it was controlled," he said quietly, "He controlled the circumstances; so controlled himself? ...Interesting."

Kagome wasn't really sure what he was talking about. Inu-Yasha had mentioned control problems to her once or twice, but wasn't actually aware it had been an issue. Honestly, she couldn't understand. So what, were his inhibitions a bit more free while he was "full youkai"?

x

She was left to muse about it as they continued on in silence, though it was considerably less strained. Pity, though, because they were almost at Cho's. Kagome gave Sessho-Maru a few final directions, and they soon found themselves parked outside the other girl's house on the hill.

x

Kagome looked up the drive at the house and gulped unconsciously. It felt weird being there, almost as if she were trespassing. She felt her stomach clench, but nonetheless, she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Hey," Kagome said a bit shyly, "Thanks. For everything. I really appreciate it."

"It isn't a problem," the youkai said simply.

Kagome bit her lip, wanting to say more, but instead she nodded and opened the door and stuck her feet out.

"I'll be back soon," she assured him.

He didn't reply, but sat back in his seat a bit more comfortably as she left the car and headed up the driveway to the front door.

x

A bit hesitantly, she knocked, and then waited. Everything was quiet here, except for the distant tweeting and chatter of birds. Kagome's stomach was in knots and she wondered if she should have come at all.

_No,_ she scolded herself, _Cho's in the same place I was. I would have given anything for someone to reach out to me like this._

Things were still quiet, and she soon began to doubt anyone was home. Just in case, she knocked again.

x

This time, she soon heard the lock click and the door was pulled back. Cho stood before her in, to her surprise, clothes that seemed absolutely normal: a black t-shirt and jeans, not at all the over-sexualized get-up she wore to school. She seemed a bit gaunt; a bit tired, no make-up hiding the dark circles under her eyes. She looked at Kagome in her doorway with surprise.

"Higurashi?" she squeaked.

She sounded just as surprised as she looked. Her eyes roamed over Kagome's face and she cringed a bit, saying,

"No offence, but what the hell happened to your face?"

"Long story," Kagome sighed, unwittingly brushing a finger over the claw mark on her cheek.

Cho looked at her with her brow furrowed, and then asked,

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh," Kagome said, "Sorry. I wanted to give you my new address and phone number."

"You're moving?"

Cho looked at her blankly, and she nodded.

"Moved, actually."

"Oh."

Cho hurriedly stepped aside from the door.

"Better write it down, then: come in."

Kagome nodded her thanks and stepped inside, slipping off her boots. Cho put a finger to her lips quickly and then whispered,

"My mom's boyfriend is here, so..."

She rolled her eyes and Kagome nodded.

x

The inside of Cho's house was pristine, rich; nothing like what it had been like the last time she was there for the party. As Cho lead her past an open living room with designer couches, where a large TV was on, Kagome wondered if Cho even remembered that night. It still stung a bit, what the girl had done, but now it was hard to hold it against her so much.

x

Cho took her to the kitchen. It was large and bright; almost sparkled with cleanliness. There was a fancy cork-board near the fridge with notes stuck to it; Cho approached it and pulled an older one down and flipped it over, handing it to Kagome, along with a pencil. Kagome leaned onto the counter and quickly scribbled down her new info and then handed the paper back to Cho. Cho looked at it curiously, and then pulled a small, pink cellphone from her pocket and flicked it open to add Kagome to her contacts.

"Higurashi," she said as she hurriedly typed with the keys, "I... I know I've given you a rough time, but I really do appreciate this."

"No problem," Kagome said a bit bashfully, but when Cho's dark eyes rose from the screen to meet hers, they were very serious.

"I mean it," she said.

Kagome stalled, but then nodded, and the taller girl smiled just a little. She tore a piece off the bottom of the paper Kagome had used and scribbled her own phone number on it before handing it over. Kagome pocketed the paper with a thankful nod and Cho sighed to herself and turned to the fridge. She opened it, asking, "Would you like something to drink?" as she shifted a few things around.

"Oh, no thanks, I have someone waiting in the car for me," Kagome said.

Cho nodded and reached to the back of the fridge to pull out a glass bottle of soda.

x

"I don't think you need to be in there, Cho."

A male voice spoke from the other side of the fridge door, gruff and condescending. Kagome froze utterly, a chill running down her spine, a familiar spike of terror shooting through her. She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it in a long while; never again would have been too soon.

x

As Cho rolled her eyes, huffed, and slammed the fridge door. As she spun to look at the tall, sloppily dressed man with a deeply furrowed brow and a sullen face, Kagome stared at him as well, her jaw dropping in disbelief. The man's glare turned to a combination of shock and rage as his eyes met her.

"You-!" she gasped, taking a shaky step backwards.

"What the hell are _you_doing here?" he demanded.

Cho looked between them, utterly baffled, but before she could ask, Kagome spat,

"That's my _dad_."

Cho's face went pale but the man merely sneered.

"Get out of here, girly. Cho..."

He turned to her, but she glared back at him, clutching her soda with white knuckles.

"Don't you tell me what to do, this is my house, I-"

Before she could finish, the man grabbed her by the front of her shirt and she shrieked. Kagome's heart dropped. It was like seeing herself just a few months ago. Without a second thought, she rushed him, ramming him with her shoulder from the side. He stumbled, as did Cho, and she grabbed the girl by her shoulders and hurried her into the living room. She looked like she was in shock for a moment, but then quickly began scream, her face going red as the man righted himself with a look of fury on his face.

"What the _fuck_is wrong with you? You asshole! And you had a family?"

She tried to lunge at him, but Kagome held her back.

"I'm telling my mom everything," Cho spat.

Her voice was venom. The man, however, turned the fire in his eyes on Kagome.

"You little bitch, you always fuck everything up for me!" he yelled.

"Stop it!" Kagome yelled, "Just, stop it, everyone!"

She was scared. So scared; she didn't want it to degrade into violence. She didn't know if she could handle it. As she guided Cho around the other side of the sofa in front of the coffee table, her eyes darted around the room. She noticed a phone on an end table on the other side of the sofa. She knew the door was too far. Cautiously, she tried to edge towards the phone.

"Look, dad, I know we hate each other, but can we please not... I don't care that you're cheating on mom, just don't-"

She didn't get to finish her thought. Her old man was faster than she anticipated. Her head was spinning and she was on the floor beside the coffee table with a pain in her face. She heard Cho shriek, and she was hauled up by the collar of her shirt. She choked for just a moment, but then, frantically, she hit backwards with her elbows. She heard the man grunt and she hurried away back to the other side of the sofa. Cho stood near the television now, her back to wall, her eyes wide, teary, and terrified.

x

Frantically, Kagome shouted, "Sessho-Maru!", and held a hand out before her. In her terror, she tried to imagine her father was a demon. If she could just knock him back... He called her a bitch again; he began to head around the sofa to get her. Her heart was in her throat. She scrunched her eyes shut, trying desperately to concentrate.

_Demon attack, demon attack, demon attack, come on!_

He was only a few inches away before a blast of pink energy rocketed from Kagome's hand and bowled him backwards, tumbling over the back of the couch. She heard Cho scream as the energy sent Kagome back as well, but the large, slightly stunned man was up again before she was. It didn't matter though, because, before the fear of renewed conflict could even hit Kagome, she saw the man up in the air. He was slammed into the opposite wall heavily, so fast that he seemed almost to disappear for a moment. Sessho-Maru was standing before him, eyes like ice, his clawed fingers wrapped tightly around the human's throat as he held him steadily against the wall. Kagome was stunned; Cho slumped onto her knees and her hands went to her mouth in shock. The man was struggling, but it didn't seem to be an issue. Sessho-Maru turned his head to look at Kagome, one brow raised slightly.

"You alright?" he asked.

Shakily, Kagome nodded, and her fingers finally went to the sore spot on her cheek. Pulling back, there was blood on her fingertips. She gulped. She heard the man in Sessho-Maru's grasp say something vulgar, something threatening, but no one paid him any mind. Shaking, Kagome stumbled against the end-table and her hand went to the phone. She paused for a moment, stared at it as if uncertain and then, her face set in a determined frown, she picked it up and called the police.

x

As the police arrived and the man Kagome had reluctantly called 'father' was taken into custody, she couldn't help but feel removed. It seemed almost surreal. She gave a statement to the police, explaining all of what had happened: all of it. She didn't want to give her life's story, but the officer, concerned for her well being, had pushed her into it a little. It was for the best, she knew that; it felt awkward knowing that Sessho-Maru and Cho knew everything now, as well. She showed some scars, and the fresh, shallow wound to her face where she had been shoved against the corner of the coffee table. She explained the knife that he carried. She was told there would be a court date. They called her brave.

x

After she was done and it was Cho's time to talk to the police, Kagome sat on the curb of the sidewalk. Her mind was racing and her heart was still beating too fast. It was all over, now. She hadn't imagined that she would have felt so relieved to have it end like this. Just a month ago, she had wanted to kill this man. She had wanted to get rid of him more than anything. She didn't think she would have felt safe until he was dead, but she did feel safe. She had people around who cared, now; she hadn't truly been afraid of that man ever since Inu-Yasha had saved her from him. She didn't feel brave, but she certainly didn't feel weak, either. She felt good.

x

Kagome took a deep, tired breath and her mind went to Inu-Yasha. She groaned a bit, remembering the weird emotional link he had to her, and her hand went to her jacket. She didn't have a phone on her. She looked around; Cho was wrapped in the arms of her mother, who was frantic and seemed to have just arrived from a business meeting. Sessho-Maru was also indisposed, talking rather seriously to one of the officers next to the closest police car. Sighing, and with a general attitude of not giving a crap, she said, a bit loudly,

"Can I borrow someone's phone?"

After a moment, an officer in street-clothes, an older man with dark hair slicked back, knelt on the pavement beside her and handed her his phone. His eyes were kind and worried, and Kagome was struck with a strange sense of security, and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she said, "I'll only be a minute."

"Take your time," he assured her, and then stood and took a few steps back to give her a bit of space.

Not wanting to inconvenience him for too long, she immediately dialled Sessho-Maru's home number. The phone was picked up within seconds of the first ring, and Inu-Yasha abruptly said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Yasha, it's me," she said, and before he could barrage her with questions, she continued, "I'm fine. Had a run in with my dad, but it's all okay now: I called the police and he's been arrested."

There was nothing on the end of the line for a moment until she heard him let out a "huh" in a rather surprised way.

"Well, that answered basically everything."

His relief was as plain as day and Kagome smiled to herself.

"But," the hanyou said, "Last time, you wouldn't call the cops. Did something change?"

Kagome was a bit taken aback and she paused to think before answering.

"I think that... I thought it would be weak to not handle it myself," she explained.

"That's dumb," Inu-Yasha replied bluntly.

"I know."

"I'm glad."

He laughed a little and Kagome joined him before saying,

"Look, I'm borrowing a phone, so I should probably go."

"Yeah, okay, no problem," he replied, "...Thanks for letting me know."

"Anytime," she laughed, "See ya."

He replied with a "bye," in a tone that conveyed quite a bit more than just the single word. Kagome hung up and smiled, blushing despite herself.

x

Shortly after she returned the phone to the officer, another one told her that she and Cho would have to be taken to the police station to provide formal statements. The first thing that struck Kagome was irritation at how much time this was taking, but she knew she would have to go through this. She really wanted to go home, but this was something important.

x

An officer tried to direct her to a seat in a police car, but Sessho-Maru intercepted.

"I'll drive her, and the other one," Sessho-Maru said, nodding at Cho.

His hand was on Kagome's shoulder rather protectively and his expression made the officer back up a bit, unwittingly.  
"Okay," he replied.

Kagome's eyes went to Sessho-Maru and she looked at him with confusion. She really appreciated the way he was watching out for her, but it was so unexpected, and she didn't entirely understand it. He didn't say anything more, but then beckoned towards his car. Kagome nodded and headed towards it as Sessho-Maru called Cho over as well. Kagome tiredly slid into the back seat and put her face in her hands, and, within seconds, Sessho-Maru was in driver's seat. He sighed.

"Those two humans are coming with us," he told her.

"I figured."

She leaned her head back against the headrest and it suddenly felt so comfortable, and she smiled a little.

"That's why I got in the back."

He nodded absently and turned to look at her from the corner of his eye.

"You're doing okay, then?"

"Yeah... Thank you, you know. For the help."

He didn't reply and turned his gaze ahead. Within seconds, front door had opened and Cho's mother, shaking, got into the passenger seat beside the youkai. Cho almost immediately got inside and sat beside Kagome. Her mother turned to look at them both with wide, watery eyes.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked.

Kagome was surprised that the question was directed at her and she nodded swiftly. The woman bit her lip, nodded, and then looked to her daughter.

"Cho, I'm so, so sorry," her mother said.

"It's okay, mom," the girl insisted.

Her arms were wrapped around herself and she was shaking a bit, but she forced a smile onto her face for her mom's sake. The woman smiled a little weakly in return and then slumped in her seat, but looked at Sessho-Maru as he started the car.

"Thank you so much, mister, um-"

"Sessho-Maru," he said simply.

"Thank you so much, Sessho-Maru, for everything, I don't know what would have happened... I can't even believe... oh my god..."

She couldn't seem to finish a sentence. She put a palm to her forehead and Sessho-Maru merely shrugged in response. He pulled out into the street behind a police car headed to the station and began to drive.

x

Kagome didn't know how far it was to the station, but she wished it was quicker. Beside her, Cho was curled up in the corner, her back up against the door a little bit. In the front, her mother still seemed distraught. Kagome didn't know what to say, or even if she should say anything. After a little while, Sessho-Maru turned on the radio and gestured to it, shooting a glance at Cho's mother. She sniffed, nodded, and switched the station around awkwardly until the station landed on a very slow song that Kagome didn't recognize. It sounded fairly old.

"I hope that's okay," she said quietly.

Kagome saw Cho roll her eyes a bit but she said, "That's fine, mom," reassuringly.

x

It took almost twenty minutes to reach the station in the traffic. As they pulled up in front, Sessho-Maru slowed the car to a stop and then turned in his seat to look at Kagome.

"I'll drop you two off here; we'll join you soon."

Cho squeaked, "What?" in a rather alarmed fashion, but Kagome nodded. There wasn't anywhere to park here.

"Thanks," she said.

She scooted out and onto the sidewalk in front of the building and, still nervous, Cho followed her and then closed the door.

x

Sessho-Maru watched out the window as Kagome and Cho walked to the station doors. He didn't even take his car out of 'park' until they were both inside. Cho's mother sighed.

"Sorry," she said as Sessho-Maru pulled back onto the road, "I'm Nakamura Hoshiko. It was rude of me not to introduce myself."

"Not a problem," the youkai replied.

His eyes darted around the road until he spotted a restaurant with an open parking lot a little ways down the street. He drummed his fingers in annoyance against the steering wheel as they plodded through the traffic.

"I think it's wonderful how you're watching out for Kagome," the woman said.

Sessho-Maru remained stoic and quiet. He pulled into the parking lot he had seen and found a spot near the back. When he parked, he slumped just a little and sighed, wondering how the hell he had gotten himself into this.

"She's lucky to have you around," Hoshiko continued, smiling tiredly at him, "May I ask what your relation to her is?"

Sessho-Maru looked at her and he suddenly seemed a bit tired, his face conveying a sense of, 'I didn't sign up for this shit'.

"I'm her boyfriend's brother."

* * *

A/N: I'd really like to thank everyone for reading! Also, a special thanks to hittocerebattosai for giving me a lovely piece of fanart a little while back.


	48. Pulling Through the Wreckage

Chapter 46: Pulling Through the Wreckage

* * *

Kagome found the police to be very accommodating. Though her statement took longer than she would have liked, including photographs of her injuries, the officer she talked to was incredibly kind. When she was done and was escorted from the interview room, she was surprised to see Sessho-Maru waiting for her a bit beyond the front desk. He approached her almost immediately, and though his face showed no concern, his hand went to her cheek and his thumb brushed the new wound gently. She felt her face heat up and he inclined his head and pulled his hand back.

"Not too deep," he assessed, "He pushed you?"

"Yeah..." Kagome said, sighing, "Into the, um... the coffee table, I think."

"Did they photograph it?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

His brow furrowed just a little and he turned away from her, sighing to himself.

"I suppose I should have come sooner."

"It was fine," Kagome assured him quickly, "Everyone was okay, so... Anyway, where's Cho's mom?"

"She was panicking. I sent her to get coffee," Sessho-Maru said, turning back to her, "Walking may have calmed her down."

Kagome nodded and sat down tiredly on one of the waiting chairs and the tall youkai dropped down beside her. They were quiet for a while. Kagome couldn't tell from his face what Sessho-Maru was thinking, but she knew she felt very safe beside him.

"Thanks," she said, "For doing that aura thing when you did."

"Hmm?" he asked quietly.

"It gave me enough energy to push him back for a moment," she replied with a shrug.

"I know," he said, "You got the hang of that fast."

"Had to, I think. Did you... how did you synch with me without touching me?"

"I didn't, I attacked you."

"Oh."

She laughed tiredly and put a hand to her forehead. Beside her, the youkai looked at her with a slight furrow on his brown: an expression that might have been described as pity if it hadn't been so faint.

"We'll practice more," he said simply- she couldn't help but feel surprised at how matter-of-factly he said it- "You can develop your power. One day, you may even be able to heal someone- or yourself- with your energy."

"Wha...? Oh. Okay. Thank you," she said, a little flustered.

He nodded and sat back in his chair calmly.

x

The sound of the door swinging open caught Kagome's attention and she looked up to see Cho's mother walk in with a tray of coffee. She looked rattled, her face blotchy and her eyes tired. She walked up to the counter and passed a coffee to the officer behind the desk, who thanked her with surprise, before she returned to the chairs and sat beside Kagome. With a quiet, "Please, take one," she passed the tray to Kagome, who quickly passed it off to Sessho-Maru. He seemed slightly pleased; Kagome turned her attention on the woman beside her.

"Nakamura-san," she said gently, "Are you okay?"

The woman had sort of curled in on herself, crossing her legs and folding her arms up close to her chest. She turned a hesitant eye on Kagome and bit her lip. Her hand went to her brow.

"I... I just can't believe I didn't notice," she said, "Cho said she didn't like him, but I thought it was just because he was new in the house... When I met him, he was... charming... He didn't have a place to stay, though, so-"

"Don't blame yourself," Kagome said quickly.

In all honesty, she had no idea how that man had ever come across as "charming". Kagome knew that her mother had been in basically what amounted to an arranged marriage with him, orchestrated by their mothers for some reason, before they separated. She couldn't imagine anyone being legitimately attracted to him, but then again, she had never seen him when he wasn't drunk.

"If I had known," Hoshiko sighed, grimacing, "Kagome, I'm very sorry."

"Oh," Kagome replied with surprise, "You don't need to apologize to me. If this is what finally gets him sent to jail, this is a very good thing."

"_Finally_?" the woman asked.

She stared at Kagome for a moment and seemed to understand, giving her a hug so tight that it almost pulled the girl from her seat. Kagome didn't even know what to say. Hesitantly, she patted the older woman on the back and cut her eyes at Sessho-Maru, only to see that he was placing his empty coffee cup back in the cardboard holder and pointing to hers questioningly. She nodded and he seemed vaguely pleased before he began to drink that as well. She supposed it took more caffein for a youkai to get a buzz from it.

x

Hoshiko finally released her and sniffled a little bit to herself before she pulled a dainty, pink handkerchief from her purse and tenderly wiped her face with it. Kagome had nothing but sympathy for her. She sighed and sat back in her chair, her hand unwittingly going to the mark on her face as she scratched it a bit absently.

"Don't touch it," Sessho-Maru told her cooly.

She paused, confused, only to realize what she was doing and she embarrassedly pulled her hand back.

x

It didn't really hurt, but she hoped Inu-Yasha couldn't feel it nonetheless. He had told her that he could only sort of feel her emotional state, but she wasn't sure if she believed him entirely. Either way, she hoped he wasn't too worried.

x

It was only a few minutes later that Cho, still looking quite shaky, was escorted to the front by an officer. Her mother perked up and was immediately on her feet, hugging the girl. Kagome heard Cho stiffly say, "Mom, it's okay," while hanging onto her with nervous arms. The officer began to talk to Cho's mother, though Kagome didn't know what was being said. She stole a glance at Sessho-Maru, knowing he could hear everything, but he seemed rather disinterested.

_Must not be too important._

After another moment, with her mother holding her hand tightly, Cho walked towards Kagome and Sessho-Maru, though her eyes were fixed intently on the other girl.

"Can I talk to you in private?" she asked.

"Oh... Yeah, sure," Kagome said with a nod.

She got to her feet and Cho looked at her mother, who quickly released her hand.

"We'll meet you at the car," Sessho-Maru said, "It's parked about a block away at that restaurant... The one with the blue bird on the sign."

"I know it," Cho said quickly.

Kagome nodded and gestured to the door; Cho quickly stepped outside and she followed.

x

Cho still looked a little nervous and frustrated as they began up the sidewalk absently in the opposite direction from the parking lot. Kagome folded her arms to her chest and eyed the girl up and down and, quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm really pissed," Cho said quickly, and then put her hands to her forehead, "I... I can't believe who he was. And I can't believe he affected me like that! And... ugh!"

"It's okay," Kagome said quickly, trying to sound reassuring.

Cho blew out a puff of exasperated air and rubbed her head again. She stopped in her tracks, spinning to lean her back against the building beside them, tapping the toe of her boot against the ground. Kagome paused as well and after hesitating for a moment, took a spot beside her. She cast a glance passed Cho and noted Sessho-Maru and Hoshiko heading up the street the other way.

"Did you get interrogated?" Cho asked.

"No, not really," Kagome said with a shrug; Cho nodded and said, "Me neither, but they asked a lot," as she turned to look at the other girl with a bit of a frown.

"I didn't tell them," she said seriously, lowering her voice as her eyes skimmed the passing pedestrians warily.

Kagome had no idea what she was talking about.

"Oh."

Cho frowned at her and then nudged her with her elbow when, after a few seconds, she still didn't clue in.

"You know, the pink... thing. That light. I didn't tell them."

Kagome's eyes went wide. She had forgotten. She wasn't sure what to say; there was no sense in denying it. Cho frowned.

"I know what I saw, Higurashi, don't even try to tell me I didn't," Cho insisted.

Kagome sighed.

"Okay, I won't," she replied, shrugging.

"I knew you'd-! ...What?"

Cho looked back at her with wide, surprised eyes and Kagome put a hand to her forehead.

"You know what you saw," Kagome said, smiling tiredly, "So..."

"Well... not exactly," the girl admitted, "Uh... But you did _something_."

"Yeah. I'm magic."

"That's not funny."

"Good. I wasn't joking."

Cho stared at her intently and Kagome merely looked back, completely earnest. When Cho broke eye contact, she whined and clapped her head in her hands.

"Explain," she said, and her tone turned a little desperate, "_Please_ explain."

Kagome looked around them and then nudged Cho off the wall and beckoned down the sidewalk back towards the car. Cho raised her eyebrow, but followed closely as the other girl began to explain.

"I've inherited what they call "spiritual energy" from someone in my family," Kagome said, trying to pick her words carefully, "It's just energy some people can use for different things. Usually it needs to be used against a demon, but I was learning to use a demon's energy to be able to fire it at anything."

"Demons?" Cho repeated.

She sounded a little fearful and a little incredulous.

"Higurashi, demons aren't real."

"Did you see Sessho-Maru come into the house?" Kagome asked, "Did you see him grab my dad?"

"What? No," the other girl replied a little snappily, "He was too... fast..."

Kagome raised her eyebrows as if to say, "see?" Cho's jaw dropped for a moment, her eyes round.

"So there's magic... and demons... and... oh, hold me..."

She looked like she was going to faint, and Kagome grabbed her shoulders as she had asked. She put her hand to her forehead for the umpteenth time, her fingers pulling through her bangs.

"That's... That's insane," she mumbled to herself, "But... no... I saw it. Oh, shit."

"I know that feeling pretty well," Kagome admitted with a tired laugh, "But... you know, don't tell anyone."

"I'm not _crazy_, Higurashi," she said sharply, "And I would rather people not look at me like I am, so..."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle tiredly and Cho scowled at her for a second before her expression smoothed just a touch.

"So since we each have something to hold over each other now, does that kind of cancel it out?" she asked curiously.

Kagome wasn't sure what she meant and just stared back blankly, and then asked, "What?"

"You know about my horrible confidence issues, and I know you're magic," Cho said; her tone said she was joking just a little.

Kagome smiled a bit to herself.

"Hold over each other?" she repeated, "I think I already had that when you took your top off at that party you forced me to go to."

Cho's face went stark red and Kagome couldn't help but laugh, waving a hand at her dismissively.

"Just kidding," she assured her through a giggle, "I wouldn't."

Cho's posture sagged and she put both hands to her face, muttering, "Yeah, you better not," before taking a deep breath. She straightened herself with careful fingers and stepped off from the wall. Kagome noticed her hands shaking as she pulled her blue coat in against her body a little. With a sting of pity, the girl patted Cho's shoulder and beckoned towards the direction of the car. Cho sighed heavily and muttered, "Right," as she puffed herself up and strode confidently down the sidewalk.

x

Kagome couldn't help but feel a little proud of Cho and, abrasive as she was, she wasn't so bad. She hurried to keep pace, feeling much better than she had. She even had a bit of a bounce in her step.

x

They found the car quickly in the restaurant parking lot that Sessho-Maru had indicated. The youkai was already in the front seat while Cho's mother sat, still looking flustered and upset, in the back. Cho sighed once again, rubbing her forehead, and then carefully slipped in the back seat with Hoshiko; the woman immediately grabbed her daughter close in a tight hug. Kagome smiled to herself. Quickly, she hurried into the passenger seat. Sessho-Maru looked at her as if he wished she hadn't taken so long and she replied with a shy smile and a shrug. He rolled his eyes a little and started the car.

x

Cho's mom cooed at the two girls for most of the trip, until she insisted that Sessho-Maru drop she and her daughter off at a nearby, high-end hotel and then fawned over Cho, telling her about what a good time they were going to have: like a mini-vacation. Kagome understood: there was no way they would want to be in their house right now. She hoped that they would be okay. For herself, she wasn't so worried. Her heart was still beating too quickly for comfort and her skin ran cold, but with Sessho-Maru with her, she felt safe nonetheless.

x

The youkai seemed calm as ever as he pulled away from the hotel and began to drive through the city again. Kagome sighed tiredly to herself and leaned back in her seat. After a few moments, Sessho-Maru cut his eyes at her and said, "There's a button on the left side. You can put the seat back a bit." Kagome let out an "oh!" and searched beside the door for the buttons and then messed around with them for a bit until the car seat went back far enough for her to all but lie down in it.

"Thanks!" she said brightly, and then readjusted herself comfortably.

He nodded simply and she cozied herself back, pulling Inu-Yasha's jacket closer around her body snuggly. It smelled like him a little; it made her smile a little to herself and she closed her eyes tiredly.

x

A bump in the road made her eyes snap open, her lids heavy and she blinked, surprised for a moment, to see specs of bright, dark and orange sky and greenery around her. She sat up a little as the car rumbled onto the gravel driveway before the huge house she recognized quickly as Sessho-Maru's , and then stole a glance at Sessho-Maru.

"Oh! Sorry," she said, "I... I hope I didn't snore."

"It's fine. You looked like you needed it," he said without so much as glancing at her.

She slumped a little, squishing into the upholstery, and then reached to her side to fumble with the controls for the seat so that the back would move forward.

x

As the car crackled to a halt on the gravel, Kagome abruptly found herself whisked from her seat and out of the vehicle, so quickly that her head spun and found Inu-Yasha before her, holding both of her hands. She dizzily tried to regain her bearings, and vaguely saw the frown on the face of the boy before her deepen as one of his hands cupped her wounded cheek. Quickly, he drew her to his chest, hugging her tightly and kissing her head. She had butterflies as she regained herself.

"I felt... Shit, Kagome, does that hurt? You okay?" he growled in a hurry.

He was wonderfully warm. She slumped in his arms and nodded against him.

"Fine," she assured him, "It's just a scrape, really."

She felt Inu-Yasha huff under her and he stepped back just a little, his hands sliding to her shoulders. His bright golden eyes narrowed and he peered at the wide cut very suspiciously, leaning in close to her face. He was so invested in it that he didn't even seem to notice when Sessho-Maru got out of the car and said, "Perhaps you should give her a little space?" as he headed up towards the house.

"...It doesn't look too deep," the hanyou said finally, "Looks sore, though."

He leaned back and gave her a bit more space, but folded his arms across his chest.

"Did you put anything on it?" he asked.

"They cleaned it after they took a picture at the station," she volunteered a bit timidly.

Inu-Yasha's shoulders drooped and he sighed and put a hand on her head to ruffle her hair affectionately.

"You know I feel some of what you do," he muttered, "I, uh... I'm just... I'm just glad you're okay. Especially after-"

"I know," Kagome interjected, smiling despite rolling her eyes dramatically, "I have the worst luck."

"I'm serious, Kagome."

He frowned at her, masking his worry behind a thin veil of utter seriousness. Kagome couldn't help her smile from getting even wider and she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his tense body.

"Thanks for worrying," she said.

She really, sincerely meant it. Sometimes, it was strange to hear how much he cared. It was just two months ago that she had felt utterly abandoned by everyone. Her hanyou was so kind; so gentle with her in his own way. Even as his face was fixed in a frown, he embraced her lightly, stroking a hand across her head. She smiled to herself, and he asked, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Good."

His expression was locked in a fangy grimace and he ran a hand along the back of her neck as he whispered, "But if he ever comes near you again, I'll tear him apart."

x

Inu-Yasha held her hand with strong fingers even until they went back into the house; Kagome was startled to see they had drawn a crowd. Ah-Un sat upright, Rin clinging close, with Sota awkwardly holding a television remote in his hand as if he had forgotten he had it. He looked like he was about to say something, and she heard Buyo call out to her as well, but almost immediately, Koga strode passed all of them and took Kagome's face in his hands. He drew her towards himself desperately, kissing her forehead and saying something to her hurriedly in a language she didn't understand. She felt Inu-Yasha's fingers untangle from hers; heard him say, "wow", almost awed. The girl didn't quite understand, but when the wolf pulled back, he looked as if she had just fixed his broken heart; Kagome didn't need to know the exact words. She hugged him tightly, saying nothing more than, "Thanks, bro," and he held her tightly, only releasing her when Sota said, "Hey, hey, guys? Kagome? I need to know what happened. Please?" The high pitch of his voice snapped Kagome's mind back and she slowly broke away from the okami, who blushed almost instantly and drew away to give the two of them space. Kagome brushed her eyes on the back of her hand as her younger brother approached her, even as she felt Buyo rushing against her legs.

"What... What happened? Inu-Yasha just started flipping out and... those two wouldn't tell me anything," he said, pointing accusingly at the demons.

"It was private," Inu-Yasha snapped.

"Yeah, well what happened to my sister's _face_?" the boy retorted.

"Dad," Kagome replied simply, picking up the cat at her feet.

Sota's face paled and he took an unwitting step backwards.

"N... No way, what _happened_?" he demanded.

The girl shook her head and smiled, her mood aided by Buyo's gentle tongue against her cheek.

"He's going to jail," she assured him.

Sota was visibly taken aback and after a stunned moment of hesitation, he hugged her tightly, muttering, "thank god," under his breath.

"So... So is everything going to be okay?" Rin asked carefully.

"I think so," Kagome admitted.

oOoOoOoO

Inu-Yasha made sure that, for the rest of the day, Kagome was utterly pampered. It wasn't a difficult thing to enforce; even Jaken seemed willing to help out and show a little kindness today. Kagome seemed to be holding up well, and with the stalwart protection of her "brother" and a dragon, she seemed more secure. She was laughing more, too. Something about her seemed less worried; he couldn't blame her. Inu-Yasha felt a bit the fool for not helping her with what must have been weighing on her for a while, though he didn't really know if there was much more he could do for her even now. He wasn't sure he was really needed in this moment, especially with what Koga had said. He hadn't meant to let the words touch him, but they really did. Koga had called Kagome a word in the youkai language, most likely unconsciously: a word that had no immediate translation in any other language. It was more of a feeling, a sense of devoted brotherhood and love; a family's blood-pact that was incredibly powerful. There wasn't a stronger expression of love like that that he could think of. Kagome hadn't understood the words, but he believed she understood the feelings.

x

Inu-Yasha didn't want to crowd her, and though she was happier, she didn't seem like she wanted much touch. He honestly couldn't blame her. He wanted to hold her and never let her go, but that wasn't exactly realistic. No matter his wants, he couldn't protect her from everything. He wished deeply that he could. His human, his mate, the love of his life - he wanted to keep her safe from everything. But she had to make it on her own, and he knew that whether she believed it or not, she was _strong_.

oOoOoOoO

In the night, as Kagome played video games with Sota, Inu-Yasha was preparing to go to bed. Changed from day clothes into simple boxers and a t-shirt, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, checking his hair curiously. It was still quite short; it looked very strange to him, and he supposed he'd have to actually concentrate some energy into growing it back at some point. At least, before he had to start walking around in public for extended periods. He sighed, muttered "fuck" under his breath, and then leaned back and, almost shyly, lifted up the front of his shirt a bit.

x

The spot where Koga had gored him was completely smoothed over now, without so much as a discolouration to expose that so much of his body had been disrupted. He blew out a quiet, relieved sigh and dropped his shirt down again, and then wondered why he had really been worried at all. With that, he knew now that there wasn't a single scar left from the whole ordeal on the mountain.

x

Relieved, he left the bathroom, his ears twitching back and forth to the sounds around the house: Rin loudly sharpening a pencil, Sota and Koga playing Super Smash Bros.; Ah-Un and Buyo snoring together.

x

In his bedroom, he plopped down on the bed after switching off all lights save for the reading lamp near the bed, but before he could even decide if he wanted to read or sleep, his brother had appeared in his doorway, golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. As Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to ask what the youkai wanted, Sessho-Maru handed his brother a small, unsuspecting brown case. The hanyou looked at it, his ears drooping a bit, his face contorted with confusion. He looked to Sessho-Maru as if for reassurance; when his brother nodded, he opened it to see something wrapped in black cloth. Whatever it was, it pulsed with a strong spiritual aura that reminded him of the woman who had helped him with the shackles on his body earlier. He frowned and unveiled the object, only to see a crystal: long, sharp, and almost deadly looking despite its soft rose colour.

"You need to make me a promise," Sessho-Maru said, "If you ever think you're going to get captured again, stab yourself with that."

Inu-Yasha's eyes snapped up to his brother's, shocked, and he barked, "What?!"

"Listen," the youkai said.

He paced a little before Inu-Yasha, frowning lightly.

"All it will do is 'purify' you. Temporarily, of course."

"It'll make me human?" Inu-Yasha asked bluntly.

"Sort of," Sessho-Maru agreed.

He turned a very serious gaze on the boy.

"They want hanyous."

Inu-Yasha's heart sunk and he gulped, feeling his throat go dry. He had several questions rush into his mind, but after a moment, he elected to ask, "Why?"

"Something in your aura. Something about the combination of youkai energy and spiritual energy. They wouldn't explain it to me, obviously."

Sessho-Maru smiled a little despite himself. The hanyou's ears drooped and he looked very worried, his brow furrowed, and he slowly closed the case and slipped it into his pocket.

"So, that's why I was such a target?" he asked quietly.

Sessho-Maru nodded and Inu-Yasha looked to the floor, almost shamed, missing a sort of grimace that crossed his brother's face. He was about to say something more, but the hanyou quietly said, "Yeah... Yeah, I'll use the crystal thing if I need to."

"Good," the youkai replied, nodding approvingly, and then, after a pause, "It isn't your fault."

The boy looked up again sharply, his eyes wide, his ears perking up a little. He nodded stiffly, uncertain and worried.

"Seriously," his brother insisted, much to his surprise, and then said, "Get some sleep. And don't fool with that rune in the attic again."

"Wha-? How did you know about-?"

Sessho-Maru was gone before he could even finish.

x

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and slumped back in bed, raising the crystal to look at it curiously. It made a knot form in his stomach; he gulped a bit, sighed, and packed the crystal away and tossed it under the bed. Again, he was about to try to decide between books and sleep when soft feet drew his attention and Kagome, tired, kneading at her eyes with a fist, wandered in. His eyes were immediately drawn to the hurt on her cheek and he felt sick. He sat up immediately, saying her name almost urgently, but she merely smiled and said, "Hi, Yasha, you going to bed?"

He nodded and she looked quite pleased, and then wandered to his dresser, tossing a few drawers open curiously.

"Can I borrow something?"

"Uh... yeah, go ahead," he replied a bit dumbly.

"Thanks, I don't feel like going through all my junk," she replied.

He watched her curiously, wondering what exactly she wanted. It didn't take her long to settle on some old shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt she found near the bottom of the lowest drawer. Both things looked like they may have fit Inu-Yasha when he was just hitting a growth spurt as a kid. He wondered silently why he had kept all those old clothes, but was automatically jerked out of his head as Kagome began to take her shirt off. He was stunned for just a moment before he cast his gaze away shyly. He only noticed a bit of her movement out of his peripherals, until she let out a startled, "Oh!" He looked simply as a reaction, but was relieved to find her fully clothed, though her cheeks were a little pink.

"Sorry! I wasn't thinking!" she squeaked.

"It's fine, the... umm... the wall was very interesting," he said, trying not to stare at her scarred arm, and she laughed and scooted onto the bed, sitting on her knees.

"Thanks, Inu-Yasha," she said gratefully, "I... I know we're going slow, but I really appreciate-"

"Slow? No, this is fine," he assured her, "I... I don't need to see anything you don't want me to."

"It's not that I don't want you to," she said quickly, "But I-"

"I understand. That, and I'm shy as shit too."

He grinned a bit and she slumped, relieved, and said, "Thanks, Yasha, you're the best. Seriously."

x

Kagome's heart skipped a beat when she noticed Inu-Yasha's cheeks pink a little as he shrugged absently. She felt deeply embarrassed for having changed in front of him without a thought, but the way he reacted made her feel like it wasn't such a big deal. One day, he'd see her, scars and all, but it wasn't today. She was so happy he was okay with that. Now that she thought about it, he was okay with practically everything. For all his bluster, he was really rather accommodating, wasn't he? She smiled to herself and knew she wanted nothing more than to be close to him tonight.

x

She hadn't been sure, after being struck, that she really wanted to be close to anyone for a little while, but she trusted her hanyou, more than anything. He seemed a bit more hesitant and careful than usual when he raised a hand to her face, pausing in midair for just a moment before he swept a little of her hair from her cheeks. She smiled, warmed, and leaned into his hand. His claws brushed her skin ever so gently; she felt a tingle all up and down her spine and, letting out a soft, pleased snicker, she slid in closer. She put her arms around his shoulders and tiredly dropped her forehead to rest against his neck, closing her eyes.

"Do you mind...? Can we just stay like this for a little?" she asked quietly.

She felt him caress her head and reply with a simple, "Yeah,", and she slumped. He leaned back and cozied her closer, assuring her, "You're going to be okay."

She didn't know why, but she believed him.

x

Kagome dreamt of strange things that night. She dreamt of the monstrous demon that had attacked them, though watched as it merely faded in and out of shadow, its blue eyes shining bright in the darkness. She dreamt of monsters, more of them, but dreamt of Inu-Yasha, too. Standing in the blackness, he seemed much like a warrior, sword in hand, and though he didn't say a word, Kagome knew he kept the demons back.

x

She awoke early the next morning, surprised to find she was still a little upright, cradled in her hanyou's arms as she had been last night. She blushed, tingling warm, and rested quietly until she felt him shift under her. Lethargically, she sat up a little, just in time to see the boy's eyes flicker open. She smiled and he blinked tiredly and said a groggy, pleased, "good morning". Kagome was happy; sat up, putting her arms around his shoulders, pulling fingers gently through his hair and leaning in to press her lips to his. He made a small, surprised sound and grinned softly when she drew back, touching his nose to hers affectionately.

"I could get used to this," he said with a snicker.

The girl couldn't help a giggle and reached up to pass a hand over his ears, her fingertips running through his fur gently. His cheeks pinked and he let her for a moment, allowing himself to revel in the feeling.

"Do you know the time?" Kagome asked him after a little while.

He shook his head and cast a glance towards the window, noticing a distinct sprinkling of sunlight under the curtains.

"Day?" he suggested; Kagome snickered.

She moved a bit, trying to get unstuck from the covers near her feet, only to fall and plop backwards onto the mattress awkwardly. Inu-Yasha laughed at her and she grumbled, "Shut up," as she flailed to get her arms under herself. He grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her up quickly, and she huffed and brushed her hair from her face. She shoved him gently when he laughed at her again.

"So clumsy," he teased, and then ruffled her hair gently, "How are you feeling?"

She took a moment to consider and then decided, "Pretty good, all things considering." She hopped forward and kissed his forehead quickly before she jumped off the bed and stretched her arms high.

x

Inu-Yasha watched her curiously, his eyes running along her arm. The scars were still dark. He wondered ruefully if she would ever heal fully. He doubted it, and he hoped she would be okay with that. She really amazed him, though. To inflict that upon herself-

"You're really brave."

He didn't realize he had said it aloud until she turned and looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"Huh?" she asked blankly.

A bit shyly, he pointed at her arm, saying, "I was just thinking about when your arm was like a demon arm. You did that to yourself, right?"

Kagome nodded and was about to say something, her face turning a little pink, but the hanyou continued to say, "That was really brave. You didn't even know what was gonna happen."

"Or it was really stupid," Kagome joked, rubbing at her arm tenderly.

Inu-Yasha inclined his head and hopped to her side in an instant, lifting her hand in his. He felt her twitch backwards shyly and he loosened his grip; she didn't pull away.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "It's just... you know... ugly."

"Nah, it's not bad," he assured her.

"But it's not good either," she said, pouting.

The hanyou rolled his eyes and poked her hard in the forehead, saying, "Don't gimme that crap. You look fine," as she let out an "eep!" and waved her arms at him.

"What if people stare?" she asked; her voice was surprisingly timid.

Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow, wondering, "Since when do you care about people staring at you?" She whined and folded her arms to her chest and the boy blew out a sigh; he put a hand on her head and petted her hair affectionately.

"I'll beat 'em up," he joked.

She couldn't help a smile and laughed, brushing her hair out of her face shyly.

"You're too good to me."

"Impossible," he said with a laugh.

He ruffled her hair and darted away quickly as she exclaimed, "hey!" and chased him from the room.

x

She followed him to the kitchen, where he stopped to suddenly that she ploughed into him awkwardly.

"Oww," she whined, pulling her fingers through her hair to try to tame it, "What'd you stop for?"

"Sorry," he said, and he went to the house phone on the counter, "It's just..."

He poked a red light on the phone's base.

"We have a message."

Kagome leaned around him, raising her eyebrow.

"So?" she asked.

"Almost all calls go straight to my brother," he said, "It's... weird."

He poked it hesitantly to get it to play and the playback crackled to life. At first, all he heard was screeching of metal, like the sounds of a train, but the reverberation was wrong. Then, a voice. The words were inaudible through a bad, disjointed recording and the loud rumblings around it. Despite it, Inu-Yasha recognized the voice immediately.

"Miroku?" he asked, his heart dropping.

"Your friend?" Kagome inquired worriedly.

The hanyou nodded, and checked the messages for another recording. He felt a sting of both fear and relief when he found that there was.

x

It began with more sounds, like the train, but that reverberation-

"Underground," he muttered to himself.

The words were a bit more clear now. Miroku was there, talking to someone. The second voice was that of a demon, much to Inu-Yasha's surprise. The human boy namedropped a few subway stops and the recording cut out. There was one more message, and this one sent chills running through the teens. The only human on this recording was screaming beyond the distorted, crackling roar of a monster. Kagome put a hand to her mouth in shock and Inu-Yasha gulped deeply. With a shaking hand, he replayed that final message once more. The fact that the scream didn't sound like Miroku at all on the second playthrough was only of a little consolation.

"Is he-?" Kagome began, but the hanyou shook his head, saying, "That wasn't him in the last one." He rubbed his forehead.

"I need to find him."

"I'm coming with you, obviously," Kagome said.

He turned to her, eyebrow raised, and she smiled tiredly, shrugging. He sighed and nodded, saying, "Okay. Get your stuff." She flashed him a grin and hurried off.

x

Inu-Yasha took a moment to steady himself before he left to change- he got dressed and put on a grey, hooded sweatshirt and, though it made him a little nervous, he grabbed the crystal in its case from under his bed and shoved it in his jeans pocket. When he went to the front door to meet Kagome, he was surprised to see her standing there in his leather jacket, holding an umbrella tightly with a messenger bag over one shoulder. He was confused for a moment, but when she held up the umbrella, he noticed the handle was tattered and out of place.

"Is that-?"

"Look," she said somewhat proudly, and opened the umbrella to see that she had used electrical tape to fasten Tetsusaiga, incognito, into an umbrella she had pulled the handle off of.

He was surprised and impressed, and he said, "That's... actually a really good idea." Kagome smiled brightly and closed the umbrella and held it close.

"I'll keep it for you in case you need it."

oOoOoOoO

Racing back into town, despite the early morning traffic, was easy across tree and rooftops. Inu-Yasha was too fast to be much more than wind to most people. Poor autumn weather masked them as well, and before long they were just a few blocks from the entrance to an underground transit system, the first of the ones Miroku had mentioned.. Quietly, they dropped back to the ground down an alley behind a store. Kagome straightened her hair and closed her jacket tightly, while Inu-Yasha quietly put his hood up.

"Chilly," Kagome commented quietly, and then turned to him and shot him a smile, "Hey, you almost look like a normal person."

"Quiet, you," he replied jokingly.

He held out his hand to her and she grasped it almost excitedly before they hurried off into the street. Kagome clutched the umbrella close as well.

x

The streets, grey as the sky above, were filled with bustling people, all in a hurry, many hanging tightly to umbrellas of their own as well. However, as they approached the entrance to the underground, they noticed the crowds were exceptionally thick, with many people huddled around in groups on their cellphones or trying, slowly, to get in or out of the place, though the volume going inside was lower than expected. This on its own peaked Inu-Yasha's interest; keeping Kagome close, he gently pushed his way through the crowd and down the stairs.

x

Down below, the subway tunnel was large and somewhat barren, the clean, white floor tiles mostly untrodden, little trash in the cans up against thick, square pillars that ran down the middle of the walkway, and the most of the few people who were down there were phoning for taxis The lack of people and the presence of police officers at the far end where the subway tracks led off down a dark tunnel and away from the platform gave the hanyou pause and he shared a worried glance with Kagome.

"Something happened?" she said quietly.

Inu-Yasha grimaced and, though he felt a bit of tightness in his chest at the sight of police, he continued as if nothing was wrong and took Kagome to a bright silver metal bench against the wall across from the tracks and sat down casually. Kagome plopped down beside him and clutched the umbrella to her, looking around. People looked worried and confused, and the few officers seemed to be directing people more than anything. Mostly, it seemed people were being turned away. Kagome was still confused, but under his hood, Inu-Yasha's ears were alert and rotating, picking up specs of conversation here and there. When he heard the word "collapse", his heart sunk. He closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the conversation. A male voice- one of the cops, he soon realized, talking with a woman. She asked what was happening; where the trains were. He replied quickly, voice tired and a little wobbly with worry, that there had been an accident on the tracks. The woman was directed to an alternative stop. Four stops were closed, though, and it hit Inu-Yasha hard to realize the names that were listed were exactly the ones Miroku had mentioned.

x

Starting to get the picture now, Inu-Yasha gulped and stood up. Kagome got to her feet in a hurry, asking, "What?"

"I think there was a cave in," he said quietly.

Kagome put a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened.

"What do we-?"

"I'm going down there," he said quickly, and looked at her with concern, "Want me to get you a cab home?"

Instantly, the girl shook her head and insisted, "I want to help, if I can." Inu-Yasha smiled a little and nodded. He took her hand in his again and walked briskly towards the tracks. Alert and suspicious, he glanced around at the humans nearby, and then casually stepped behind one of the pillars. As soon as no eyes were on him, he scooped Kagome up into his arms and leapt down to the tracks, taking off in a blur down the tunnel into the dark.

x

HIs eyes adjusted instantly, but Kagome yelped and clung close to him, asking, "Do you know where you're going?" a bit shrilly.

"Yeah," the hanyou replied.

He didn't say more than that and the girl gulped dryly and closed her eyes tight.

x

It didn't take long at all before Inu-Yasha saw exactly what had caused the problem. His blood turned to ice and he skidded to a halt on the tracks. A wall of debris, parts of train mixed with rubble from the tunnel around it, blocked their path solidly. Kagome looked, blinking in the dark to focus, and then gasped loudly, yelping out, "Holy shit!" The hanyou quickly placed her down and hurried to the wreckage, pulling down his hood; his ears perked up high and he sniffed the air slowly and deliberately. When blood stung his nose, he bit his lip and stuck his arms down, grabbing a huge chunk of concrete and throwing it back and out of the way. Kagome shifted on her feet nervously and then, quickly, she rushed to the wall and awkwardly, shoes slipping through crumbling dirt, clambered upwards to a small, sturdy piece of concrete.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inu-Yasha asked, confused to see the girl using the umbrella to pry away small chunk of debris as she knelt down.

"Go from up here," she said, "If you start at the bottom, more junk will just fall in the spot you're trying to open"

She tossed a football-sized concrete block down the pile and the boy stared at her blankly for a moment before leaping upwards to join her.

"I'm sort of a dumbass sometimes," he admitted.

He reached into the pile and pulled out a boulder that was half his size. Kagome gawked and watched as he tossed it down as if it were nothing, even as its impact sent a small rumble through the ground. It was surreal to watch as he dug through the wreckage, lifting through it as if it didn't weigh a thing. It almost looked fake. Kagome stayed out of his way as best she could, shoving a few stray pieces- much smaller ones- down the incline.

x

Inu-Yasha tried to keep himself calm; keep himself smart about this. Pushing through the wall would have been much easier, but he had no idea where anybody might be on the other side. He could smell a few people there, and the blood meant for sure that at least one person was injured.

"I wonder..." he mumbled, and beside him, Kagome looked up at him and asked, "Sorry, you say something?"

"I was just... I wonder what happened. Do you think it's a whole subway passed here? Or maybe just a few cars?"

"Yeesh, I hope it's only a few cars," Kagome said, grimacing, "Means less people might have been hurt."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha agreed, his ears drooped.

He pulled through a few more slabs of concrete and was suddenly hit with a burst of air reeking of blood, sweat, smoke, and engine fumes. He backed away with a grunt, covering his nose with his sleeve and Kagome tried to stand to reach him, letting out an alarmed, "Yasha?!"

"Don't. Stay there," he said quickly, rubbing his face and trying to regain himself, "I'm fine."

She frowned with worry but he continued anyway; a small hole had opened up and he stuck his claws through, tearing away at it and tossing chunks behind him.

x

The hanyou was starting to hear voices from beyond the wall and, taking a deep breath, he flung a boulder away, pulled up his hood and shoved his front half through the hole quickly before spinning and kicking a wider hole behind him. When he turned once more to look around, his jaw dropped. Though he could see clearly, the only light in the area was from a few laptops that had been set up with white screens to send a bit of an eerie glow over the scene. There was a small group of people below, sitting in a semi-circle a little ways away from a pile of wrecked train cars and rubble that blocked the other end of the tunnel as well; there was a young mother cradling her small child, an elderly man bleeding from a few cuts to his face, four men and two women who looked like they had been on their way to work early in the morning. A few other were gathered, supporting a woman on the ground a little ways back. They were all looking at him with shock. He knew he must've been the last thing they expected to come through the wall. A few were on their feet quickly and tiredly as he hurriedly got up and slid down the rubble to the ground.

x

He was immediately berated with frantic thanks and questions, and he quickly cut through with the words, "Anyone hurt?" He heard Kagome scrabbling through the hole behind and quickly he was directed to the woman with the other small group.

"But how did you-?" the older man began, only to be cut off by the young mother squeaking, "Please, you have to help us out."

"I'm gonna get you all out of here," Inu-Yasha announced calmly, "Anyone have a cellphone?"

"They don't work in here," he heard, but he insisted, "If someone can lend me one for just a little-"

He was passed one quickly by one of the business men, and he pocketed it before approaching the woman who was being cradled on the ground and surround by a few others. The woman's face was pale and it was instantly clear that her leg was broken. The hanyou bit his lip and then knelt down beside her, saying, "I'm getting you out, okay?"

"Wh... What...?" she mumbled.

"She's in shock," a young man said quickly, eyes wide, "I-I think."

The other man beside him was looking a little sick, but quickly and carefully, Inu-Yasha lifted the injured woman into his arms. She whined and he shushed her gently, and then turned to see Kagome catching up with him.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"I'll take her back up and call an ambulance for the rest," he said quickly.

"Do you see your friend?"

"No."

Kagome bit her lip and Inu-Yasha looked troubled as well, and then nodded towards the hole in the wall. Two of the businessmen were trying to climb their way out. The hanyou rolled his eyes and called, "Hey, wait a second. Let me get to the other side and I'll help you up, okay?"

The two paused in confusion and, even carrying the injured woman, Inu-Yasha was quickly up the wreckage and through the hole again. He reappeared in an instant, offering a hand to the closer of the two men and helping him through, and then did the same with the other.

"Hey," he said loudly to the remaining people, "I'm going back to the station to call an ambulance for this lady and then I'll be back for the rest of you. If you're going to try to climb out, just so you know, it's a pretty steep drop-off on this side. Kags, can you hold it down here?"

Kagome gave him a thumbs-up as the others looked at her with confusion, and he grinned and returned it before vanishing.

x

There was suddenly a collective sense of relief in the group and even some laughter. The young man who had been sitting with the injured woman got to his feet and shot Kagome a smile, saying, "Good thing you two came along when you did. How did you get through?"

"Oh, there... There was some loose stuff way at the top there," the girl fibbed, pointing to the hole, "And Yasha- the guy I was with, he's pretty strong, so we kind of dug our way though. We thought our friend might be down here, but we're glad to have found everyone here, too."

"We're lucky," he laughed, rubbing his forehead, "Never been in a train crash before."

"...And nobody got killed?" Kagome asked a bit hesitantly.

The man shook his head, muttering, "Lucky," before sighing. He was shaking a little. Kagome bit her lip and looked around- she noticed the cuts on the elderly man's head and hurried to him, opening her bag as she went. She had packed anticipating Inu-Yasha's friend might be injured, but now was as good a time as any to put her tools to use.

x

Kagome spent the next little while helping the others with what little she had. She was questioned, of course, about how she had come to be there, but all were grateful, and nobody else elected to try to leave. The girl was relieved, but worry gnawed at her. Where was Inu-Yasha's friend? He wouldn't have just named those subway stops for no reason, would he?

x

Clutching the umbrella close, Kagome sighed and squinted through the little light they had around the tunnel. She wandered the edge of the wreckage absently, worrying quietly, until passing one of the cars, she felt herself given pause by what felt almost like a cold, static shock. She jumped uncomfortably and stared at the car curiously and, though her heart had started to beat a little too quickly, she retraced her steps and found the doors of the train car. She cautiously reached out and tried to pull it open with one hand and found it stuck. She frowned and put the umbrella under her arm and tried forcing it with both her teeth, her muscles strained but she managed to force the doors apart and, after wedging her foot between them, shoved herself inside the car.

x

One glance towards where she had felt the strange shock made her freeze. There was a man there- or what looked outwardly like a man, but Kagome could see a shock of youkai aura around him- wearing a torn up, long coat stained with blood, holding himself up overtop of another person as he held up a huge slab of metal and debris up on his back from the collapsed train. He looked up at her, his eyes flashing red through the shadows, a grimace on his gruff, grizzled face.

"Get over here and get this kid, will ya?" he growled.

Kagome jumped and rushed forward immediately, kneeling down and grabbing the person under the demon man by the shoulders and pulling him out and free. He was about Kagome's age: short, black hair, a deep bruise marring an otherwise relatively handsome face, wearing a simple, but torn, blue t-shirt and jeans and an odd glove over one hand. He was completely unconscious. Before Kagome could ask any questions, the demon man straightened up, metal crashing down behind him as he casually brushed himself off.

"About time someone got here," he grumbled.

"Um... sorry?" Kagome replied a bit awkwardly, and the youkai chuckled and brushed his hand across his forehead tiredly, and then began to pat his coat down as if searching for something, "Just a joke, little miko."

"Oh, I'm not-" she began, but was taken aback as he let out an, "Ah-hah!" and pulled a silver flask, dented and dulled, from a pocket and took a deep swig from it.

"Um... you okay?" she asked.

"Great," he said, "You got him?"

He nodded at the boy on the ground and Kagome, said, "Yeah," quickly. He gave a strange, half-smile and said, "I'm going. Good luck, kid." The girl was taken aback and before she had even asked him to wait, he was gone. She struggled to figure out what had just happened and then looked at the guy she had been left with.

x

A sudden rumbling made her jump a little and she heard a few shrill cries. She jumped to her feet and rushed to the sliding doors, shoving her shoulder against one to push it open wide. She immediately had to shield her eyes from dust blown in from the wall behind the train wreckage. She saw a bit of a hole and her heart dropped as she realized what had happened.

"Is he crazy?!" she demanded shrilly to no one in particular.

She put a hand to her forehead and sighed, pulling back into the train to look at the unconscious boy. She wondered if this could be who Inu-Yasha was looking for. He looked about the right age, but other than that, Kagome had no idea. She hoped, though. She thought it was great to help all the people stuck in the cave-in, but she also hoped that Inu-Yasha's friend wasn't off in trouble somewhere else.

x

She sighed and leaned over him, running her fingers around his skull to check for soft spots or blood. A twinge ran down her spine as she heard a creak and a metal grinding and she turned to look, and was immediately relieved to see Inu-Yasha pushing effortlessly through the door. She was about to greet him, but the sudden feeling, uncomfortable and chilling, of a hand touching her bottom made her let out a shriek and jump backwards. She was in her hanyou's arms in a second and he looked at her red-hot face in confusion before looking at the boy on the ground.

"Miroku," he said brightly, but then frowned, growling, "Miroku!"

The boy let out a groan and slowly raised a hand to his brow.

"He t-touched my butt!" Kagome squealed.

Miroku's eyes opened slowly and he blinked, and then grimaced as he sat up a little. A little surprise flashed across his face and he said a groggy, strained, "Sorry," and then let out a tired laugh.

"I thought you were Sango..."

Kagome's face became even more red and Inu-Yasha sighed and patted her head before letting her go and moving to stand near his friend.

"You're lucky I don't kick your ass," he said, offering him his hand, "You okay?"

"Inu-? Y-Yeah," he said, taking the hanyou's hand tightly- he was pulled to his feet but seemed dizzy, "Never thought I'd be so glad to see you. How'd you find me?"

"Well, we got your message," Inu-Yasha said with a shrug, "Wasn't too hard to figure out."

Kagome got to her feet as well, guarded, and folded her arms against her chest, but couldn't help the sympathy that started to build in her.

"Where's Tetsuya?" Miroku asked, confused.

"Who?" the hanyou replied.

"That demon guy?" Kagome asked a bit hesitantly, and Miroku looked at her with wide eyes and nodded, "He left."

"Figures," Miroku scoffed, frowning, "...Whatever."

"He saved your life," Kagome said a bit sharply, drawing another surprised look from the boy, "He didn't leave until he knew you were safe."

Miroku didn't seem to have anything to say, and Inu-Yasha sighed and elbowed him in the side.

"Way to make a good impression, you idiot," he said, cutting his eyes at the other boy.

Miroku's face flushed and he rubbed the back of his head, but he couldn't help but look confused.

"That's Kagome," Inu-Yasha said, "My girlfriend."

"Oh. Oh! Holy shit, I'm sorry," he said quickly, "Yikes. Can we start over?"

He moved to extend a hand to her but stumbled over his own feet as he let out a cry of pain. Kagome caught him before she even had time to think and tried to hold him up.

"Shit, 'Roku, what the fuck happened?" Inu-Yasha said.

"Something's broken. I don't... I don't... Oh shit..."

He coughed and Kagome's heart sank as she saw blood.

"Yasha?" she squeaked and the hanyou took his friend by the shoulders and guided him down to sit with his back propped up against the wall of the car, his hands quickly roaming his body, searching for breaks.

"Ooh, Inu-Yasha, not so rough," Miroku said with a deliberate softness to his voice, his eyelids drooping.

"Shut up, you creep," the hanyou said, frowning; he paused at Miroku's side and grimaced.

He shot a look at Kagome and she gulped and nodded- she read him loud and clear. She went down on her knees and raised her eyebrows. Inu-Yasha drew back and bit his lip.

"Kagome," he said, "I... Okay, I know you've never done this before, but... could you... could you try healing him?"

"Healing him?" she barked, "What?! I can do that?"

"Maybe," he said, "People with spiritual powers can sometimes, I... I don't know."

He looked at her pleadingly and she nodded quickly. She rolled up her sleeves and muttered, "Okay," to herself and put a cautious hand on Miroku's arm.

"I don't know if I can," she said quietly, "I haven't practiced this at all."

"Please, try," Inu-Yasha said, "I... I don't know if help will get here on time."

Kagome's blood ran cold and her heart started to pound painfully, but she nodded nonetheless and closed her eyes to concentrated her energy. She tested the boy's and felt through Inu-Yasha's as well. She didn't know how to trigger a healing at all. Perhaps lending him energy? She felt in him a power that was strong, but certainly different from a demon's. His didn't sting or give heat; it was more cool, smooth- like a breeze, almost. She bit her lip and tried to pull from her own aura to give to him, hoping desperately that it would work.

x

She felt _something_; wasn't sure what, but a sudden stinging in her arm made her feel like something was working- that is, until Miroku let out a scream that utterly shattered her concentration. Kagome's eyes shot open only to see the other boy's expression frozen with terror, eyes like saucers as he weakly tried to pull away from her.

"What's wrong?" she demanded worriedly.

"'Roku, relax!" the hanyou insisted, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

He stuttered out something neither of them could understand and Inu-Yasha sighed and looked at Kagome, saying, "I think it was working. Keep going."

Kagome hesitated, but as Miroku's face got even paler, she nodded and squeezed her eyes shut and tried again. The stinging throughout her body began again, much faster this time, and all up her arm, seeping through the bruised scars and out. The burning energy, she realized quickly, wasn't hers- with a silent prayer, she pushed it forward. She heard Inu-Yasha let out a quiet, "Holy shit," and before long, Miroku cried out again.

"Shut up, you baby!" Inu-Yasha snarled at him firmly.

Miroku was squirming but was quickly steadied, presumably by Inu-Yasha, and soon, he lay still.

"Kagome? I think... Yeah. Yeah, it worked."

x

Hesitantly, Kagome opened her eyes and blinked at Inu-Yasha, who let out a deep, relieved sigh. Miroku seemed to be unconscious again, but the hanyou quickly assured her, "Enough is fixed that he's not in any real danger anymore."

"Oh, phew," she said quietly.

He shot her a smile, but was quickly looking a little concerned as a frown crossed his brow.

"That... wasn't you, was it?"

"No," she said, "Tsuyomaru, again."

"That's... Hmm..."

He scratched his chin and frowned in contemplation for a little while.

"That's weird," he said, finally, "Youkai don't usually have any sort of healing powers."

"He used them on me in the woods," Kagome volunteered.

"Hmm... I guess it's no wonder 'Roku freaked the fuck out," the hanyou admitted, "Probably felt a strange demon going all through him."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Kagome squeaked, eyes wide.

Inu-Yasha laughed a little and shook his head, moving to lift Miroku up as he got to his feet; Kagome followed.

"Hey," she said, folding her arms to her chest, "Why didn't you think to have me heal you, you idiot?"

He looked back at her blankly and she tapped her foot, rolling her eyes and saying, "In the motel," as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Um, well..." he said a bit embarrassedly, "Okay, one, no way you would have been able to on the first try with me. I'm a demon, remember? Two... it didn't occur to me."

"Oh, god damn it," Kagome said, putting a hand to her forehead, "How do you know it wouldn't have worked?"

"You probably need a lot of training to heal demons as a miko," he said with a shrug, "Actually, I don't even know if you can. l... I was desperate; it was worth a shot."

The girl sighed and rubbed her forehead, and was about to make for the doors when Inu-Yasha stuck his foot in between them and pushed them apart without effort.

"You're so lucky," Kagome said quietly.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

oOoOoOoO

Outside, Kagome was given her bag back and, before long, paramedics had arrived to help everyone out of the cave in. Inu-Yasha took Kagome onto his back and, quickly and quietly, the small group faded away in the dark and were gone out of the tunnels, taking to the rooftops under the blanket of grey clouds.

x

On the top of an office building, surrounded by a railing of concrete, Inu-Yasha stopped with his group to rest. Miroku was still out cold, and Kagome took her jacket off and folded it to lay under the boy's head as Inu-Yasha paced.

"I guess asking 'what now?' would be kind of useless," Kagome wondered.

The hanyou brushed his fingers through his bangs in frustration and he took a look over the edge of the building, frowning down at the pavement below.

"Don't go anywhere," he said suddenly, and before Kagome could even answer, he was gone off the side of the building.

She sighed and laughed to herself, shaking her head, muttering, "Not like I could," to no one in particular.

x

Inu-Yasha wasn't gone long, and when he returned, he had a cellphone in his hand.

"Don't tell me you stole that," Kagome joked.

He laughed and shook his head, saying, "No, I borrowed it from a girl waiting at a bus stop. Hang on."

He dialled quickly and no sooner had the phone rung once did he hear his brother's voice asking a simple, toneless, "What?"

"Hey, it's me. I need help," Inu-Yasha said.

"Again?"

"I need to go to that special hospital you mentioned."

"No."

"You don't understand-"

"No."

"My friend's hurt," the hanyou insisted, snarling, "If you say 'no' one more time, I'll-"

"Shut up," Sessho-Maru said a bit sharply, "He can go. You cannot."

"Why?" he barked, "Why can't I?"

Sessho-Maru didn't answer at first, simply sighing in a quiet, irritated sort of way.

"We'll discuss this in person," he said, "Bring him home."

With that, Sessho-Maru hung up and Inu-Yasha was left scowling at the phone. He growled and muttered, "That son of a bitch," and though Kagome held in a snicker, the hanyou didn't seem amused at all. Without a word, he leapt from the roof again and then returned within thirty seconds, his golden eyes still flaming.

x

When he hit solid concrete, Kagome was waiting for him and wrapped him in a tight hug despite the deep frustration on his face.

"It'll be okay," she assured him.

He stood, rigid and angry for a moment longer before he couldn't help but give in a little and putting an arm around the girl's shoulders.

"It better be," he muttered.

oOoOoOoO

Upon arriving home, the group was met by a black car in the driveway, windows tinted darkly, and a strange figure standing before it. It seemed human enough on the first look, with the exception of the hands, which had long, pointy fingers with many more joints than looked normal. Its face was disguised beneath a shroud of black and, with a strange tilt of its head, it held out its hands to Inu-Yasha. A sort of vibration emanated from it and he could have sworn it was reassuring him inside his head. He stole a glance at Kagome, whose face had paled, and he assumed she had received the same message. Still a little hesitant, Inu-Yasha handed his friend over to the strange demon, who nodded and whisked Miroku into the car. The strange demon was about to get in the front seat, but Inu-Yasha quickly called, "Wait! Can we come with?" The youkai paused and gave no answer, simply getting in the car and starting the engine. Inu-Yasha pouted and Kagome took his his had reassuringly.

"Sessho-Maru better be here," he said quietly.

"Or what?"

The hanyou whipped around, startled, eyes wide as his brother strode up behind them all but silently. Inu-Yasha's expression quickly turned angry.

"What's the deal, Sessho-Maru?" he demanded, "Why can't I go with him? And what about Sango? They're my _friends_!"

"Your friends alone are not as important as what might be at stake," the youkai replied simply.

"Not as import-!? What the hell!?"

His fists were clenched, but Kagome stepped in front of him, her hands raised to calm him, and then turned to Sessho-Maru.

"Can you at least tell us why we can't go?" she asked worriedly.

"You can't know where it is," he said, directing his answer more to Inu-Yasha than to Kagome.

The hanyou snorted and said, "Yeah, you said that already. What the hell does that mean?"

"Do you really need it spelled out?" Sessho-Maru asked tiredly, and when his younger brother continued to merely glare at him, he rolled his eyes and said, "You are a target. They know you. The higher-ups know exactly who you are. You are young, and reckless. If you are caught and not left in the care of the incompetents such as last time, they will tease any information about me and my operations from you any way they can."

Inu-Yasha was obviously taken aback. His ears drooped low and a bit quietly, he said, "There's no way I would give them-" but his brother cut him off.

"If they drug you, there is no telling what you will give up," he said, "And as long as you know where our bases are, your mind is a threat to everyone involved."

The youkai's cold, amber eyes stared right into his brother. Kagome gulped and looked at Inu-Yasha, who, for once, seemed almost at a loss for words.

"Well. Shit," he said, finally.

"I'm glad you understand," Sessho-Maru said before turning to head back towards the house.

x

Inu-Yasha's ears drooped low and, biting her lip, Kagome held onto his arm gently.

"It'll be okay," she assured him gently, "They'll... They'll be safe. Wanna go inside?"

She believed what she was telling him, but she felt nervous nonetheless. Her hanyou squeezed her hand before pulling back to shove his hands in his pockets, and he nodded.

x

Before they had even reached the front door, though, Koga bounded out like an eager puppy, wrapping Kagome in a quick hug before asking, "Where the hell did you two go? I was worried sick!"

Inu-Yasha laughed and Kagome smiled wide.

"Sorry," she said, "We went to look for one of Inu-Yasha's friends who, we think, got caught up in that manhunt by Youki the other day."

"Oh! Was it all okay?" the wolf asked worriedly.

"Fine," Inu-Yasha assured him, "Mostly."

"Mostly?"

Koga tilted his head and Kagome shook hers, saying, "Don't ask."

oOoOoOoO

The next morning was strange in that, when Inu-Yasha woke up, he was startled by a piece of paper on his face. He blinked awkwardly before sitting up and holding the paper back to see that a message was on it, in the very controlled, even-stroked pen of his brother.

_Meet me outside at noon._

Inu-Yasha sighed and rubbed his groggy eyes and was about to slide out of bed when he noticed Kagome staring at him from her spot beside him. He jumped with surprise and she did too, asking, "What?" quickly.

"You-" he took a deep breath, "I didn't realize you were awake."

"Sorry," she laughed, and she sat up, stretching her arms, "Just woke up. I was just..."

She blushed a little and giggled to herself and the hanyou, confused, tilted his head and asked a blank, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing, I was just trying to figure out what to do with your hair," she said.

"My hair? What's wrong with it?" he asked, and then put a hand to it.

He was startled for a second to feel it so short before he recalled he hadn't been trying to grow it back yet. Kagome laughed at him and said, "Well, I just thought maybe... leave it just a little shorter than before, and I have an idea."

"Shorter than before?" he asked, "How much shorter?"

"Just so that it's more manageable," she assured him, "Not much. Gimme a second."

x

She slid out of bed and landed on the floor with a thud and then rolled upwards and trotted out quickly. Just as Inu-Yasha was wondering if she ever got out of bed without falling, he heard call for her brother, Sota, and then run down the stairs quickly. The hanyou rubbed his forehead tiredly and got up to go to the washroom, yearning for a glass of water. Getting one was a huge relief, but he was quickly interrupted as Kagome strode in with a smile, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him to face her as she hid a hand behind her back.

"I have an idea," she said, "So you don't have to grow your hair out so long."

Quickly, she put a baseball cap on his head and then and then, to his surprise, put a pair of large earphones around his neck.

"Uhh," he said, confused, and she snickered and turned him to the mirror.

His eyes widened and he put a hand on the hat, and he let out a surprised, "Oh!" Kagome smiled charmingly and asked, "What do you think?"

"It... I look surprisingly normal," he admitted.

"Normal enough to pass a little better, but still totally you," Kagome said, and then grinned sheepishly, "In my opinion, anyway."

The hanyou hesitantly lifted the earphones up to rest them where ears would have been had he been human and stared at himself in the mirror.

"Not bad," he admitted, "I... Yeah. It works."

"Great!" Kagome said with a smile, "Those only kind of actually work, though. I promised Sota I'd get him a new pair."

"Fair enough," he said, "I guess I should actually try to grow the stuff back."

"Yeah, probably," Kagome said with a laugh, "It looks strange short. Good, but strange."

"Thanks, the hanyou said a bit sarcastically, ruffling her hair ruffly, "Do you know what time it is?"

"Um... not positive, but I think it's almost noon."

Inu-Yasha's eyes widened and he all but barked, "Seriously?" Kagome nodded and he rushed off to his room to change.

"What's wrong?" she called after him.

"Sessho said to meet him at noon!" he called back.

Baffled, Kagome followed only to find his door closed. She lifted a hand to knock, but the door was open in a second and the hanyou bounded out and down the stairs, calling, "You coming?" behind him.

"Gimme a second!" she said hurriedly.

x

When Kagome had dressed and brushed her hair, she hurried downstairs, casting around for the hanyou. Instead, she found Koga, who greeted her with a hug.

"Good morning! Er... Afternoon!" he said brightly.

"Hi!" she said, "What's going on with Yasha?"

"I was about to ask you that," he said, scratching his head.

She shrugged widely and jerked her head at the front door. Koga shrugged as well and followed her as she headed outside. She was surprised to see Inu-Yasha standing near a black car much like what had taken Miroku the day before. Hurriedly, she jogged to catch up to him, but before she could reach him, a shock of energy pulsed through her and she tumbled backwards, her eyes closing involuntarily.

x

When she managed to open them again, Kagome was stunned to see white hallways around her. She blinked and, her heart sinking, she looked around to find she was sitting on a bench and, to her surprise, she was leaning up against Koga. His arm was around her shoulders and holding her close as he read a book in his other hand.

"Wh-What the hell?" she squeaked.

Her throat was dry and rough, and Koga turned to her immediately, his eyes brightening.

"Hey, you're up!" he said brightly.

"Yeah, what the hell happened?" she demanded.

"They brought us to Sessho-Maru's 'secret hospital' or whatever," he said simply, "We got knocked out."

"What?! Why?" Kagome asked.

"I was told we couldn't know where it was," the youkai replied with a shrug.

He pulled away to let her sit up on her own and closed his book, placing it on the bench beside him.

"Figures," Kagome grumbled, "Where's Yasha?"

"Cafeteria," he said.

"Also figures," she said, unable to stop a laugh; she got up and stretched, but she felt okay despite having just been unconscious, "Do you know what they used?"

"Not a clue. Lost about two hours though."

"Holy crap," Kagome said with a sigh.

"I know, he's an ass, I wouldn't have let him do it if I'd have known."

Kagome turned to see Inu-Yasha coming up the hall. Her first instinct was to ask him what was wrong: he looked a bit perturbed, but his expression quickly shifted into a smile and he tossed her a bottle of water. She fumbled but caught it anyway and took a quick drink.

"You okay?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Fine. Thirsty. How did you know?"

"We were like that, too," Koga said, "We came to about twenty minutes ago, I think."

"Close enough," the hanyou agreed; he pointed down the hall, "My friends are in those two rooms. I was going to check on them. You guys can wait here if you want."

"I might peek in on your weird friend," Kagome said jokingly, "Hope everything's okay with him."

"Me too," Inu-Yasha agreed, "Hey Koga, what are you gonna do?"

"I'll just follow Kagome, I guess," he replied.

He did just that as Kagome got up and Inu-Yasha directed them to Miroku's door just a little ways up the hall. They entered quietly and Inu-Yasha's ears drooped low; he put his hand to his brow and leaned back against the wall tiredly.

x

He had felt something strange in another hallway before, as he had wandered the hospital to look for a place to get water- something that made his stomach turn. He wasn't sure what exactly it had been, but an aura that felt much too familiar stung him. He bit his lip, not knowing what to make of it.

x

His ears lifted to hear, through the door, Kagome and Koga conversing quietly- Kagome was giving him the details of what had happened underground. Inu-Yasha sighed again and then wandered down the hall to the door he knew to be Sango's. Despite his anxiety, he was relieved to know she was here. He hoped she was awake. Gently, he knocked on the door and then, quietly, opened it to step inside.

x

The room beyond the door was clean and calm, walls a pale gold marked with phrases wishing good luck and health in the youkai language. Up against the wall leaned a huge, bone weapon- a boomerang?- and, snuggled in warm, cream-coloured blankets was Sango, a book in her lap and a startled expression on her pale face.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked a little shrilly.

"Hi," he replied with a smile, "Came to visit. How are you?"

"What're you-? How did you-?!"

She struggled to get up and before he could ask her to wait, she had thrown back he blankets and staggered up, rushing to him despite her bare feet on the cold floor and the bandaging up her leg clear under a pair of shorts. She hugged him tightly with very strong arms and the hanyou felt his heart thud heavily in his chest. His previous anxiety forgotten, he gently hugged her in return, asking, "You okay?"

"They broke into my house," she said, gritting her teeth, "Scared the shit out of me."

"...Your family?"

"They're fine. They were here a little while ago," she said.

She sniffed delicately and pulled back, brushing her dark hair from her face.

"Sorry," she said.

"No worries," he assured her, "What happened?"

He pointed to her leg and she looked down at the bandaging with an irritated frown on her face.

"I got shot," she said.

Inu-Yasha grimaced and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry."

She shrugged, but he could see her shift a bit uncomfortably, she turned and sat back in her well between the blankets, and then gestured to the bed, saying, "Sit, if you'd like. Kirara should be around here somewhere." Inu-Yasha's ears perked up and Sango leaned over the edge of the bed to check underneath.

"Kirara? Kirara?" she called, "Heeey, kitty-cat, Inu-Yasha's here."

_"Inu-Yasha?"_ a muffled voice repeated, and before they new it, a two-tailed ball of fluff hurtled herself from under the bed.

The hanyou caught her more as a reflex than anything, but hugged her close as Sango watched with a smile on her face.

_"Puppy, I'm so glad you're okay!"_ the neko cooed, rubbing her face up against his neck, "_You found your friend, I take it?"_

"Yeah. It turned out well," he assured her.

"So... you understand her?" Sango asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded and the girl smiled, saying, "I'm jealous." His ears drooped but he couldn't help smile as the little demon cuddled up to him closer.

"Have you seen her true form?" he asked, "It's badass."

"Yeah," she said, "Just the one time."

Kirara giggled and waved a paw bashfully and Inu-Yasha sat down on the edge of the bed, letting Kirara prance around on the blankets. Sango laughed and stroked her fur, but couldn't help a sigh. The hanyou shot her a puzzled glance- once she she noticed, Sango smiled shyly and ran her fingers through her bangs.

"I'm just... worried," she admitted, "It was a shit storm. I heard what happened didn't just happen to me. And... I... I'm just worried. About Miroku."

She blushed a little and, as Kirara snuggled in close sympathetically, Inu-Yasha couldn't help be taken aback.

"Miroku's fine," he assured her; she perked up immediately, her eyes widening, and she let out a shrill, "What?", leaning forward towards him.

"Well... okay, not totally fine, but he's safe. He's... I mean, he's just across the hall. No one told you?"

Sango's jaw dropped and without another word, she jumped out of bed, bare feet slapping on the cool floor as she hurried out of the room.

"H-Hey, wait!" Inu-Yasha said a bit pathetically- she didn't answer.

He sighed and, with Kirara jumping onto his shoulders, followed her.

x

Walking into the next room, Inu-Yasha found Sango staring in surprise at Kagome and Koga, who sat, looking equally startled back at her as they sat in chairs near the unconscious Miroku's bed.

"Right, you guys haven't met," Inu-Yasha said a bit awkwardly, "Well-"

He was about to introduce everyone to each other, but before he could, Kirara let out a surprised meow and, when she locked eyes with Kagome, the girl immediately got to her feet and breathed, "No way." Almost instantly, Kirara was across the room, leaping into Kagome's arms and snuggling close. The girl was obviously stunned, as were her friends, and she quietly said, "You're okay."

_"Of course, my friend! I'm so relieved to see you again!"_ Kirara cooed.

Kagome bit her lip and her eyes began to water, and quickly she hugged Kirara tightly.

"I'm so glad," she said quietly.

"...You... You know Kirara?" Sango asked, confused.

Kagome nodded and asked, "She lives with you?"

"Y-Yeah."

Sango smiled a little and everyone seemed to relax a little. Koga shot Inu-Yasha a puzzled look and the hanyou's ears perked; he took Sango's shoulder and gestured to the sitting two.

"Sango, this is Kagome and her brother, Koga," he said.

Koga's face flushed immediately, but Sango whirled on the hanyou, eyes widening as she demanded, "That's Kagome?" before she turned on Kagome.

"Great to meet you!" she assured her, "So you're the one that got this idiot out of his funk."

She elbowed Inu-Yasha playfully, whose face went quite red, and Kagome looked between the two with surprise before she began to laugh quietly. She wiped her eyes, kissed Kirara on the head, and passed her gently back to Sango before shooting Inu-Yasha a smirk.

"Yeah, that's me," she said.

"K'gome," Inu-Yasha whined- the others laughed at him quietly, though quickly fell silent as Miroku shifted in his blankets a little.

x

It was like a switch had been flicked in Sango's head. Her eyes widened and she rushed to the boy's bedside, sitting close, taking his hand gently in hers as Kirara circled his head and lay down close.

"Do you guys know what happened?" she asked quietly.

"Not all of it," Inu-Yasha admitted, "Kagome and I found him in a cave-in in the subway tunnel."

Sango whipped around towards him, mouth open as if to demand more answers, but quickly, Kagome added, "He was hurt, but we fixed him up a bit before getting him here."

"Kagome healed him," the hanyou added, "With some weird demon thing. Freaked him the hell out, but it got the job done."

A frown crossed Sango's brow and she looked over Kagome and Koga curiously. She pointed at Kagome, hesitantly asking, "She's a you-?"

"Oh, no, no," Inu-Yasha said quickly, "Kagome's human. A youkai left some energy residue in her aura, though; it's been sort of useful."

"Kagome, you didn't tell me that," Koga said, eyes widening, "That's really cool."

Kagome blushed and shrugged, but Sango looked even more puzzled.

"But you are a demon?" the girl asked, confused, as she pointed a finger at Koga.

"I'm adopted," the wolf replied a bit proudly.

Sango began to ask another question, but she was cut short as Miroku let out a small, tired groan. She said his name almost frantically, and Kagome quietly asked, "Would you like us to leave?" Sango didn't get a chance to answer as, slowly, Miroku opened his eyes. Almost as soon as he did, though, he sat back straight in the bed, recoiling against the wall and letting out a hoarse, "Holy shit!"

"What's wrong?" Sango demanded.

He turned to look at her quickly, eyes wide, and, hurriedly, he hugged her close, squishing the breath out of her, mumbling hurried, fearful curses against her, saying, "We've got to go."

"What? What the hell, Miroku? Just relax," Sango said a bit shakily.

She tried to guide him back to a comfortable place on the bed, but he simply wasn't having it, pointing squarely at Kagome across the room.

"Can't you see that?" he demanded.

The rest of them turned their eyes to Kagome with confusion, and though her face flushed, she pointed to herself and asked an awkward, "Who, me?" Miroku was taken aback and his hand dropped as Inu-Yasha asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"Her?" Miroku repeated, absolutely baffled.

Kagome's face went even more red and Koga barked out a, "Hey, what are you trying to say?!", while Sango cuffed the back of his her boyfriend's head roughly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped.

Miroku blinked quickly and his eyes locked on Kagome again. His jaw dropped and he rubbed his eyes quickly, before asking, "Wait, you're... Kagome, right? What the hell?"

He rubbed his eyes again and muttered a, "What the hell did I just see, then?". Kagome shrugged widely and Inu-Yasha put his hands up a little, saying, "Someone tell me I'm not the only one who has no idea what the fuck just happened here."

"There was a- okay, bear with me a minute- a big... dragon, thing," Miroku said, rubbing his forehead, "There. Right there."

He pointed to where Kagome sat- she felt a shiver run down her spine- and then he scratched his head as Sango clung to him a little tighter. She looked at Inu-Yasha worriedly, but the hanyou looked thoughtful.

"When did you first see it?" he asked.

"In the subway car," Miroku said instantly, frowning, "After I fell over."

"So, when Kagome started trying to heal you," Inu-Yasha said quietly, "Ah. I see."

"I don't," Kagome voiced worriedly, "Did... Did I do something?"

"No, no, Miroku was... Miroku's really sensitive to auras and stuff. Get it?" he said, raising his eyebrow.

It took Kagome a moment, but she quickly said,"Oh!" It took Koga a moment longer, but he quickly said, "Oh! You were seeing that demon energy thats in Kagome's!"

Miroku stared at them both with utter confusion and then looked to Inu-Yasha and Sango as if for support. The hanyou shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "Besides, it probably saved your life. Anyway, what the hell happened? Your messages scared the shit out of us."

"That's true," Kagome said with a nod.

"That... That was... That was a total mess," he said, and then flinched and put a hand to his head, "Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime."

"Are you okay?" Sango asked gently.

He nodded, but his face was getting a little paler. Kagome looked worriedly at the hanyou across the room and then got to her feet.

"We'll leave you guys alone for now," she said, "Miroku, please let us know what happened to you when you're feeling better, okay?"

"Yeah. I will. Thanks," he said with a nod.

Kagome smiled and nudged Koga to his feet, and the three left after a quick, relieved goodbye.

x

Inu-Yasha's ears were perked high and he seemed pleased as the group wandered down the hall.

"Feel better now?" Kagome asked him.

He nodded and smiled a little stretching, his arms above his head, and the girl couldn't help a quiet laugh.

"Sorry I scared Miroku so much," she said a bit bashfully.

"Whatever, he needs to stop being such a whiner," Inu-Yasha said absently, "Let's go to the cafeteria again."

"You haven't been there enough?" Kagome joked.

"I have. You haven't," he replied.

She was about to ask what he meant when she heard a gurgle from inside her stomach that sounded quite a bit like some sort of reptile. Her face flushed as Koga laughed, and she elbowed Inu-Yasha, saying, "Gross, you heard that before I did?!" He shrugged widely, shooting her a grin; she merely stuck her tongue out at him as a retort.

x

Upon arriving in the cafeteria, Kagome was floored. She had expected it to be like the rest of the hospital, or like the one at school, but instead, it looked like it had been transplanted straight out of a fancy restaurant. The walls we much like the ones in the bedrooms, here a deep, warm red scrawled with messages and with framed charms of good luck and health all around the room. Seats were extra large and cushiony, and some of the occupants of the room who were eating there immediately justified the size: off the bat, they spotted an 8 foot tall, deep blue youkai that looked quite a bit like a minotaur, a long, red, serpentine creature with a head like a cobra but arms like a human, and what could only be described as flaming horse that was almost twice the size of a regular one.

x

The girl was gawking, and Koga was too. Inu-Yasha was rather unfazed and proceeded through the room towards a granite counter laden with foods of all kinds. They followed him quickly, with Kagome especially trying not to stare.

"You guys get some stuff," he insisted, "I sort of want to explore."

"What? You sure?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. I'll meet you guys back here soon," he assured them.

Koga gave him a thumbs-up and Kagome, almost reluctantly, said, "Okay," before awkwardly taking a pair of plates and passing one of them to the wolf.

x

Inu-Yasha hurried off quickly, his heart beating heavily as he retraced his steps to find the aura that had disturbed him. He hadn't passed it directly, but it was oddly powerful, projecting itself down what was the equivalent of an intensive care hall with a force that made the hair on the hanyou's neck stand on end. His mouth drying, he gulped and strode quickly down the hallway, feeling his way along the energy path until he came to a door marked with a warning that the patient inside was a potential danger. Inu-Yasha felt cold all of a sudden and he wondered if he should even have come. He raised a hand hesitantly to knock on the door, but then paused.

_What am I doing?_ He demanded, _Is this nuts?_

He stalled for a moment longer, but he was unable to contain his curiosity. He knocked, lightly, three times. He heard footsteps for a moment and the door opened just a crack. He saw a woman there, human, almost as tall as he was with black hair tied back in a bun, a red pen behind her ear, and she squinted at him suspiciously.

"This area is off limits to patients and guests," she said briskly.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said blankly.

He cursed himself inside his head- of course it was.

"I just... um... sorry," he stammered, "I'll just... I'll just go."

"Wait," she said suddenly, and she eyed him up and down, "You're... Taishio-san's brother, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha replied quickly, his ears perking, "I'm... I'm sorry to bug you, it's just... That aura..."

"Ah. Yes, quite a few of the personnel here are bothered by it as well."

She opened the door a bit more, leaning a bit stiffly against the wall, folding her arms tightly. She was wearing a white coat over what looked like street clothes, and Inu-Yasha could see now that she looked rather young.

"What is it?," he asked, "It just... It feels familiar."

"That's a new one," she said, eyebrows raising high, "It's... Well, a patient from the Youki facility."

The hanyou's ears drooped and the woman looked him over again curiously. She stepped back from the doorway and said, "Would you mind coming in a moment?" The woman turned to a counter covered in binders and notepads behind her and, a bit cautiously, Inu-Yasha edged in after her.

x

The room was clean and a bit sterile, like a doctor's office but, there were also some computer monitors and analytical scientific equipment on another counter beside the one covered in notes. A table in the center of the room was empty except for a smartphone and a glass of water. However, the far end of the room really drew Inu-Yasha's attention, and almost made his heart stop.

x

There was what was almost like a jail cell at the other end of the room, a space blocked in by a thick, clear wall with charged spell-scrolls of confinement stuck in each corner. There was a bed and some basic amenities in there, along with a creature- a youkai of some sort- silent through the wall. It was large, pacing: it had the skin-tone of a pale human, but scales protruded from patches on its bare arms and neck, and it had the legs and face of what could only be called a dinosaur. Upon noticing Inu-Yasha, the creature opened its long jaws to show a double-row of teeth and pressed its twisted face up to the glass, clawing with taloned limbs and peering through unblinkingly with blank, red eyes.

x

Inu-Yasha took a small step back involuntarily, but the woman seemed not to noticed anything wrong. She turned to the center table and took a sip of water before casting a glance at the youkai in the cell.

"Oof, looks like he doesn't like you," she said, sighing, "He usually just paces."

"What...? Who-?"

Inu-Yasha was flabbergasted. The woman turned again calmly to pick up a clipboard and paper, and then jotted down some notes with her red pen.

"He was a prisoner at Youki. Something's been done to him."

Inu-Yasha felt like he had been hit in the gut. His mind flashed back to the dead, blue eyes of the strange youkai that had attacked him and Kagome and he couldn't help a shiver from running down his spine. The woman looked at him curiously and asked, "Have you seen something like this before?"

"Yeah," he said, "At Youki."

"Right, right. You were there," she said with a nod, and she raised a hand to his forehead, asking, "Would you mind if I do a detail reading?"

"A... what?" he asked.

"I can take a bit of specific information from others, if they let me," she said, "If you would be willing to lend me some of your visual and sensory memories from your encounter-"

"Oh! Oh, yeah, sure, go ahead," Inu-Yasha said quickly.

The woman smiled and, closing her eyes, she rested her thumb against the hanyou's forehead. He felt a sting of energy, but not much else, and she pulled back within a few moments, her eyes widening.

"That was quite an ordeal," she said; she sounded a little out of breath.

She whirled and jotted down a few more notes, and then looked at him curiously.

"Why did you say you came here again?"

"His aura, it's weird. Like I know it. Or part of it," he admitted.

The woman looked thoughtful for a moment and she nodded, picking up her phone. She tapped the screen before putting it to her ear and saying, "Hi. It's Matsuko. Can you come to the first Y. D. room? Yeah. Thanks." Inu-Yasha looked at her curiously as she put her phone down, and then hesitantly paced across the room. The youkai followed him, still clawing at the wall, gnashing his teeth.

"So this guy was normal, once?" the hanyou asked.

"We think so," Matsuko replied, "Judging by aura readings, it seems his has been manipulated in a way it was never intended to be. We're trying to help him."

Inu-Yasha grimaced and felt a sudden sting of pity for the strange youkai that wouldn't take his blood red eyes off him. A bit hesitantly at first, Inu-Yasha approached the see-through wall.

"Careful," the woman advised.

"Anything happens and I can throw him down, don't worry," Inu-Yasha assured her a bit absently.

_Why do I know this energy?_

As he got closer, the youkai seemed to get a bit more frantic, throwing himself up against the wall even as the boy put a clawed hand up to it. He heard a door open behind him, but he couldn't help but ignore whatever was going on there. He felt pulled. He let his aura reach out towards the other demon, who, much to his surprise, seemed startled still. Hesitantly now, he pushed in closer and matched his talon with Inu-Yasha's hands- the hanyou felt the youkai's energy reciprocate and something struck him that made his blood turn to ice. The demon's aura, the part that was wrong- Inu-Yasha's aura was pulling it in, absorbing it a little- because it matched his exactly. The hanyou's mind reeled, demanding _How?_ over and over again. He wanted to pull away but couldn't bring himself to, especially when he saw the blue pupil reappearing in the deep red of the other demon's eyes.

"Holy shit," he breathed, his ears pressing forward.

The other demon blinked with puzzlement; mouthed something Inu-Yasha couldn't hear and his heart dropped.

"I... I can't..."

He shook his head and the other demon just looked confused and then, slowly pulled back, his aura's power cutting off a little. He headed for the bed immediately and plopped down, curling up and closing his eyes.

x

Inu-Yasha staggered backwards, his heart pounding so hard in his ears that he could barely hear when Matsuko said something to him. He jumped with surprise when she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. He stared, wide-eyed, as he saw a small crowd was now in the room: a middle-aged, human man hooked up to a machine that was producing a lot of information about something, a pointy-eared, yellow eyed man and another young woman taking notes.

"You aura synched with him, how did you-?! We haven't had any progress at all, how did you-?!"

Matsuko was in his face, but he was a little dazed. He put a hand to his forehead and said, quietly, "It was mine."

"What?" she asked.

Her brown eyes were wide and almost frantic. He shook his head. He didn't know how to explain. He didn't even know how it was possible. She sighed and left him; jotted down more notes, and then pushed in close to her colleagues. The hanyou couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to what he could clearly hear. His mind kept spinning the _why?_ over and over again.

x

When his brain finally snapped back into focus, he heard the human man saying, "The readings overlap perfectly. I don't know what he did, but-"

"I don't think he knows what he did."

He turned to see only the man who was hooked up to a data machine and Matsuko left in the room. He let out a sigh and she turned to him, asking, "Back with us, are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he lied.

"Did you get the answer you were looking for?" she asked.

"...Not really."

He rubbed the back of his head and straightened, casting his gaze at the strange, napping youkai. That strange, grotesque thing- he wanted to save him.

"Sorry. But... I'm glad you turned up. These results are very interesting," Matsuko said, "Can I contact Taishio-san to talk to you once we analyze this data? Maybe you can help us."

"Y... Yeah, sure, do what you want," he said quietly.

x

He left the room quickly, ears folded back as he slumped against the wall. His mind was racing.

_How?! How did this happen?!_

He couldn't even fathom it. He accidentally allowed himself to wonder how many others were like this, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

_Maybe even the demon I fought._

He rubbed his temples tiredly, tried to stop himself from shaking before he leaned off the wall, shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed away with leaden legs.

x

Inu-Yasha found Kagome and Koga waiting for him in the cafeteria. Kagome waved him down with a smile and, trying to conceal his exhaustion, he sat down beside her. It wasn't much use, though, because they both looked at him intently almost immediately.

"Uh... Hey, man, are you okay?" Koga asked.

"Yasha, you look really pale," Kagome said.

She put a hand on his and he flinched; the look on her face told him that she felt him shaking.

"He must've found something really creepy," Koga said, frowning worriedly, "Inu-Yasha? Oi. You okay?"

"I, uh..." the hanyou muttered, "No. No, it's fine. It'll be fine."

He sighed and Kagome frowned at him disapprovingly, but nonetheless, she pushed a small plate towards him. It had a few skewers with small, round dumplings on them.

"They're dango, we got them for you," she said, "Give it a try. I bet you never even had them before."

Inu-Yasha was taken aback and he carefully took one and stared at it.

"You're right, I haven't," he replied.

He continued to stare at it a bit blankly and Koga leaned over towards Kagome, whispering behind his hand, "Kags, he's totally lost it."

"Feh, shut up," the hanyou scoffed quickly, popping the dango in his mouth.

Koga drew back with a nervous grin and Kagome snickered despite herself. She hugged onto Inu-Yasha's arm tightly, giving him an affectionate squeeze. Despite it, his stomach turned.

_What the hell am I going to tell them?_

oOoOoOoO

After a little while, with neither Kagome or Koga able to get Inu-Yasha to even hint at what he had seen, the group moved on. They paid another visit to Sango, Miroku and Kirara to make sure all was well, and then returned to where they had woken up. They didn't know exactly who to talk to to get home, but it didn't matter in the long run. Before they knew it, Inu-Yasha and Koga awoke, dazed, on the sofa in Sessho-Maru's living room, unaware of having even been knocked out. Again, Kagome, much to her chagrin, was the last to awaken.

oOoOoOoO

Three days passed and Inu-Yasha still couldn't bring himself to admit what he saw or had done to his friends, nor to his brother. Despite this, the youkai seemed to know some of what had gone on without even asking about it.

x

Things were starting to become more normal regardless, and slowly, the things from Kagome's house were being moved out and taken to their new, temporary residence. Jaken, especially, seemed quite pleased about this, due mostly to the fact that the room he claimed as his own had been filled with sofas and mattresses that took up most of the space.

oOoOoOoO

It was Wednesday again, the same day they had been kidnapped the week before. It was feeling like a bad dream to Kagome now, and it seemed to her like Inu-Yasha and Koga were also feeling much better than they had been.

x

After training for much of the day with Sessho-Maru and not gaining much despite her efforts, Kagome was exhausted. She lazed on the couch in front of the television, snuggled under Inu-Yasha's arm as she flicked through the channels, her finger on the channel changing button of the remote the most alert thing about her. Inu-Yasha seemed to be simply happy enough with the contact, while Koga said at the other end of the sofa, playing around with a handheld game system that Rin had lent him.

x

"Boring," Kagome said as she flicked passed some cartoons, and then continued, changing passed a news network and a few different dramas, "Boring, boring, boring."

"Do you have any T.V. you like?" Inu-Yasha joked.

"I like... I like big action movies and cute animated shows and musicals," Kagome whined.

"Musicals?" Inu-Yasha repeated with a laugh, "Well... suit yourself."

"Shut up, man, musicals are fun," she replied, elbowing him and snickering.

"I said suit yourself," the hanyou retorted.

He ruffled her hair and she flailed around, and then, squirming out of his arms, turned to him and kissed him quickly. He looked surprised, as he most often did- his ears drooped back bashfully and he gave her a gentle kiss in return. She giggled, pleased, and hugged him around his shoulders tightly, laughing even harder as she noticed him blush brightly.

x

"Uh, guys?" Koga suddenly said a bit sharply, "I uh... I don't mean to interrupt but... Fuckin' look at this."

He leaned over to take the remote from near Kagome and turn up the volume on the television as she and Inu-Yasha slowly broke apart and watched where Koga had indicated. On a news network, a strange, dark video filmed through rain, near the edge of a treeline was playing, with a man's voice overtop.

"-so, we were just sent this video. A strange creature was captured on tape near Sanno University early this morning. No one can tell for sure what it is. University prank? Wild animal? Whatever it is, it sure is frightening!"

As he spoke, the video did a strange distortion- one that Koga, at least, was very familiar with. Through the trees rose, through shadow and water, a dark, pointed, dog-like head, blue eyes glinting in the low light before it stalked off, seemingly on two legs before the distortion crackled back over the frames.

x

The news anchor kept talking but no one paid any heed. Kagome felt her stomach sinking and Inu-Yasha was shaking despite himself.

"That's a demon," Koga said, "I'm positive."

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, gulping, "Yeah. And I know exactly which one."

* * *

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry. Also, chapters 15 through 21 except the "back in time" parts are all retconned. Because they sucked. Now they suck a little less. That's all. Thanks for your time and patience.


	49. Twisted

Chapter 47: Twisted

* * *

"Inu-Yasha?"

"Where the hell did he go?"

"Inu-Yasha!?"

x

He could hear them, quite clearly, searching the house below as he sat tiredly with his back to a stack of boxes in the attic under the odd, blue glow of the rune on the wall. He didn't know what to tell them. He ran his claws through his hair, his ears drooping, and he blew out a frustrated, worried sigh. What could he do? He frowned and closed his eyes, kneading his lids and feeling a sort of pressure in the back of his head.

_What can I tell them? How could this happen? I... I want to find it. Catch it; help it? I don't know! Fuck! Am I the only one who can? How the fuck could this happen?_

He heard bare footsteps rushing beneath him; heard the door creak open. He sighed, not wanting to answer any questions. What could he say? He had been up there for almost two hours. He didn't want to have to try to explain the fact that his own aura was twisting the very fabric of the beings of other creatures. How could he explain that?

x

The feet thudded up the stairs quickly and before long, Kagome's head poked up into the attic. She looked around with wide eyes and spotted him quickly.

"There you are!" she squeaked.

She slipped on the floor a little as she rushed to meet him, kneeling down before him and holding onto his shoulders.

"Why didn't you answer? What are you doing up here? Are you okay?"

He lied with the word, "Fine," almost instantly and Kagome bonked him firmly on the head.

"Seriously? You're seriously gonna say that? After you come and hide up here, which you've literally never done before, _ever_?"

She frowned at him and his eyes dropped to the floor and he muttered, "Sorry." Kagome sighed and scooted a little closer, wrapping him in a tight hug. For a moment he wished she hadn't, but he knew she was just worried. He felt a little better despite himself and, cautiously, put his arms around her waist. She leaned up into him and was in his lap before he could say a word, cozying up to his chest. He sighed and grumbled out an embarrassed, "Sorry," again. She was quiet for a little while and he felt himself starting to get a little anxious.

_Please don't ask me what's wrong, please don't ask me what's wrong, please don't ask me-_

"So," Kagome began- she drew away awkwardly and sat beside him- and looked at him curiously as she folded her arms behind her head, "What's wrong?"

Inu-Yasha held in a groan and he gulped, forcing out a weak, "It's nothing."

"Shut up," she laughed, "You honestly expect me to buy that?"

"No. Not really."

x

He didn't volunteer anything more and Kagome stared at him for a little while. His ears drooped and she rubbed her forehead, giving him a tired smile.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, sometimes, you know that?" she asked, "Well... How long you planning on staying up here?"

"Dunno," he replied.

"So... tell me what's wrong? You've been acting weird for the last couple of days. And now this, well... Hiding in the attic is pretty weird, my friend."

"Yeah, I guess," he admitted with a tired laugh, "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed!" she exclaimed, "I spend, like, _all_ my time with you, you think I wouldn't notice you acting funny?"

"Sorry," he said again, scratching the back of his head.

Kagome looked at him expectantly and when he remained quiet, she let out a frustrated groan and whined, "Yasha, please? I just want to help!"

"I know. I know," he said, "It's..."

He paused to consider and rubbed his forehead. He didn't know how to explain. He still didn't want to.

x

After a while of quiet, and knowing she had absolutely no intention of leaving, he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly.

"Okay," he said, "I... I was just thinking. About that youkai."

Kagome stared at him intently and nodded; waited for a moment before asking, "And?"

"And you remember how fucked up it was, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, it felt..."

She shuddered and he nodded, agreeing, "Right. Fucked up. Well, in the hospital, I met... I met a youkai that felt really similar."

"What?" Kagome barked, "Is that-? Is that what freaked you out?"

"Yeah," he admitted, "And... Well, they told me he used to be normal. And I was thinking, maybe that guy used to be normal too. Maybe he could be helped."

The girl looked taken aback. She put a hand to her mouth for a second and Inu-Yasha could feel a sting of her worry inside him. He winced.

"And that... That's what you've been so worried about?" she asked.

He nodded and she smiled a little, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"What do you want to do about it?"

The hanyou paused to consider.

"I want... I want to find him."

"Okay."

He didn't offer anything more and Kagome stared at him intently, and then sighed threw her hands up.

"I swear, Yasha, you're going to drive me nuts," she said, "So what are you going to do?"

"Dunno. Start looking, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"What, right now?"

"Tomorrow, maybe."

He shrugged again and Kagome groaned and then grabbed him around his shoulders and pulled him to her tiredly. He felt a little weird, but he let her snuggle him into her arms, and couldn't help but blush when she kissed his forehead.

"What the hell scared you so bad?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing. I'm not scared," he replied.

"Whatever. You're weird," she grumbled, muttering, "_Not scared_ my ass."

He didn't know what to say to her, so he simply stayed silent, especially as she began to caress his ears. He didn't know what to do with himself. Kagome stopped pressing, though. She knew he was lying, he could tell. He sighed.

"Sorry," he said again.

She nodded and kissed his cheek gently.

"Why do you feel so guilty about this?" she asked.

"I..."

He frowned, ears folding back against his head.

"I'll let you know when I find out for sure."

Kagome gave him a confused look, but she nodded and cuddled up closer to him, pulling one of his arms up around her shoulders. He took her hint and held her to his side; she smiled at him. He wished the small smile he gave her in return had been genuine.

oOoOoOoO

When Kagome went to bed, Inu-Yasha didn't join her. Staring into the dark of a mug of cooling coffee, he sat in the kitchen, stirring it absently with his finger. How could he sleep? He sighed to himself and his ears perked to the sound of a soft footstep entering the room to his right.

"Why, exactly, are you doing that?" Sessho-Maru asked.

Inu-Yasha looked up at him tiredly and shrugged. His brother stared at him intently and asked, "So are you going to continue acting like a child, or-?"

"Or what?" the hanyou growled, sounding more exhausted than angry.

Sessho-Maru continued to stare him down for a moment before taking a seat at the table across from him. At the same moment, Inu-Yasha heard a few more footsteps; listened to them stall just a bit beyond the doorway. Koga was eavesdropping, maybe even accidentally, but it didn't really concern him at this point, especially when Sessho-Maru announced, "Your temporary house is ready. You'll move in tomorrow."

"Fine. Thanks," he replied, "Just... write me some directions and I'll head straight there after-"

"What are you planning? You've been acting even more strangely than usual, little brother."

"I need to find someone."

Inu-Yasha frowned into his coffee again and Sessho-Maru looked at him with vague curiosity. He turned to retrieve a small piece of paper, and upon writing the new address on it and passing it to his brother, he gave him a sort of knowing look.

"That demon," he said.

"Yeah. I'm going in... I dunno, maybe a few hours? Trying to psyche myself up."

"I can't say I understand that," the youkai replied, "But... you _will_ let me know what happens?"

"Yeah, yeah," Inu-Yasha said, "Will you take Kagome and Sota to the new place?"

"Not an issue."

"Thanks."

Sessho-Maru nodded and the hanyou finally cracked a smile.

"What?" his brother asked.

"Nothing. Just... Nah, nothing. Thanks."

Sessho-Maru's eyebrow raised just a little but he said nothing and then left the kitchen without a sound.

x

Inu-Yasha tapped his fingers against the table tiredly and before he could even ask, Koga stumbled around the corner.

"Inu-Yasha, I'm coming with you," he insisted immediately.

"Sure, if you want to," the hanyou said.

Koga looked almost as if he were about to say something, but then stopped short, looking surprised and then, quickly, took a seat across from him.

"Just like that?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Inu-Yasha said, "It'll be dangerous, though. And I don't want to kill it, I just want to catch it."

"Catch it?" the youkai repeated, eyes wide, "But didn't it try to kill you? And Kagome?"

"Yeah, but there's something wrong with it," Inu-Yasha explained, "Anyway. I guess we can head out soon. No real point in waiting around, I guess."

"I'll get ready," Koga said quickly.

He was gone in the blink of an eye. Inu-Yasha put a hand to his brow and sighed, and finally got up and stretched his back out. He headed back upstairs and snuck back into his room as quietly as he could.

x

Of course, Kagome was still asleep. The hanyou quickly changed into jeans, a dark t-shirt and a grey, hooded sweatshirt. He pulled the hood up over his ears and patted them down. He heard the girl in bed shift and he turned to just see her open her eyes a little.

"Y... Yasha?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah. It's okay, go back to sleep," he said.

She sleepily waved him closer and he walked to her side, asking a quiet, "What's up?" She closed her eyes, but reached an arm up to grab him. When he bent down, she hugged him and smiled, groggily saying, "So cozy." He smiled and lifted her into a quick, gentle hug before slowly lowering her back down into the bed.

"I have some stuff I have to do," he said quietly, "Sessho-Maru's going to take you and Sota and Buyo to the new place today, okay?"

"...'Kay," she said quietly; she seemed like she was mostly asleep again.

She waved a hand in the air lethargically before she flopped. Inu-Yasha pulled the blankets up around her and left her where she was.

x

Out of the cozy, dark room, Inu-Yasha braced himself and then went downstairs to wait for Koga. The younger demon didn't take much longer and soon hopped down from the second floor in slightly torn jeans and his scruffy beige jacket. He met Inu-Yasha at the door, his tail wagging a little, and the hanyou peeked around him curiously.

"Your tail-" he began.

"Yeah, I know, it's just uncomfortable in pants, I try to leave it out when I can," he explained.

"Oh. Well, I was just going to say you should be able to shrink it back into your spine, right?" Inu-Yasha wondered.

Koga looked taken aback and he blankly said, "What?"

"Well, youkai can do that, as far as I know," he replied, "Alter bits of their appearance. My brother has a tail and he can hide it. Me, I'm hanyou, so in a way I'm sort of stuck in the middle here."

He pointed to the top of his head and Koga stared back at him and blurted, "I can do what?!" He spun, looking at his tail and then paused in his tracks.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "Going?"

"Yeah."

x

Koga followed him outside quickly and found Inu-Yasha paused in front of a metallic grey vehicle in the driveway, one that was a bit familiar. He leaned over and noticed a bit of a dip in the steering wheel through the window.

"Inu-Yasha, is that your car?" he asked.

The hanyou leaned over it and said a puzzled, "Yeah. Someone even tried to fix the wheel. And... repainted..."

"Makes sense, I guess," Koga commented, "Those guys who took you and Kags, they must've seen. I bet the plates are different, too."

Inu-Yasha leaned around the front of the car and then said, "Yeah, you're right," before getting into the driver's seat. The seatbelt was still broken, but that didn't really concern him. Koga got into the passenger's side and hunkered down in the seat. The hanyou started up the car and, carefully, pulled out of the drive and down the road.

x

"Nice, I was planning on just running there," he admitted.

He didn't want to confess how tired he was. The wolf didn't seem to notice.

"So, where to?" Koga asked.

"That college, where the demon was filmed," he said, "I kinda doubt he's still there, but we can probably pick up the trail."

Koga nodded and shifted on his seat a bit uncomfortably.

"You know where you're going?"

"Nah, I thought I'd just drive around, we'll end up there eventually," he said sarcastically.

Koga huffed but couldn't help a bit of a laugh.

"Fine. Sorry I asked," he said.

x

Sanno University, where the strange, canine demon had been spotted, was over an hour's drive away. The boys were quiet, mostly, and Inu-Yasha was starting to zone out staring at the road when he heard Koga let out a shriek. He jumped and pulled over quickly, slamming on the breaks as he careened onto the shoulder, shouting, "What?!"

x

Koga's face had gone white and he was sitting strangely in his seat, eyes wide.

"What's wrong?!" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"I... I..."

The okami's cheeks went red and he squeaked, "I... I was just thinking about it and-"

"What? Thinking about what?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"My... My tail, it's... it went..."

Koga looked utterly baffled and when the hanyou clued in, he groaned and put a hand to his forehead.

"Seriously?" he asked.

Koga nodded awkwardly and Inu-Yasha growled, let out a huff, glared out the windshield, and then couldn't help but begin to laugh.

"You moron," he said.

"Shit," was all Koga could think of to say.

oOoOoOoO

It was dark, around 3:00am Thursday morning, by the time Inu-Yasha and Koga pulled up to the campus of Sanno University, just a little ways off a main highway. It was made up of a series of blocky, pale gold buildings, lit only by a few street lamps. The large parking lot had few cars in it but scarcely anything else. Inu-Yasha parked near one of the lamp posts and got out, taking a cautious look around, ears alert as they could be under his hood. Koga was out of the car quickly, but he was walking a little funny, still looking a little uncomfortable. Inu-Yasha scoffed quietly, trying not to laugh aloud and turned his attention to the buildings around him. He tested the air for any out of place smells or the auras of any youkai, but came up empty. He wasn't sure what to do from there, and he looked to Koga.

x

"So," he said, "I'm thinking we take a better look around. Maybe the campus and the shit around it."

"What? We're not splitting up, are we?" he asked quickly, "No way, that's a terrible idea."

"You want to go _together_?" Inu-Yasha asked, "C'mon. Really?"

"It just sounds... bad. I know I'm out of the loop, but isn't that like the start of every horror movie _ever_? People split up and then one of them never comes back!"

Koga looked almost panicked. The hanyou put a hand to his brow and shook his head.

"This is real life, if you didn't notice," he said, "But if you're scared-"

"Of course I'm scared!" Koga said, frowning deeply, "I'm scared shitless of this thing, and if you had half a brain, you would be too!"

"Oh... Sorry to hear you have half a brain."

Koga looked back at him blankly for a minute and Inu-Yasha stared at him, stonefaced, until the wolf began to laugh despite himself.

"You asshole," he said, "Fine. is a shitty idea, still. Where should we check?"

Inu-Yasha grinned and then turned to check out the school.

"Just this campus for now," he said, "See if anything's weird. Or, I guess, if we can find where that video was taken. Just howl if you find something."

"Bleh."

"Don't be such a baby."

Inu-Yasha shoved his hands in his pockets and began to head off, grinning to himself as he heard Koga repeat, "Don't be such a baby," in a high-pitched voice, under his breath.

x

Strolling across clean sidewalks through the campus, even in the low light, was more nostalgic to Inu-Yasha than eerie, even with the task he was on. He had never been there before, but it reminded him of another university he had visited when he was younger. He had, by accident of taking too many online, university-level courses and achieving high marks, won a scholarship and had been invited to take a tour of a university. He had given up the scholarship, of course; was still too young and had no intention of going on passed high school - how could he, living the life he did? He wasn't even particularly smart, he just retained information easily and quickly, as most youkai did - but it had been nice to have been treated as a school-kid for once in his life.

x

He his eyes worked well even in the dark, but the lamp posts were helpful anyways. Nothing suspicious so far, though. A few students were at the school, he could smell them; heard footsteps a long ways away on the pavement. Before long, a demon's aura pinged his interest, but it wasn't the one he was looking for. However, hearing a tapping on a window, he paused and turned to look. Sure enough, the youkai was there in a second floor window, looking at him with bright yellow eyes, much like his own. She was a young woman in very casual clothes, almost pyjamas; hair dyed deep purple, with a telltale blue stripe on each cheek, much like Sessho-Maru's. He supposed it wasn't so uncommon to see tattoos in a university so she hadn't bothered to try to hide it. He was surprised to see her wave at him, much to the befuddlement of her friends. A bit awkwardly, he waved back. She grinned and continued on her way; Inu-Yasha did the same, his fur bristling a little.

x

It wasn't until he came to the next building that he realized it probably would have been smart to ask them if they knew anything. He cursed at himself and then continued on, alert as he could be.

oOoOoOoO

Koga, meanwhile, was all but tip-toeing around the opposite side of campus, eyes darting all around. He certainly didn't see that weird demon, and in all honesty, he had no idea what he'd do if he did.

_Probably run like a bitch_, he thought reluctantly.

He folded his arms to his chest and then, a bit out of habit, checked behind him. His lack of a tail was still making him feel very strange indeed. He tried to push his discomfort away and he hurried on his way, trying to figure out what to do. He walked and thought at once, only being snapped from his musings when he heard a distant, muffled murmur of voices. He perked up and stopped in his tracks, looking around for the source until he spotted few people from afar, inside the school as they walked in a group passed a small section of windows that were open just a crack. An idea came to him quickly and, hurriedly, he checked through his pockets. He found a pen in his jeans and there was some crumpled up paper at the bottom of his jacket pocket. He carefully straightened it out and folded it into a small rectangle, something that he thought- or maybe hoped was a better word- could be mistaken for a notepad. He spent a few moments searching for a door and then entered the school.

x

Inside felt cool and the halls were made of light tile that was very clean, outlined by a wall of small, grey and black lockers. Feet from far away echoed far in the distance, and he began on his way. It was early, but it wasn't long before he found a young man heading, in a dishevelled white button-up shirt, pushing his glasses up to tired eyes, towards a library. Koga felt a little bad, but stopped him quickly and, making up a quick story about a student journalism report, asked him what he knew about the monster video. The tired student didn't know much other than that a small group of people had taken the video nearby, so Koga thanked him and moved on quickly.

x

A few more questions to sleep-deprived students studying for early morning tests revealed nothing he could really use. He took a spot against the wall of the library, reviewing what little notes he had: more than one person saw it, it was in the woods nearby, a few of them thought it was a hoax.

x

He was scratching behind his ear absently with the back of his pen when the hair on the back of his neck began to bristle. A bit alarmed, he perked up, only to see a small group of girls eyeing him suspiciously from down the hall. The one with purple hair, garbed in a lazy t-shirt and her pyjama bottoms was a youkai. Koga tried not to gawk and cursed himself for not paying attention to another youki so close, but before he could make any sort of action, the youkai had strode up to him and the stood stock-still her aura testing his. He reciprocated without meaning to, but after a moment she simply said, "Hi."

"Hello," Koga replied a bit awkwardly.

"Wolf?"

"...Yeah. How did you-?"

"Dog."

She pointed to herself smiled a bit, saying, "Sorry. It's been a long time since I've seen another up close. I wanted to say hi." The wolf nodded and paused, unsure of what to say, but she quickly continued, "You look kind of young. You don't go here, I would have noticed. Why are you here?"

"I... I'm looking for some information about someone," he said a bit hesitantly.

The girl frowned and tilted her head, and after a moment her narrow pupils dilated.

"Weird. I saw another just a little while ago. Canine too, I think. In a hoodie."

"Oh yeah? He's, uh... he's my friend," he replied, "We're working on an... um... a thing together. He's uh... He's taking photos for it."

The girl looked at him a bit skeptically and he hoped he hadn't begun to sweat, though his face was feeling rather warm, not helped by the fact that the girl's human friends emerged a bit nervously from where she had; all of them were dressed much more properly than she was, but they also looked a lot more tired. She quickly looked over her shoulder and then turned back to him, her lips pursed and a frown on her face. She raised a finger and tapped her chin before whirling on them and ordering them to wait for a moment before looking back at Koga.

"You don't just see two youkai in one place like this very often," she said, "There was a bunch of guys, though. A week or so ago. They came by here in a bunch of trucks. Do you know anything about that?"

Koga's surprise was clear on his face before he could even hope to quell it and the other youkai looked almost triumphant for a moment and she asked, "Who are you looking for?" The okami was hesitant. She was a total stranger, but she was a youkai- he should be able to trust her, right? He couldn't help but hunch his shoulders as if trying to duck down and he beckoned her closer as he said, "The monster on that video. You know about it?"

The girl's eye's widened and she recoiled for a moment before grabbing him by the shoulders, saying, "My friend was there when it was shot. Hang on. What's your given name?"

"What? Koga, why-?

"Great, I'm Noriko," she said quickly before whirling on the girls behind her and said, "Okabe-chan, get over here, now!"

One of the girls, a short, spindling thing with straight, short brown hair and dark circles under her eyes, cautiously approached and asked, "Y-Yeah?"

"Stop being scared of boys, Choko!" Noriko laughed, "This is my cousin, Koga. He wants to know about the 'monster'."

"What?! No! He'll think I'm weird!" the girl squeaked.

Koga didn't know what to make of either of these girls, especially when the youkai pushed her friend towards him playfully and said, "No he won't," as the girls behind her called after them to ask what was going on.

"Go on, I'll tell you all about it later!" Noriko said, waving them off dismissively before turning to gaze on Koga again, "You do want to know about the monster, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah," Koga said, turning his attention to Choko, "You saw it? That... That thing on the tape?"

"Sort of...?" the girl squeaked, "I was with some classmates out across the highway. Towards the woods. They wanted to tell ghost stories."

If Koga hadn't known better, he would have been sure she had just scared herself into seeing something - she was scared just talking to him, and all he was to her was a boy - but the video assured him otherwise. He nodded and the girl took a deep breath.

"And this one guy was taking a video of everyone's reactions, because he's a jerk, and... and then we heard some noises," she continued, "I thought it was just someone trying to be funny, but then we saw that... thing? It looked like a werewolf or something. It was really scary."

Koga nodded again and asked, "Where were you, exactly?" The girl bit her lip and took a moment to look at Noriko nervously. The youkai nodded and gave her a reassuring smile and she took a deep breath and continued.

"In the woods off the highway," she said, "It's just a small strip. We were near a big stump and one of those trees that sort of grew in two, you know? Sort of a "y" shape."

Koga nodded again and jotted it down quickly and roughly on his folded piece of paper. Noriko watched him curiously and then said, quickly, "Choko, that should be fine. I need to talk with Koga-kun for a bit, family stuff. Okay?" The human girl looked a little flustered, but she nodded and said, "Okay. We'll catch up with you later, right?"

"Of course," she assured her, patting her shoulder, and when the girl headed off with a quiet "bye", the youkai pushed a little closer to Koga and lowered her voice, demanding, "Are you going to go find this place?"

"Well... Yeah," Koga said a bit hesitantly, "Thanks for the help."

She tilted her head.

"I want to come with you," she said rather suddenly.

The wolf was taken aback, his eyes widening and he barked out an abrupt, "What?" Noriko smiled a bit bashfully and she said, "I'm curious."

"It's dangerous," he said, "Really dangerous!"

"Dangerous? But isn't he just some weird youkai? We're youkai too, why would it be dangerous?"

Koga wasn't sure what to say to her and fumbled for a moment - _She didn't know? It seemed so common knowledge with Inu-Yasha and Kagome!_ - before he said, "It's probably a lot worse than you think it is. I... I gotta go." He made to leave, but she grabbed his arm tightly with strong fingers, saying a bit shrilly, "Wait a second!" The wolf stopped, his heart starting to pound, and before he could stop himself, he snapped, "Have you ever had to fight another youkai?"

Noriko's eyes widened and she drew back a little, shaking her head.

"Well I have!" Koga said, fear kicking his voice a little higher, "I had to fight this one, he tried to kill my family! He was out-of-his-mind violent and even with my friend, who is one of the strongest people I know, we still barely got rid of him."

"But why...? Why would he...?"

"He was part of this thing... This program that catches demons to kill them," he insisted, "Don't you know about it?"

He was surprised when the girl's face paled a little and she raised a hand to her mouth. Koga felt like he had struck a chord with her and finally took a deep breath, letting out a quiet, "Sorry," but Noriko shook her head and rubbed a hand through her hair tiredly, her eyes focussed on the clean tile beneath her feet.

"My mom is human," she began, "I lived... human. I applied to university and that was that, but a year ago, some guys tried to kidnap me; they knew what I was."

"And you got away?" he asked, "I mean, right then?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, but it scared the shit out of me."

Koga winced and rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to get this new girl involved with all of this. He bit his lip and, after a moment of hesitation, he patted her on the shoulder, assuring her, "I know what it's like. But... I gotta go. Please don't get involved with this shit."

x

Koga hurried away before she could say another word, and was outside before he had even realized it. He took a deep breath and scoured the area for Inu-Yasha, just in case, and happened upon a bit of movement from above, on the roof of one of the taller buildings. He looked quickly and was relieved to see who he suspected to be Inu-Yasha up there. He hurried to the base of the building and ducked around the side, craning his neck back to look up. It was about five storeys high.

_Can I jump that?_

He tilted his head. He had no idea. Bracing his feet, his stomach prematurely dropped, he gulped and he made a quick jump upwards.

x

He shot into the air, but it wasn't quite enough- it was easy enough to bounce off the side, though, and before he knew it, he landed on the roof, missing his footing and rolling across the concrete awkwardly. He grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, letting out an, "ow," and his field of view was promptly invaded by a familiar hanyou with his usual frown more puzzled than anything. He offered his hand and Koga took it gratefully and was pulled to his feet.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually," the wolf replied somewhat proudly, and he held out his notes to the other boy.

Inu-Yasha took them and skimmed them, looking somewhat pleased and said, "Landmarks, huh? Good job. What did you tell people?"

"Journalism class or something," he said, shrugging, "Did you get anything?"

"Well..."

He beckoned for Koga to follow him and lead him to the edge of building and pointed over. There was a highway within view, and just past it was a narrow strip of woods.

"It's the only one in the area," he said confidently, "That's gotta be it."

"That's right, that should be it," came a female voice.

The boys whipped around and Koga immediately blurted, "Noriko?" as he saw the girl stride up to them, straightening her wind-blown hair as she strode up to them.

"You?" Inu-Yasha asked a bit blankly.

"Hi!" she said, and then pushed up to the edge of the building, commenting, "Ooh! I've never actually been up here! But, yeah, that must be it."

"Um, excuse me, but who the hell are you?" Inu-Yasha asked, baffled.

"Noriko," she said, and looked him up and down, "Yeesh, you're young too. What's your name?"

Inu-Yasha's fur bristled and he looked at Koga questioningly; the wolf shrugged and Inu-Yasha replied, a bit warily, "I'm Inu-Yasha, but... Seriously, who are you; what are you doing here?"

"I told you my name," the youkai replied, "And I followed Koga-kun. I want to know what's going on with this other demon."

"What?" he asked, "Do you know anything about this? What's your deal?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted.

Inu-Yasha groaned and rolled his eyes and said, "You're the one who's crashing our party, here. Anyway, I'm all ready way too deep into this, I don't think you want to go there."

"What do you mean?" Noriko insisted, "Koga-kun, what's he talking about?"

Koga looked between the two and shrugged widely and Inu-Yasha rubbed his brow, unsure of how to deal with this new youkai.

"If we find this thing, shit's gonna get serious pretty fast," Inu-Yasha said, "If you're going to follow us, fine. Just keep your voice down and don't get in the way, okay?"

"Oh. Okay. I can do that," the girl replied.

Inu-Yasha wasn't certain, but at least now this stranger was aware. He rubbed his head and leaned out over the building to double check his trajectory.

"I'm going," he said, and with a quick and smooth movement, he was over the edge and to the ground.

x

The three made their way to the highway quickly- unnaturally, under the low light- and made their way cautiously into the woods across the two lanes. The trees weren't clustered too close, but it was enough to form what looked like a substantial patch of woods. Inu-Yasha's ears went up right away and he looked around. He didn't hear anything out of place and he looked at the others. Noriko was suddenly looking a lot more nervous and Koga was alert, though his face was sullen.

x

"I think I know where the others might have been," Noriko said quietly, "I mean... I know where I think someone might hang out around here."

Inu-Yasha nodded and she quickly started down the edge of the trees, and when she had pointed out what Koga was fairly sure was the right spot within just a few minutes, Inu-Yasha began to think that bringing her might not have been such a poor idea after all. Scents were faint and watered down, but Inu-Yasha picked up one that was familiar to him almost instantly; it made his fur bristle. He edged around a large stump and went a little deeper into the trees, following the scent.

"That's him, right? I think I remember," Koga said.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha assured him.

He was quick to hunch over the dirt; there were huge, strange pawprints, a bit blurred through mud and rain. The confirmation was a bit eerie. Noriko squatted beside him and stared in awe for a moment before reaching out to gently touch the print.

"It's huge," she muttered.

"Yeah, it's from a seven-foot-tall monster," Inu-Yasha replied.

"I feel like we're hunting for the yeti," Koga joked, "Except... this thing is real. And dangerous."

Inu-Yasha snorted and Noriko let out a snicker, but the three youkai couldn't help but jump at the sound of steps through the forest. Inu-Yasha stood up straight and braced himself against a nearby tree, peering through the low light. He smelled humans- two of them- coming closer.

"Do you think that's someone else from the school?" Noriko wondered.

Inu-Yasha hoped so, but with his luck, he doubted it greatly. He shushed the two quickly and his eyes scanned the area until his gaze settled upon them and he gulped: his fears were confirmed. There were two humans in strange garb reminiscent of police in body armour, including what looked almost like tinted riot helmets, and yet they carried guns and a small device that the one ahead of the other seemed to be following.

"Oooh shit," Koga whispered, "What do we do? What are they doing?"

"Who are they?" Noriko added.

Inu-Yasha watched them a little more closely for a few moments before he muttered, "They're guys from Youki. I think they're doing the same thing we are."

"Youki? What? Isn't that what our auras are called?" Noriko asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, 'Youki' is the name of the group that hunts down people like us," Inu-Yasha explained, "...Only two of them. Weird. Especially since that thing was so powerful..."

"Maybe they don't think it'll attack them," Koga said, "It didn't in their building."

"Right, right," the hanyou mumbled, "Shit."

"What do we do?" Noriko asked, her voice a little shrill even as she tried to keep it low.

She looked between the boys anxiously, and when Koga put his main attention on Inu-Yasha, so did she. He took a moment to think, his eyes tracking the two men all the while.

"Okay," he said, "Koga, are you okay to track back to their car and wreck all their shit?"

"S-Sure," the wolf replied.

Inu-Yasha nodded and said, "Right. Cool, I'll deal with these guys. And you-" He glanced at Noriko quickly.

"You should get back to campus."

"Do you want me to call the cops?" she asked.

"No, they can't help us. I just don't want you caught in the crossfire," he said.

"You don't think-?"

"Have you ever been shot?"

"...I see your point."

Koga grimaced and said, quickly and quietly, "See you guys," before taking off in a blur, leaving nothing but wind behind. Inu-Yasha cut his eyes at Noriko and she bit her lip.

"I... I think I'll stay right here," she said quietly, "I don't want to make noise running away."

Inu-Yasha sighed and straightened up and, leaving the nervous girl behind, took to the tree branches silently.

x

His very deliberate, slow stalking went totally unnoticed- the two were focused on what he could see from above was something tracking energy patterns. They didn't see him, or Noriko, so he assumed it must've been tuned specifically to the specific creature they were looking for. However, when they turned and began to head back Noriko's way, it didn't matter who they were tracking at all. Inu-Yasha cursed under his breath and looked back, straining to see the girl through the leaves. He could still smell her; could hear her breathing speed up. A quiet, backwards footstep in the leaves, and then once more. If she would just run- She stepped again, too slowly, and the humans were getting closer at a pace the hanyou certainly didn't like.

x

Then, to his dismay, her phone rang.

oOoOoOoO

Koga was able to find the car very quickly; followed the human trail right to it where it was parked in some brush just off the shoulder of the road. It was black, as were all its windows, and it was a bit taller than a normal car with a sort of extended floor that struck him as odd as soon as he noticed it. First thing, he tried to peer through the black-tinted windows in the front, but couldn't make out anything inside. Touching the body of the car sent what felt like a static shock through his body -but much more intrusive- but it wasn't nearly enough to deter him. Without much thought, he grabbed onto the driver's side door and pulled it off the car and tossed it aside. The back door on the same side was next. The interior was just as black as the outside, but Koga's light-sensitive eyes picked up everything easily. There were several small panels of data in the dash at the front, a speaker and a wired in communicator of some sort, and immediately Koga realized that the car inside was much higher than what seemed to be normal. He grimaced and backed out to continue his inspection. Exploring the back seat he found weapons: guns- with some with sights, some with laser lights, some with tiny flashlights-, knives, bullet cases, all disguised in a box under the seats. He broke _everything_; even took the batteries out of anything that had them and pocketed them. He took the bullets as well.

x

The trunk was barren, but Koga didn't think that could be all there was to it. He poked around inside, running his claws all long the edges of the floor until he felt something give way. It was heavier than he expected, but as he lifted the floor panels out, he felt his stomach drop and instantly realized why the car's bottom was such an odd shape. There was some sort of container under the car, one that was certainly big enough to hold a person. Koga gulped but didn't dare stick his head in to check what else was in there, if anything.

x

It wasn't long before he had removed the rest of the car doors and, for good measure, cut all of the tires with his nails. He was feeling rather pleased with himself until a weird, static sound made him jump and his heart begin to pound. He ducked and scooted around to the driver's seat and could hear a voice not coming through fulling through the speaker. Hesitating for just a moment, he grabbed the communicated in his hand and crushed it. The speaker let out a feedbacky screech and Koga yelped, driving his fist through it and smashing it in until it was completely quiet. He had to suck in a deep breath to steady his beating heart and then he wrecked every remaining panel in the vehicle and after considering for a moment, ripped the steering wheel out too.

x

He drew back to survey his handiwork with a mixture of pride and anxiety. There was little to nothing usable left in there, he was fairly certain. He took a deep breath and tried to think over whether there was anything else he should do, a sudden, female cry from afar took him completely by surprise. It was far, but back the way he had come. His stomach sunk and, in a hurry, he took off back through the forest.

oOoOoOoO

When the closest man grabbed Noriko near her neck, Inu-Yasha didn't have time to react. She let out a howl of dismay and set forth a huge burst of energy that blew through the trees above, stripping the foliage and engulfing her in what the hanyou could only describe as a blue tornado, drowning out the sound of the phone. Inu-Yasha swore loudly and swung down from the tree, grabbing the second man and throwing him a few dozen feet away just as he reached for a weapon and then spun for Noriko. Before he could intercede at all, the man with her was thrown to the ground and the girl burst through the torrent of youki, her body warped into that of a huge, white dog the size of a horse. Inu-Yasha was shocked still as the howling, wild-eyed demon lunged at the human before her, grabbing him violently by the chest in her jaws and shaking him like a chew-toy before throwing him back into the underbrush. Jaws parted and panting in terror, her eyes wide, she lunged again, but, shaking himself out of his stupor, Inu-Yasha jumped before her, grabbing the thick mane of fur around her neck and pressing himself against her, saying, "Hey! Hey, relax, you got him, okay?!" She barked and whined, baring her fangs and the hanyou quickly realized that she had no idea what she was doing or how to communicate. She strained against him as the man she had thrown stirred, but Inu-Yasha quickly grasped onto her snout, running his fingers through her fur and shushing her gently, assuring her, "You're gonna be okay. Relax. You stopped him. Can you calm down?" Noriko's breathing slowed a little and her large, red eyes closed as she nodded a little.

"Good," Inu-Yasha sighed with relief, and then carefully let her go and said, "Stay here," as he turned to look at the downed human.

The one she had ravaged was bleeding and torn like he had been bitten by a shark. The hanyou grimaced and he squatted to check the man's pulse. He wasn't sure what exactly to feel when he felt the human was alive, but he drew back, rubbing his head only to hear the sound of a gun going off and feeling a sudden, searing pain through his chest. Noriko shrieked and Inu-Yasha let out a half-annoyed, half-alarmed, "Oh fuck!" before hitting the man hard in his helmeted face. There was a crack, a grunt, and the man's neck went limp, as did the hand that had snuck a gun up under the hanyou checking his pulse.

x

Noriko rushed up, whining, floppy ears pinned back and she pawed at him anxiously. He sighed and got to his feet, grunting with pain and touching the wound tentatively.

"Did it go through me?" he asked.

Noriko jumped from paw to paw and nodded, eyes wide and panicked. He said a simple, "Shit. Better than stuck, I guess." The other youkai whined and put a paw hesitantly on his shoulder and he laughed tiredly, saying, "I told you, you should have gone back to the school." She stuck her tongue out at him and huffed heavily through her nose.

x

A sound in the brush drew their attention, but no worry came from it as Koga came into view, demanding, "What the hell happened?!" He stalled in his tracks at the sight of Noriko and when he pointed to her and began to ask, looking at Inu-Yasha, he let out a yelp and asked, "Shit, are you okay?!"

"Fine. It's fine," the hanyou said, "Did you find the car?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I took stuff and I broke stuff, but... Shit."

He looked at Noriko and asked, "Are you okay?" She was shaky, but she nodded and Inu-Yasha patted her neck reassuringly. She looked at him worriedly and then anxiously whined. Koga looked at her and then at Inu-Yasha with confusion and asked, "Why can't I understand her?"

"I don't think she's ever done this before. I don't think she knows how to speak dog as a dog."

He looked at her.

"About right?"

She nodded and shifted anxiously again, looking at herself and pawing at her own shoulder. Koga looked at her worriedly and asked, "What is it? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and did it again, her ears drooping and she looked at Inu-Yasha pleadingly.

"Oh. Oh! You don't know how to change back!" Koga said, grinning as he understood, "No worries, I'll show you!"

Koga stood stalk-still for a moment and, with a pulse of green energy, he surrounded himself in a shell of his aura and emerged in an instant as a mottled, tawny and black wolf. He was huge, but beside Noriko, he looked like a puppy.

"You're gonna have to just follow my lead, okay?" he said, wagging his tail as he looked up at her.

Noriko stared back at him in shock and woofed out some non-words and Koga laughed and said, "It took a lot of practice. Once you learn to speak in dog, you can figure out how to speak human languages pretty fast, since you're a demon and all."

She nodded and Koga turned his bright eyes on Inu-Yasha, saying, "This'll take a minute." The hanyou nodded and muttered, "I'm going to go check on these shits." Koga's tail wagged and the hanyou left Noriko's side and took a look the bitten man once more, trying to ignore the distracting aura-shifts going on behind him. He still had a pulse, but Inu-Yasha wasn't taking another chance- he took the gun and broke it in half and then searched the man. He found the tracker, a device about the size of a walkie-talkie but a little thicker, with a touch-screen display in the front. He thought about breaking it, but then pocketed the thing instead.

x

He had to walk quite a ways to get to the man he had thrown. His helmet had been dislodged the the man's face gave him pause. He certainly wasn't very old, maybe in his early twenties. Inu-Yasha almost felt bad. The young man's breathing was low, but he seemed all right other than the fact that his arm was clearly out of its socket and there was a faint smell of blood. He seemed like he would survive, though. The hanyou broke his gun as well and then stared at him and, after a moment, swore at himself and grabbed the man by the shoulder. The human shuddered and let out a quick and suddenly gasp, and Inu-Yasha growled out, "Shut the fuck up." The man's eyes snapped open and the fear in them made Inu-Yasha feel a little sick.

"You... Y-You-?!"

The human could barely choke out words and Inu-Yasha snapped, "Give me a fuckin' break. You should have known what you were getting into, now hold still." He couldn't help but feel furious. Of course this human should be scared of him now, but before, who had attacked whom?

"W-What the fuck are you-?"

Inu-Yasha shut the man up with a squeeze to the arm, and he soon let out a shrill scream as the hanyou shoved the arm back into its socket with a sickening pop.

"Fuck you! Oh shit, fuck you!"

"You're welcome," Inu-Yasha said sarcastically, "Whatever."

He stood up as the young man whinged and turned back to Koga and Noriko barely in time to see Koga become humanoid again, retaining his tail for a bit longer before it sucked back up into his spine. Noriko, to his surprise, was back to normal again within just a moment, though her hair, which had been dyed a vibrant purple, was now a bright silver.

"Ohhh _my_ god," she said, a bit dazed, and her knees gave out and she would have dropped if Koga hadn't caught her.

"Thanks, Koga-kun," she said tiredly, "I should have stayed in bed, I think."

"Yeah, maybe," Inu-Yasha replied with a dry laugh, "You okay now?"

She nodded and said, "Thanks for calming me down, I... I don't know what I would have done if you..." She couldn't finish and shuddered, and then turned a glaring, yellow gaze on the conscious human who was clutching desperately to his shoulder.

"I would have left him right how he was, though," she growled, and then deliberately said, "Asshole," so that she was sure he would hear.

Koga looked at Inu-Yasha curiously and wondered, "Why _did_ you help him?"

"He's not much older than us," Inu-Yasha said quietly, "I don't fuckin' know, I guess I just hoped- Never mind, fuck it."

He shrugged and turned on the young man to see him patting down his legs, undoubtedly looking for his gun.

"I broke it," Inu-Yasha said and the man couldn't help but look surprised, "Seriously, stop being a little shit. Get out of here or something. Before I change my mind and take your arm _off_ this time."

The human looked legitimately frightened and awkwardly scooted back, struggling to get to his feet. Inu-Yasha didn't want to deal with the human any more and was starting to feel nauseous, but neither he nor the other youkai took their eyes off the young man until he had hobbled out of sight through the trees.

x

Noriko glared and then took notice of her hair and sighed, saying, "Damn it, I just got that done."

"Your stripes are darker, too," Koga pointed out.

The girl grimaced, but then looked at Inu-Yasha and her brow bent with concern.

"Kid, are you okay? He shot you, didn't he?"

"I'll be fine," Inu-Yasha replied honestly, "It's not a big deal."

Noriko nodded but looked a little hesitant, and then cautiously checked her phone that had so rudely given her away.

"Oh! ...Choko. Damn it," she sighed, "They were probably wondering where I went."

"You went to get your hair bleached," Inu-Yasha pointed out.

"What? Oh! Oh, you're right. That's what I did," she said, "And also to get some gum. To get the taste of blood out of my mouth; I won't tell them that part, though. Can you guys believe I bit that guy?"

"Yes," Inu-Yasha said.

"Yeah, of course," Koga agreed, "I would have bit him."

Noriko sighed again and rubbed her fingers through her hair tiredly.

"I think I'm done with this," she told them, "But..."

She pulled Koga over to her and patted down his pockets, much to his surprise, and pulled out the scrap paper he had and scrawled her phone number on it quickly before shoving it back in his jacket.

"I'm not cut out for this," she said, "But if you any computer programming done, you know who to call."

"Fair enough," Inu-Yasha said with a nod, "Sorry you got involved."

"It's my own fault," she admitted, "But thanks. Good luck with your search, ne?"

"See you later," Koga said.

Noriko nodded and put her hands into her pockets, and hurried off and out of the woods under the orange light of the rising sun, checking back and forth as she darted across the highway.

x

Inu-Yasha let out a deep sigh and pulled back his hood, rubbing his head- he felt absolutely exhausted.

"You okay?" Koga asked.

"Yeah. I've had worse."

"Just because you've had worse doesn't mean now can't be bad, too."

The hanyou laughed and he shook his head.

"It didn't puncture anything important and it went straight through me," he said, "It's not that bad."

Koga looked at him skeptically but then gave in and nodded, saying, "I guess we can finally get back to it?" Inu-Yasha nodded and grinned a little, pulling the tracker from his pocket. Koga's eyes widened and he held out his fist; Inu-Yasha punched it and he said, "Okay, let's get following this guy."

oOoOoOoO

Ah-Un woke Kagome up a bit before noon and ushered her out the door with kisses and good wishes before she was even really sure what was going on. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Kagome found herself at a car that seemed familiar, a dark one that seemed strangely formal. Traveling as if floating, a tall, thin creature- a demon, she was sure- approached her, all in black with long hands and a veiled face: she recognized him from when she and Inu-Yasha had rescued Miroku. Before she could even ask what was happening, the demon glided behind her, gently draping a coat over her shoulders with one hand and opening the rear door of the car with the other and beckoning for her to enter. A bit hesitantly, the girl peeked, and was surprised to see Sota and Buyo wave at her from within. She frowned, asking, "But where's Yasha and Koga?"

"Someone told me they're meeting us there," Sota said.

"Where?" Kagome asked.

"The new house," her brother replied.

Kagome felt a bit stunned but she nodded and turned to the demon behind her, saying a genuine, "Thank you," before getting in. The demon closed the door behind her and she found herself in a comfortable seat, though there was a partition between the driver and the passengers. Buyo scampered into her lap, joking, _"Did you have a good sleep? We've been up since 7:00, you know."_

"Whatever," Kagome said tiredly.

She hugged Buyo cozily against her chest and then looked at Sota, asking, "So, how are you doing?"

"Me? I'm okay," he said a bit absently, "This is all really crazy, though, huh?"

"What part?"

"All of it. Demons. Isn't that weird? Grandpa was actually _right_ about something."

Kagome laughed and so did Buyo, and Sota smiled a little, saying, "And I swear that cat keeps laughing."

Kagome quietened and was taken aback, and Buyo's eyes widened.

_"Dear cat-gods, I think he's starting to understand me,"_ he said, starting to smile.

"Pretty weird, huh?" Sota asked a bit shyly.

"Honestly? Not at all," Kagome assured him, "I can understand him. I mean like, literally, with words and stuff."

Sota looked at her quizzically and then said, "Huh. That... That actually explains a lot."

_"It does,_" Buyo agreed.

Kagome stroked his ears and smiled, saying, "Sounds like you're on your way to that, too. That'd be cool. But be warned, this cute kitty is a total hornball."

"Makes sense, he's probably making up for being sterile," Sota said.

Kagome stared at him blankly and said, "What?"

"Sorry. I was in science class and I asked something about kittens, I don't remember. Anyway, the teacher said boy calico cats are sterile."

"What? Seriously?" Kagome demanded.

_"You got me,"_ Buyo admitted embarrassedly.

"Aww!" Kagome cooed sympathetically, and then cuddled him close, "That's okay, Buyo, you're wonderful."

_"Thanks, Kaggy,"_ he replied with a purr.

"Now _that_ explains a lot," she continued.

_"No need to push it."_

"Sorry."

Sota looked at the two of them in confusion and then said, "So, I'm just hearing the one side of the conversation, then?"

"Yeah."

"You really think I'll be able to hear him some day?"

"Well, if you can hear cat laughter, I would say yes."

Sota seemed pleased and shifted to try to get more comfortable in his seat.

x

Kagome relaxed with Buyo, warm and purring, on her chest and closed her eyes.

"Are you seriously going to nap? You just woke up!" Sota said.

"Well, what do you suggest? We can't see out the windows," Kagome asked, forcing herself up and tried to make herself a bit more awake.

"Talk to me."

"About what?"

"I dunno, anything! Tell me about... I dunno, tell me what's up with you and Inu-Yasha."

"Um... Well, he's my boyfriend. He's kind of frowny, but he's also the best," Kagome said, "I'm not sure what else to say."

"Fine. What about Koga?"

"Koga? Hmm," she mused, "Koga is pretty friendly, but you've seen that for yourself, I bet. For school, he was pretending to be my twin brother so we could stick together in classes, but we really started to think of each other like family, especially after that kidnapping sort of thing I told you about before."

"Right," Sota said a bit uncomfortably, "So he'll be staying, then?"

"I would hope so," Kagome laughed, "I hope you like him."

"He seems okay," he said, "Maybe I could hang out with him more. I wouldn't mind having a big brother. But, just one question."

"Yeah?"

"What is he? Like... Inu-Yasha's a dog demon, right? What's Koga?"

"Oh! Koga's a wolf," Kagome explained.

"And Inu-Yasha's brother, that guy who kind of looks a bit like a lady-"

"Shhh, never, _ever_ say that in front of him," Kagome snapped.

"Right, right, sorry," Sota said quickly, "He's a dog, too? But he doesn't have the ears."

"They're half-brothers. Inu-Yasha's a hanyou," Kagome explained, "His mom was human. So they look a bit different."

"Ooooh," Sota said understandingly.

He nodded and the folded his arms to his chest and quietly muttered, "Kind of like a pretty lady, if that helps."

"Don't even go there."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, sheesh."

Kagome bit her lip, trying not to let a snicker out: she didn't want to admit how pretty she'd thought Sessho-Maru was the first time she had seen him as well, but she certainly hadn't thought he was a girl. She scoffed to herself and hugged Buyo closer, settling back in her seat.

x

The chatted for a while longer but before long, the siblings simply settled in a comfortable silence and Kagome's mind drifted. Sitting in the back seat with her brother reminded her of day trips with her mother. Thinking of her made her heart sink for just a moment when she realized that her mother wouldn't have their new phone number. She grimaced and stroked Buyo a bit nervously. Then again, her mother had said she was returning to Tokyo soon; Kagome was sure that they would able able to reconnect back at their home, Higurashi Shrine.

x

Her mind then wandered to Inu-Yasha and Koga, and she recalled what the hanyou had wanted to do. She knew he wanted to find that strange demon, but nevertheless, she sort of hoped that he wouldn't.

oOoOoOoO

When the car came to a halt, Kagome was taken off guard, and before she could voice any questions at all, her door was open and that spindly-limbed demon garbed all in black politely beckoned for her to exit. Kagome tried to hold in her surprise and she said, "Thanks," as she slid out of her seat and into the open.

x

She was surprised to find them in the yard of a two-storey suburban house with a low wall outlining the property except for the gravel driveway. A moving van was parked up front and, when Kagome peeked around it, she was almost surprised to see average, normal, human men carrying one of their couches into the house, which was, itself, a rather average, white-walled place with grey sections of roof and a small garden in front. There was a woman in suit directing the movers, but she soon turned around to see Kagome, Buyo, and the emerging Sota with a sort of motherly frown on her brow. She was middle aged; dark brown hair tied back loosely, and she approached them swiftly, saying, "I hope the trip was all right."

"It was fine," Kagome said, though she was clearly a little confused, "Who are you?"

"Taishio-sama asked me to arrive ahead of you to start having things set up," she said swiftly, "It's all taken care of, of course. I assume Mr. Black has treated you well?"

"Mr. Black?" Kagome repeated, and the woman pointed to the wispy, covered demon, who nodded his head politely.

"That's your name?" she asked, but the woman answered instead, "No, it's not, but he never says a word and is always dressed like that, so we don't have much else to call him."

"Oh," Kagome said blankly, but then turned to the demon and bowed politely, saying, "Thanks very much for all your help."

The demon bowed back and glided to the driver's side door again, disappearing inside.

"You'll be staying here as long as you need to," the woman continued, drawing Kagome's attention, "We've gathered all your personal effects that were salvageable, of course."

"Right," Kagome said, and quickly added, "I don't know if you'd know, but... I had some demon fangs, do you know if those are still here?"

The woman wrinkled her nose.

"Yes, and I recall they were particularly potent," she commented, "If you don't mind, why did you have those?"

"Oh, they're... They're like... mementos. From a friend who didn't make it," Kagome said.

She could feel her chest tightening simply at the thought of it, and the woman said a simple, "Ah," and changed the subject quickly.

"You and your family get settled, take a look around. I have a few things to attend to. I will be putting up a light barrier around your house. It will deter all unwanted guests, and the only demons on the property will be those allowed in by Sessho-Maru's orders."

"Oh... Okay," Kagome said with a nod, "Can I override it? I mean... with my one friend, I just sort of found him and brought him home when he was in danger, I'd hate to not be able to do that again if I had to."

The woman looked at her quizzically for a moment before she nodded and said, "I'll see what I can do," before gesturing to the house and walking away briskly through the garden.

"Yeesh," Kagome muttered, and then told her brother a quick, "Come on," and they darted inside the house as soon as they wouldn't be in the movers way.

x

The interior was clean and neat save for a pile of their boxes that was accumulating in the back of the front hallway, blocking off a closet at the back. most of the floors were a dark wood, and there were four rooms with traditional sliding doors along the main hall- the one in the back, right corner was a kitchen. Peeking around the boxes, at the back, there was a small other hallway that had a bathroom in one direction and two sets of stairs, one going up and the second going down, in the other. Hesitantly, Kagome tried to edge over the smallest of the box piles towards the stairs when Sota drew her attention.

"Kagome, what should I be doing?" Sota asked.

"Dunno, just stay out of the way, I guess," she said.

She fumbled over the boxes and yelped as she tumbled forward an onto the floor.

"Kagome! You okay?" her brother demanded.

She grunted and righted herself as she heard his feet slapping on the floor as he rushed towards her.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

She jumped up and straightened her hair with her fingers quickly and turned to see Sota looking at her skeptically and Buyo wondered, "You sure?"

"Fine," she repeated, and then hurried up the stairs.

x

Up there was another main hallway that branched off into bedrooms: three of them, with the beds and furniture all ready placed, if not a bit haphazardly, through them. Kagome was surprised, as there was supposed to be four people in the house, but then she realized that she and Inu-Yasha usually shared the same bed anyway and she bonked herself in the forehead as she thought,_ Of course! Duh! No point in having two rooms. Right._

x

Searching around a little more, there was a smaller, empty room and another bathroom as well. Kagome poked around the bedrooms again, testing the beds and checking dressers that turned out to be empty. She was distracted after a little while by the sound of socked feet heading up the stairs and cat paws making a leap to the top floor from somewhere.

"Kagome?" Sota asked.

The girl peeked out of the room she was in and hurried out into the hallway, saying, "Hi guys," before she lazily dropped to her stomach on the floor and invited Buyo into her arms. He gladly cuddled against her and she pet his neck with delicate fingertips as Sota plopped down to sit against a wall nearby.

"So how is it up here?" he asked.

"A bathroom and three bedrooms, and a study or something. Pretty empty so far. I guess I'll drag stuff up here once the movers are gone. What's up?"

"Just wanted to get out of their way," Sota admitted.

Kagome nodded and looked at Buyo, saying, "Do you like it so far?"

_"Seems okay,"_ Buyo said with a shrug of one shoulder.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like if you'd stay in our yard, okay?"

Buyo nodded and snuggled against her face before curling up, and Sota laughed and said, "I could have sworn he just nodded."

"He did," Kagome laughed and her brother put his hands to his forehead and sighed, admitting, "If I ever hear him start to talk, I'm probably going to scream like a little girl, not gonna lie."

Kagome snickered and rested with the cat for a little before she grabbed him in her arms and rolled awkwardly upright and decided to flop on a bed instead. She entered the room with the double-bed and placed Buyo cozily on the mattress and then, absently, took a glance out the window. The bedroom overlooked the front of the house and she could see two of the movers lifting their kitchen table into the house sideways, and one more following with an armful of boxes. Along with them, she noticed the middle-aged woman who hadn't given her name walking briskly between the corners of the property. Upon closer inspection, Kagome noted that she was placing spell scrolls up around the edges of the yard, much like what Kagome was familiar with from back home at the shrine. She didn't quite understand, but she assumed it had something to do with who would be allowed onto the property, like she had mentioned.

x

She watched for a little while longer to see the three men come back out of the house and close up the back truck. The woman approached the men and handed something over to them. Kagome could see her thank them but couldn't discern more when she moved with her back to the window. The girl watched a bit longer as the men left rather cheerfully to get in the moving truck and headed off; as soon as they were gone, the woman finished up in the final corner of the property and headed for the front door.

x

When Kagome heard it open, she pulled back from the window and headed for the stairs to meet the woman as she walked in.

"I hope it's to your liking," she said as she saw Kagome coming down the stairs.

"Yeah, it seems all right," the girl said with a smile.

"Will you be okay setting up the rest yourselves?" she asked.

Kagome nodded and then woman beckoned her down. She touched the ground and the woman took her hand in hers, and to Kagome's surprise, let out a gentle pulse of energy into her palm.

"You feel that?" she asked, and when Kagome nodded, she said, "That's the signature that I've placed on the seals around your home, so you'll recognize it."

"Oh, okay," the girl replied with a nod, and the woman asked, "Do you know how to read them yet?"

"Not... not really," Kagome admitted a bit shyly.

The woman shrugged a little and then pushed Kagome's hand into the energy a little, saying, "If you just concentrate a little, you should be able to start to get a message from it. Kagome bit her lip, but she nodded and stared at the faint glow intently, trying to pull some sort of feeling from it. She felt her brow heating up a bit but she felt a smidge of something she could only describe as a confirmation.

"I... I think I'm getting something."

"Good. Follow it along."

Kagome wasn't sure what that meant, but she tried to visualize in her mind that the feeling she had was a shape, and then traced along it until she was stuck with another sensation. She recognized it rather quickly as Koga's aura, and she quickly said, "This is my brother's. This aura."

"Right. Good. Think of that like a list, or a computer program. If you want a new aura approved in there, you just need to insert it around there."

"Oh! Okay. So it's... It's like weird code," Kagome said brightly, grinning as she was sure she was catching on.

The woman smiled and let her move her hand away, patting her affectionately on the shoulder before saying, "I'll head out now, if you're sure you're okay."

"I'm sure," Kagome said, "Thank you very much for your help."

She bowed and the woman smiled and headed out the front door once more.

x

As soon as she was gone, Kagome took a look at all the boxes and sighed, and then called, "Sota?"

"Yeah?"

"Everyone's gone, want to help me unpack?"

"No. But I will anyway."

Kagome laughed and rubbed her forehead as her brother scooted down the stairs to join her.

"Just... don't put out anything you don't think we'll need. Hopefully, we'll be going to our real home kind of soon."

oOoOoOoO

Unpacking was long and tedious, and trying to move a few of the things, as a twelve-year-old boy and a skinny, fifteen-year-old girl with next to no upper body strength, was both comical and completely pointless. They stuck to unloading boxes for the most part instead. There was less of their things than Kagome had anticipated- she guessed a lot of things had been wrecked in the attack on their home. Just thinking about it made her feel nauseous.

x

Kneeling on the floor, looking through what was left of what had been in their front closet, she realized the modified boots she had grown so attached to weren't there. She knew it was silly, but it was the one thing she knew was left from before her family had become a mess. She felt a sort of sinking feeling and, worriedly, asked, "Sota?" He was in the other room, shoving DVDs into a small shelving unit that supported their television in the living room.

"What?"

"Did you see my boots in here?"

"Your boots? You mean those big, clunky black ones?"

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, those."

Sota was silent for a while and Kagome could hear the shuffling of cardboard and then replied with,

"No, maybe they got thrown out." The notion of it made Kagome feel much more upset than she thought it would have, and she took a deep breath to steady herself and let out a quiet, "Thanks for looking."

oOoOoOoO

The day was growing late and a heavy downpour had come out seemingly out of nowhere and, with at least the rooms mostly set up, what non-perishable food was left stuffed in the kitchen cabinets, and all the books and movies out and accessible, Kagome took to lounging on the couch in the living room with a book, trying to read. Trying being a key word: mostly, she continuously zoned out staring at the words on the page, wondering instead about how Inu-Yasha and Koga were doing. In a way, she really wished they had brought her with them. She didn't want to have to deal with the house today; it was exhausting. But then again, she wasn't keep on meeting up with that strange, black-pelted youkai ever again.

_I guess... he probably left me behind to keep me out of it_, she thought, _I guess it was for the best._

x

She tried to focus on her book instead of worrying. She was almost certain that Inu-Yasha and Koga would be safe as long as they stuck together.

x

Kagome was able to lose herself in the words of the book for a while, even as the the rain began to pound heavily against the roof. She got up once to get a blanket and finally got cozy and relaxed as best she could.

x

She had coasted through five lengthy chapters when there was a hesitant knock on the door that jarred Kagome out of the pages of her book and she felt her heart drop for a moment as she froze and tried to hold to her place in the book.

_Who the hell is that?_

She didn't move at all until she heard another knock, one that was a little harder this time. Kagome got up cautiously and moved to the the front of the room, her finger slipping out of place as a bookmark as she went; she dodged around the armchair and pressed herself up against the wall and peeked passed the curtains, out the window towards the door. The angle didn't let her see much more than a dark shape. Another soft knock made her jump and Kagome gulped and she headed for the front door. She was immediately struck with a youkai's aura- one that wasn't entirely familiar, and yet she felt like something about it had hit her before- and she wondered if it was one of Sessho-Maru's that the barrier would let through.

_I... I guess that makes sense. Who else could it be?_

x

Feeling a little cold, Kagome opened the door. She was met with what was literally the last thing she had been expecting. There was a huge youkai standing just beyond the doorframe, black fur of his head and neck completely saturated, eyes of total, glazed blue lighting up upon seeing her. Kagome froze, her heart thudding deep in her chest, and couldn't help but gawk at the seven foot, anubisian creature in her doorway. He blinked at her hopefully, his arms wrapped around himself, his scruffy mane and ears plastered to his head by the cold downpour. His odd garb of grey and blue armour were strikingly familiar, as was the hole seared through the right side of the chest plate, revealing an odd burn that she knew that she herself had created. She was sure she would remember that twisted, jackal-like face until the day she died. She didn't know how to react, so she merely stared back at him, her mind rushing to try to figure out what was going on.

x

"Um…" the creature croaked, his deep and slightly warped voice quiet and shy, "Hello. I… I followed your scent."

Kagome merely stared back at him. She was completely at a loss. She had never expected to see this creature again, and had certainly never expected him to turn up at her house looking so scared and pitiful as he did. In fact, it would have felt more normal if he had lunged to attack her on sight.

"Um… Wh… What?" was all she could come up with.

Her confusion was blatant, but the droopy, wet monster before didn't seem to notice, drawing in a sniff against the cold.

"You're… all that I know here," the creature said sadly, and then looked into Kagome's eyes, his blue, glowing gaze a little frightened, "May I come in?"

He shivered and Kagome's heart went out to him before she had time to think rationally about any of it. She took a slight step backwards, though jumped to the sound of breathing behind her. She glanced backwards to see Sota standing, gawking, behind her. His gaze was locked on the strange, armoured demon. The stranger shivered and looked at the boy hopefully and Kagome took a deep breath.

_It's not a trap. It can't be a trap. I don't feel sick like I usually do,_ she tried to rationalize, _This guy... He must be legit, right? He got away. He must have gotten away._

She gulped, nodded to herself and turned to her stunned brother and said, "Sota, get some towels, okay?"

"T-Towels?" he asked.

"Towels," Kagome repeated.

The boy was gone in an instant and, quickly, Kagome stepped away from the door, beckoning the demon inside. His sodden ears perked slightly and he ducked through the door, trembling. Kagome carefully closed the door behind the large, black demon and asked, "Did anyone see you come here?"

"I do not think so," he said, "But I... I wasn't really looking, I'm sorry."

She saw him shiver and she put a hesitant hand on his arm. The armour was slick and cold as ice. She gulped.

"Hey, come on, let's get you warm," she said.

The demon's sodden ears perked up slightly and he posed no resistance whatsoever as she guided him to the couch. He kept his bright blue eyes locked on her happily as he sat down, his armour clinking around him. Kagome slowly sat beside him, and he took her hand in his, clinging to her as if to reassure himself a little tightly with metal fingers unnaturally lengthened and sharpened by the gauntlet. She felt a little uncomfortable, and confused as well, and she gently slid her hand from his, standing and moving around him just to get a better look at him.

"Ah," she said slowly, eyeing him up and down cautiously-_ That armour... What do I do about it?_- "How did you say you found me, ummm…?"

The demon inclined his head.

"I followed your smell," he said, his ears drooping, "I remembered you, so I… thought you were a safe person to find…"

Kagome nodded.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" she asked.

The demon smiled at her shyly.

"Kemtau," he replied.

"Kemtau…" she repeated, "That sounds… different. Where are you from?"

"It is Egyptian, I am from Egypt," Kemtau said with a hurried nod, his tail wagging.

x

It was in that moment that Sota returned to the room with an armful of towels. He tossed them to Kagome before darting away, and she caught them a little awkwardly and passed them to the demon. He stuck his tongue out and shivered, putting one of the larger towels to his face and scrubbed at his fur, sniffing back against the cold. Kagome plopped back onto the armchair; watched him intently, not a clue of what to say or do.

x

"Um... Kemtau," she said after a while, "Are you...? I mean... Where did you come from?"

"Egypt," he repeated.

"Recently?"

"Oh! No, no, I'm..."

He looked puzzled.

"I'm not sure. There were rocks, I think. I stood up out of rocks in this dark building and I was scared, but I knew _you_ were safe and then I thought I should find you."

"Do you know why?" Kagome asked.

He shook his head and looked a bit apologetic and Kagome couldn't help but be struck by how timid he seemed. It didn't match his appearance at all. She bit her lip and the sighed, saying "Okay, well... You keep drying yourself. Can you get that metal off of you?"

"No, I tried a bit but it's sort of stuck," he admitted.

Kagome grimaced and her mind rushed over her options, but she felt a bit stuck without her normal, demon friends around. She sighed and forced a smile for the newcomer.

"I'll get you something to eat... or... drink, okay?"

"Oh! Thank you!" he replied, clearly surprised.

Kagome nodded, getting to her feet on stiff legs and going to the kitchen.

x

Before even going to the fridge, Kagome went for the phone. She lifted it and stared, only then realizing she didn't know Inu-Yasha's cell phone number, or even if he had it with him. She chewed her cheek for a moment before she dialled Sessho-Maru's house. As soon as she heard the click she said, "Sessho-Maru? It's Kagome."

"You sound nervous," he replied simply.

Kagome bit her lip and then looked quickly into the other room. The youkai had wrapped himself in towels and seemed not to be paying her any mind, but nonetheless, Kagome hurried to the other side of the house and stepped out the sliding door, under the eves and out of the rain.

"Sessho-Maru, a weird demon just turned up at my house," she said, "The one that tried to kill Yasha and me; the one Yasha went looking for."

"You sound surprisingly calm," the youkai commented.

"That's just the thing, he's totally different," she said quickly, "His aura feels a bit different and he's actually coherent. He said he woke up in the rubble Koga kicked him into and knew my scent. He said he thought I was someone safe and found me. He sounds, I dunno, sort of out of it or something."

"He's from Youki?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill us," Kagome repeated, "But his aura before felt... like... really bad; it made me feel sick. He's just... here now. He seems really scared. What should I do?"

"Do you feel safe now?"

"I... I think so, but-"

"Keep him there. Have Inu-Yasha call me later. Okay?"

"Y... Yeah, okay," she agreed.

There was a click and the line went dead and Kagome pressed on the button to hang up the call rather hard. She took a deep breath and then went back inside, closing the door quietly behind her and then headed to the fridge. There wasn't much in there, and she quickly searched the cabinets and found that there were some ramen packets left. She grabbed down one and set some water boiling in the kettle.

x

It wasn't until the kettle clicked off to indicate it was finished that she realized she had no idea what the hell she was doing. She looked back at the demon on the couch and found him to be rather still, wrapped in towels to such a point that it was almost comical. She didn't understand, though, how he had gotten passed the barrier.

_Guess it's not as strong as that lady thought. Figures._

x

She grimaced and then, quietly, prepared the noodles and then brought them to Kemtau before taking a seat in the armchair across from him. He accepted them gratefully but ate slowly despite his obvious hunger. Kagome was finding it all very surreal.

"You know," she said slowly, drawing his attention, "My boyfriend was looking for you."

The youkai cocked his head curiously and asked, seeming a bit baffled, "Oh! Why? Does he know me?"

"Sort of," she said, "And I sort of know you, too."

"The same way I know you?" he replied curiously.

"Not quite," Kagome admitted, "Do you... Do you remember how you ended up under those rocks?"

"No," Kemtau admitted, "I remember seeing you, then nothing for a while. Then rocks."

He shrugged one shoulder and continued eating, but Kagome felt like she had been punched in the chest.

_But that means he-!? Oh shit._

She felt her eyes prick with tears before she could help in, but instantly the demon was looking at her worriedly, asking, "Are you crying? Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah," Kagome lied, "I mean, I'm fine. I'm fine. And... Right, I'm Kagome, by the way."

Kemtau's ears perked high and he nodded and grinned at her- his fangs were still a bit terrifying, but Kagome couldn't help a tired laugh.

"I'm... I'm glad you got out of there, though," she said, "That wasn't a good place to be."

"Oh? Was it really bad?" he asked, "I do remember seeing some people. They didn't seem very nice. They had these weird... _stick_-looking things, but they made a loud sound and made my head hurt."

For the umpteenth time, Kagome felt a cold sting of dread and she asked, almost reluctant to know the answer, "The _sound_ made your head hurt?"

"No, something hit me," and he pointed to the left side of his head, "Right here."

Kagome groaned and put her head in her hands and the huge demon seemed taken aback, exclaiming, "Oh! I'm sorry, have I said something wrong?"

"No. No, Kemtau, that's fine," she said staring at the carpet, "It's fine. I'll fix you up."

"Oh. No, that's okay, the cut healed quickly," he assured her.

"Of course it did," Kagome said, she tilted her head back and kneaded at her eyes, "Ugh. I'm sorry, Kemtau. I'll do what I can to help you out, though."

"I knew it," he said, tail wagging, "Thank you. I knew you were safe."

The girl nodded and smiled weakly, unable to stop herself from wondering if the bullet to the head was what was making him seem so out of it. He spoke Japanese almost completely without an accent, so any wonderings that she had that it might have just been due to a language barrier flew out the window. After taking a few more deep breaths and trying to calm herself, she got to her feet and approached him and, after hesitating for a moment, set out to dry his fur. He let her without movement or complaint, and she only paused upon reaching the strange armour he was wearing. It reminded Kagome of the casing Inu-Yasha had been forced into when he had been trapped in a room on his own, but the metal on Kemtau's body was thicker and more robust. When she came to the hole in the chest-plate, she cringed upon seeing the spot where the skin was dark and blotchy, with much of the fur burned away in a spiky, almost starburst-type mark. She wanted to apologize but stopped herself short: if he didn't remember it happening, she certainly didn't want to remind him, lest he remember the violence that had occurred. Despite his threatening appearance, his demeanour seemed so timid that she didn't know if he could handle something like that.

"You... You're going to be okay," Kagome said quietly; without thinking.

Kemtau's tail wagged, and then his ears perked up as Sota crept back into the room, knocking on the wall to announce his entrance.

x

"Um, sorry," the boy said shyly, "Um... You're... a demon, right?"

"Yes," Kemtau replied, "Hello! I'm Kemtau, who are you?"

"S-Sota," he said quickly. "Uh... Hi. Kagome, can I talk to you for a minute?"

The girl nodded and got up, following her brother out and close to the back door, where he hissed, "Why did you let him in?!"

"He... I... I don't know!" Kagome replied, flustered, "I see someone who's hurt at my door; I can't just leave him out there in the rain!"

Sota frowned but his lip pouted a bit and he muttered, "Fine. Is it safe?"

"I think so," Kagome said quickly, "He's... I mean, I met him before. He was stuck where Yasha, Koga and me where. You remember what I told you, right? About the big, black wolf-looking demon?"

Sota's face paled a bit and he squeaked, "Wait, that's-!?" Kagome hissed a shh at him and then nodded. The boy gawked for a minute and then said, "You really _are_ crazy!"

"Shut up," Kagome grumbled, "It doesn't matter, anyway, if he needs help now, he's on our side."

"How do you know?" Sota demanded, "What if it's a trap?"

"I thought of that," Kagome said quietly, "But... Listen, every time these guys from Youki get involved, I get this very specific sick feeling and-"

"Oh good, you're psychic now, too?" Sota asked in exasperation.

The girl couldn't help a laugh and she patted her brother's head until he batted her away, and she explained, "No, it's more about aura sensing. It's not psychic." Sota sighed.

"Sis, you're weird. I love you, but you're weird."

"...Well... Yeah, it's true," Kagome admitted, shrugging, "Anyway. Of course I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but... I think... I think this is right."

Sota still looked nervous, but he nodded and Kagome grimaced and asked, "Did you see if we had any tools or anything while we were unpacking?"

"No, not that I noticed," the boy said.

Kagome sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to think of what to do about the armour covering the new youkai's body. She paced for a moment and then returned to the living room, trying to keep her composure.

x

She was surprised to see Kemtau, cross-legged and covered in towels, cuddling Buyo in his lap on the couch, stroking the cat very carefully with the tips of his knife-like fingers.

"Oh, so I seen you met Buyo," she said.

The youkai smiled and nodded, saying quietly, "I love cats. Where I'm from, almost everyone loves cats."

Kagome let out a quiet phew and Buyo voiced a snickering, _"I think I'd like a place like that."_ The girl couldn't help a smile and sat down in the chair again, cozying up against the back and folding her knees to her chest. For some reason, hearing him say that made her feel a little more comfortable.

"Kemtau," she said curiously, "Where... Er... When did you come from, exactly?"

"I'm not really sure what you mean," he admitted, "You think I'm from a different when, too?"

"Maybe," Kagome admitted, "Most youkai who are here, right now, in this time, they got sent forward through time. Usually at least a few hundred years. Do you think you're from back then, too?"

"Oh... Well, maybe," he admitted, "This place... All those weird things running on wheels outside... It's nothing like where I'm from."

"Well, what kind of things did they have when you were from?"

"Houses weren't anything like this," he said, "They were made of mud bricks, I think. And hot. Not like this."

"Oh. What about city? Or town? What town were you from?"

"Hardai," he said almost proudly.

The name didn't ring a bell at all, but Kagome nodded and filed the information away in the back of her mind.

"I'll look into it later. Then we can find when exactly you were from," she said.

He nodded and stuck out his tongue a little as he turned his attention back on Buyo and, very gently, scratched behind his ears. Kagome watched quietly and then, curiously, wondered, "How did you learn Japanese?"

"Oh! You know, I'm not really sure," he said, "I think I must've picked it up somewhere. I just sort of knew it when I woke up."

Kagome frowned with confusion and then leaned back in her seat tiredly. She rubbed her brow and figured she couldn't do much more than wait for the boys to arrive. She wished they had brought their phones; their quarry had come home before they had even found him.

oOoOoOoO

Following the erratic track of a wounded demon nerve-wracking and a bit scary, though Inu-Yasha forced himself to remain as stoic as possible. Trying in the car was awkward, but with Koga manning the energy reader, it wasn't nearly as hard as he had anticipated. However, it certainly wasn't helping that Kagome was sending out faint pangs of worry and confusion every once and a while. He was shocked when the trail started to lead them towards Sessho-Maru's house but then doubled back; he hoped it was just a coincidence.

x

As rain began to pour later into the afternoon, Inu-Yasha was becoming increasingly grateful for the tech they had stolen. However, when they started to be led into the city, he couldn't help but feel a shock.

"Are you sure you're reading that thing right?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure," Koga said, and he leaned his head sideways to look to the roofs of the stores lining the street they were traveling, "I guess he took the way up there, right? This place would probably be shut down if someone had seen him."

"Guess so," the hanyou replied, "But, I mean... Shit, he could have been through here a day or two ago, right? Could have been night."

"I guess," Koga agreed, "I really have no clue."

x

The trail led them to a park, where the reading was more concentrated, and Inu-Yasha parked and got out in the rain to check around quickly with the device mostly in the front pockets of his hoodie, but he quickly found that it must have just been a long stop. The trail continued around the other side of the park.

x

He hurried to the car and passed the tracker back to Koga as he got in the driver's seat.

"Not here," he said, "Stopped here, though."

Koga nodded and sat quietly for a while, staring at the the trail outlined for them on the small screen.

"Hey," he said after a while as he pointed out a turn, "What... What are we going to do when we actually find this guy? Do you think he's going to try to fight us?"

"I think he's going to try to kill us," Inu-Yasha said with a grimace, though his words were very matter-of-fact, "But I think he's hurt, so I'm pretty sure we can kick his ass."

"But you want to _catch_ him, right?" Koga said, "What, you want to just knock him the fuck out and throw him in the trunk?"

"If we have to, yeah," he replied.

"And also keep him out of a crowded area if he starts to attack, right?"

"...Right."

Inu-Yasha sighed and came to a stop, asking, "Where to?"

"Left."

x

They drove on with Koga giving directions every once and while, and though Inu-Yasha certainly didn't want to say anything, he was getting increasingly nervous, and the sound of the rain and the windshield wipers slapping through the water was setting him on edge.

x

After what seemed like far too long, Koga called for Inu-Yasha to stop the car a bit anxiously. The hanyou did, trying to bite back his nerves, and he took a good look at where they were for the first time. He was surprised to see they were at a suburban house; normal looking enough, though the gravel driveway was more like a pond than anything else at the moment. The energy is was just barely palpable, but the hanyou felt confused more than anything.

"I don't smell any blood," he said, "You?"

Koga shook his head and he wondered, "So this is someone's house? He went inside someone's house?"

"This is fuckin' weird," Inu-Yasha grumbled.

He skimmed the place quickly, picking out curtained windows and and a front door that seemed completely intact. However, when he picked out the address, his stomach drooped and he stared blankly for a minute before shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling out the address Sessho-Maru had written for him. He matched it quickly and, unable to stop a quiver in his voice, Inu-Yasha asked, "Koga? We... We just passed a highschool a little ways back, right?"

"Um... yeah, why?" the wolf asked.

Inu-Yasha gulped. It was written on his directions.

_It can't be._

He shoved the car into park and before Koga could even unbuckle his seatbelt, Inu-Yasha was outside in the rain and rushing for the door. He could smell Kagome from here, and he could smell that youkai as well.

x

His mind was a blur as he rammed his shoulder into the front door and it gave way without resistance and he stumbled inside, barking out the girl's name in panic. He was taken aback when she poked her head out of the closest room, eyes wide, and she said, "Holy crap, you scared me!"

"Me?! You?! I...! What?!"

He hurried for her and grabbed her into a hug as she stepped out of the room and he asked, "You're okay?!"

"What? Well, y-yeah," she said, "What's wrong?"

"It's here. It's at the house," he said hurriedly, "We gotta... Oh, shit, it's a new house too, and we're probably gonna break everyth-"

"Yasha! Yasha wait a second," Kagome said hurriedly.

She pulled back and pushed down his hood, running her hand over his bristling ears in an attempt to calm him, but in a quick moment, she noticed the splotch on his sweatshirt and asked, "Wait, what's this?" Before he could answer- or deny- behind him, Koga jogged in through the rain, calling, "Everyone okay?"

"Fine, Koga," Kagome said.

She stood on her toes and kissed Inu-Yasha on the forehead and then hurried to the front door, closing it behind a rather stunned-looking Koga and trying to lock it again, only to notice that the metal locking mechanism had snapped. She rolled her eyes and used the chain near the top of the door instead and then gave her adoptive brother a kiss on the cheek before beckoning for them to follow her. Baffled, Koga did, and so did Inu-Yasha.

"Wait, this... this is the new house?" the wolf asked hurriedly, "Holy shit, Inu-Yasha, it's-!"

"Guys, relax, please," Kagome said quickly. She brought them into the back room, a kitchen, and she hopped up to sit on the table saying, "Listen, and don't freak out, but... I know."

"You... You _know_?" Inu-Yasha repeated, baffled, "Kagome, what are you-? You need to get out of here, take Sota and-"

"No, no, Yasha, you don't get it. I know he's here. He's in the living room."

Inu-Yasha was about to protest again before her words registered and his eyes widened. All he could do was blurt out a baffled, "What?!" as Koga tried to scoop his jaw up from the floor.

"He got here about an hour or two ago," Kagome explained, "He asked to come in. He's napping in the living room with Buyo now."

"...He asked to...? Kags, are we talking about the same thing here?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Yeah, that scary-looking black dog, or... jackal demon from the Youki place, the one that tried to kill us," Kagome said with a nod, "Or... That's who I'm talking about, at least, that's who you're talking about, right?"

Koga squeaked out a rather high, "Right," and Inu-Yasha locked eyes with her and was silent for a little while before asking, "You're serious?"

She nodded and looked at her feet, sighed and said, "He isn't like before. He's pretty coherent. He looked... _miserable_. He said he followed my scent here; that I was the first thing he remembered after whatever happened to him."

Inu-Yasha was silent, his mind whirring, and Koga nudged him and said, "That explains the detour near your brother's place." The hanyou frowned deeply and he said, pointing at Kagome, "He remembered you?" She nodded and Inu-Yasha began to pace, rubbing his forehead; the others watched him until he stopped and whirled on her, grabbing her shoulders as his eyes lit up.

"Your spiritual shot," he said quickly, "That must be it. That must be what snapped him free."

"Snapped him free of what, though?" the girl asked worriedly.

"Whatever was fucking with his head that let Youki control him," Inu-Yasha said.

"Right," Kagome said, but suddenly looked very sad; the hanyou's ears drooped and he edged a bit closer to her, asking, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Um... No, nothing," she said quickly, "Um... A-Anyway, you guys, I'm... I'm glad it went okay for you guys and you didn't have to fight anyone."

Koga looked immediately guilty and he rubbed his head, looking at Inu-Yasha, and Kagome hesitantly asked, "What?"

"Well," Koga began a bit shrilly, awkwardly prodding the hanyou, "W-Well..."

"We ran into two guys from Youki," Inu-Yasha explained, and though Kagome drew in a sharp, fearful gasp, he quickly said, "It went okay, but they were looking for the same thing we were and so we took their tracking thing." Koga nodded quickly as Kagome sighed with relief and he pulled the energy tracker from his pocket to show her. The borders of the screen were flashing red now and indicating towards the direction of the living room. Kagome nodded but then leaned back, her eyes skimming the two and when she settled on the splotch on Inu-Yasha's sweatshirt, her eyes widened and became glossy in a second.

"Damn it, Inu-Yasha!" she cried, and she jumped off the table and grabbed him, demanding. "Are you okay?! Damn it!"

She knew; he could feel it, no need to deny it.

"I'm fine," he assured her, "It didn't hit anything and went straight out."

She girl knitted her fingers tightly into his sleeves and she looked at him with a pleading expression before she pulled him down to hug him quickly around his shoulders, but before he could reciprocate, she whirled on Koga, demanding, "What about you, huh?! Don't tell me you're hurt, too?" Koga held up his hands submissively, but the girl ignored him as he was about to talk, spinning around him and letting out a yelp.

"Your tail-?!"

"Oh! No, no, that's fine," he said quickly, "Inu-Yasha told me I could make it disappear and I totally could. Sort of wish I knew that sooner, to be honest."

He smiled bashfully and the girl looked at the hanyou, who nodded. Kagome took a deep breath and wilted, muttering, "What a messed up day. Yasha, let me patch you up, okay?"

"You don't have to-"

"_Please_."

He grimaced under her distraught expression and nodded, and then quickly, she grabbed him, kissed him, and hurried off. Inu-Yasha puffed out a sigh and Koga looked at him sympathetically before saying, "She said that demon's asleep now, right?" Inu-Yasha nodded.

"Good, I still don't think I'm ready to meet him for real yet. I think I'll go check out the house a bit," he said absently, "Check on Sota, maybe."

"Oh, uh... sure," Inu-Yasha said.

The wolf patted him on the shoulder and strode out, and it wasn't until Kagome had come back into the room, sniffling a little, with boxes of gauze pads and bandages in her hands, that Inu-Yasha realized that the wolf had been trying, politely, to leave the two of them alone.

x

"Hey," Inu-Yasha began, but Kagome quickly said, "Take that stuff off." He sighed but he slipped the sweatshirt off over his head without protest. The girl made him sit on the table and take off his t-shirt as well, but she was surprised to find the spot marked with his blood was only a little pinkish, instead of the wound she had obviously expected.

"Oh," she said a bit blankly and he said, albeit gently, "I told you. I'm fine." Kagome looked up into his eyes and wiped her own on the back of her hand; he put his t-shirt back on and slid off the table.

"I thought maybe you were just bluffing again," she said quietly.

"Not this time," he said with a laugh.

He put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently and she smiled. The hanyou finally felt her relief, but he didn't feel his own and he carefully pulled her into a hug, muttering, "I'm... I'm just glad that demon wasn't... you know."

"Tell me about it," she agreed.

She clung to his arms tiredly and he bent to put his forehead against hers. She was quiet against him, but his heart was blaring. He didn't realize he was shaking until she pulled back from him to hold his shoulders, saying a gentle, "Hey, relax, okay? Everything's weird, but we're okay, right? And that demon, he's here, and it's safe."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..." he said a bit awkwardly, "It's just... as soon as I smelled you from outside, I-"

"What? You could smell me all the way from out there?" Kagome asked, eyes widening, "Oh! Sorry. I know I didn't have a shower this morning, but I didn't think it was _that_ bad!"

Inu-Yasha stared at her blankly for a moment and he said, "...What? No. No, I mean... Your scent. You don't stink. It's you're... oh." He rubbed his forehead and Kagome seemed to clue in and smiled bashfully.

"Woops. I ruined it, didn't I?" she asked, "You were going to say something really sweet, I bet."

Inu-Yasha began to laugh, and his smile made Kagome's face brighten considerably.

"It's fine," he said.

He kissed her forehead and she snickered and then took a few steps back and turning to a cupboard.

"Did you eat yet? I found some ramen. I know you like it, so..."

"I'm okay for now," he said, "Thanks. I was more wondering if I could talk to that demon."

"Oh!"

Kagome rejoined him and looked a bit speculative, tilting her head, and she said, "Well... He was asleep when I left him, but I think it might be best. I need your help to get that body armour off him anyways."

"Body armour?" Inu-Yasha repeated, ears drooping.

"You'll see," Kagome said, and she headed for the kitchen door.

Inu-Yasha made as if to follow her, but she turned and stopped abruptly, saying, very quietly, "Um, look. Just so you know, he doesn't... He doesn't quite..."

She frowned to herself and tried to find the words.

"He speaks kind of like a child," she explained, "I think it's because he got shot in the head. Just so you know."

The hanyou looked perplexed, but he nodded and Kagome mimicked him, saying, "Right," to herself before turning on her heel and heading back to the room Inu-Yasha had seen her come out of before. She slid the door open quietly to have Buyo slip out around her ankles, saying a quick hello to Inu-Yasha as he went. The girl disappeared inside and Inu-Yasha took a deep breath and followed.

x

Inside the sparsely furnished room, Inu-Yasha see over the side of the sofa clearly and he felt like his heart had plummeted into his stomach. There he was. The huge youkai was curled against the cushions, all but engulfed in towels, his twisted face seeming almost peaceful. Inu-Yasha tested his aura gently and the demon shifted a bit uncomfortably; the hanyou pulled back right away, but Kagome beckoned him into the room nonetheless. He gulped and went in, and she pointed to the cushy chair across from the couch. He sat on the arm of it, a bit on edge, his fur bristling as the girl approached the sleeping youkai and shook his shoulder gently.

"Hey, Kemtau," she said, "Can you get up for a bit?"

When his eyes opened to radiant, blue slits, Inu-Yasha had to stop himself from jumping.

"Kagome?" the huge demon said quietly, "Um... Okay. What's going on?"

He blinked groggily and sat up, yawning wide and rubbing his eyes. Inu-Yasha had no idea what to say and looked at Kagome in utter bafflement. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been this. The girl smiled at him a little and held up one finger; she patted the other demon on the shoulder gently and then pointed Inu-Yasha out.

"Kemtau, this is Inu-Yasha. The one I said was looking for you, remember?"

Inu-Yasha was still at a loss, and was taken aback completely when the other youkai's ears perked up high and his twisted face split into a cheerful grin as he said, "Oh, hi! Guess you found me!"

"Y... Yeah. Guess I did," Inu-Yasha finally managed to say, "You escaped, then?"

"That's what Kagome said," he replied with a nod, "Why did you want to find me?"

Kemtau tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy and Kagome looked at the hanyou curiously as well.

"I, uh... I guess I wanted to help you. I met someone like you and I found out I might be able to help him, and I thought maybe I could help you, too."

"Someone like me?" Kemtau wondered.

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha said, frowning, "Don't you remember what they did to you at Youki?"

"...I'm sorry, but I don't get it."

His ears drooped, apologetic, and Inu-Yasha frowned a little deeper, trying to find the words. To his relief, Kagome filled in for him.

"Remember that place we talked about where those people who hurt your head were?" she asked, "They did something to you there that was probably pretty bad. You don't remember any of it?"

"No. I remember home," he explained, "Then there's a lot I'm missing. Then Kagome. Then missing a bit, and then the rocks."

"The... The rocks?" Inu-Yasha repeated.

There was a sudden sinking feeling within him and he looked at Kagome, trying not to look as aghast as he was; he understood now the reaction she had had in the kitchen.

"Don't tell Koga," she whispered quickly, before she turned to Kemtau and said, "Well, that's probably a good thing. Those people do bad things to a lot of people. They did them to Inu-Yasha and I too, and we do remember."

"Nothing like what they did to him, though," the hanyou added a bit grimly.

Kagome looked at him with a puzzled frown and, quickly, the hanyou got up off the armchair and moved to sit on the arm of the sofa instead, pulling some of the towels away from the large youkai and saying.

"Hang on, let's deal with this for a second."

Exposing the rest of Kemtau's body showed the thick, metallic armour and, to his surprise, the hole blasted through it by Kagome. He hadn't realized she had done so much damage. Just as he was about to start trying to get it off, Koga walked in behind them, words on the tip of his tongue until he saw contents of the room. Instead, he stared in shock and Kemtau leaned around Inu-Yasha to look, blurting out a bright, "Hello!"

"Oh! Ah... Uh... Hi," Koga said awkwardly, "I was... Uh... Hello. Yes."

He looked a little lost and Kagome couldn't help a laugh.

"Koga, meet Kemtau," she told him, and then, directing her words to the huge demon on the couch, "That's my brother, Koga."

"Oh really? He's a demon, though," Kemtau said, a bit confused, "Oh well, that's nice."

"It's a bit confusing," Kagome said, "First we were friends and he was pretending to be my brother for some other reasons, but then we sort of became close like family, so I just introduce him as my brother. It's easier."

She laughed and Koga's face flushed but he soon wore a goofy grin; Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes and said, "Hey, wolfie, you wanna get over here and help me get this armour off this guy?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure, I'll see what I can do," Koga assured him.

x

Inu-Yasha started before Koga had settled to try to figure out how to begin; he took a chunk out of the side and shoulderplate on the right. Kemtau grimaced and it was soon clear why. The armour from the shoulder, at least, had strange, metal barbs that had been poking into the demon's limbs. Inu-Yasha felt a deep, hot anger enter him, and he held it out to show Kagome. The girl's eyes widened and she hurried over to look. The blood on the spikes made her take a step back and she all but shouted, "Those assholes!" before she ran out of the room. When she returned, she had all the medical supplied she had wanted to use on Inu-Yasha plus a washcloth and a tupperware of water.

"Hurry so I can clean that stuff," she insisted.

x

The boys did their best, but it still took a while until the armour lay in a clunky mound on the floor, revealing a body sleek with black fur and yet still a bit distorted. Veins popped in strange places and the way the muscles bulged didn't look normal either. which would have left Kemtau rather bare if not for the fact that he was very furry and covered in towels as well. As Koga left to try to scrounge up something for the huge demon to wear, Kagome went right to work on his arms, dabbing away specs of blood and bandaging three spots on each side where the spikes had been much larger and had punctured the skin much deeper.

"Kemtau, I can't believe you didn't say anything," she muttered, "Didn't that hurt?"

"It was a bit sore," he said a little shyly.

The girl rolled her eyes and then shot a sarcastic glance towards Inu-Yasha.

"What?" he asked.

"You demons," she said, shaking her head, "Whatever. What the hell is the point of stabbing the hell out of his arms and back and stuff, anyway?"

"No idea," Inu-Yasha said.

He rubbed his forehead and tried to remember if he had experienced anything similar, but couldn't come up with a single thing like it- not that he could remember all of it himself, mind you.

"I'll ask my brother," he muttered.

"Oh. That reminds me, he asked you to call him," Kagome said.

The hanyou nodded and watched as the girl finished patching up Kemtau's right forearm. She stood and absently wiped her bloodflecked fingertips on her jeans. She looked, for a moment, at a loss. Inu-Yasha was about to ask her if there was anything he could do to help her, but she quickly straightened herself out and said, "I'll go clean myself up and... I think I want tea, do you guys want tea?"

Kemtau merely looked confused and Kagome said, "I'll make you some anyway. Yasha?"

"Sure," he replied.

She nodded and left, and they heard her call for Koga and Sota to answer the same question: both said yes.

x

Finally, Inu-Yasha could focus his full attention on Kemtau. The huge youkai, as frightening as he might look, really did come across as a bit childlike to the hanyou. He didn't seem to fully grasp what was going on.

_Maybe it wasn't just the bullet to the head,_ he thought, _Maybe it's the whole messed up aura thing?_

His ears twitched back and forth and he settled back on the arm of the sofa, chin in hand, until he hesitantly asked, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I think," the demon replied.

"Do you feel confused or anything? Like, your head, how does that feel? And what about your aura? Does it feel weird to you?"

"My aura?" Kemtau repeated.

He grimaced, showing fang, and his blank, blue eyes narrowed.

"That's my energy, right?" he said quietly, "Yeah. It does feel weird. It feels... I don't know how to say it. It feels like it's running _backwards_ or something."

Inu-Yasha nodded and felt- well, he wasn't really sure what he felt. It was a strange combination of absolute dread and relief all at once.

"Can I test it?" he asked, "Let me take a look at it."

"You can do that?"

Kemtau's eyes widened and his ears perked high, and he nodded quickly. Inu-Yasha took a deep breath and concentrated hard, bracing himself against the sofa as he let his aura flick out to touch Kemtau's. There was a reaction instantly, like a static spark, and they both jumped; the hanyou forced his energy through and into the other demon's nonetheless and closed his eyes.

x

Reading an aura was usually like reading a simple language to someone who knew how: a simple signature denoting certain attributes, such as strength, heredity, and mood. Every single person, human, demon, or otherwise, had one that was completely unique. Kemtau's, however, was different. Trying to pick something informative out of the aura was like trying to read an unfamiliar language, backwards, while stuck amongst the waves of an ocean storm. It made Inu-Yasha's head hurt almost instantly and set a pounding starting in his ears, but he forged ahead nonetheless, wondering how the hell his aura had gotten to be in that sort of state. Twisted was the only word he could up for to describe it.

x

However, delving a little deeper and Inu-Yasha found, to his utmost fear, one of the sources of the problems. His own aura, wedged into Kemtau's, something about it bending the energy completely out of shape and into something completely _wrong_. The hanyou's heart felt like it was breaking. He had hoped so desperately that he had been wrong.

x

He grimaced and reached out into Kemtau's energy with his own and his mark began to come back to him, clearing up a little of what seemed to be incorrect, but before long, the pounding in his head grew too great and he had to back out. His eyes snapped open and his ears folded back in pain, and he tried to stop himself from panting too hard. The other demon, however, was sunk back into the pillows, eyes wide, and, to Inu-Yasha's surprise, a little glimmer of the ring of an iris had appeared in eyes that had been solid blue just a moment before.

"What...? What did you-?" Kemtau stammered.

"I-"

"It feels a bit better."

Kemtau looked baffled and Inu-Yasha did, too. He couldn't believe what had just happened, but it _had_, and twice now. It was no coincidence. Shakily, he got to his feet and said, much to the other demon's confusion, "I'm so sorry," before he walked briskly, shaking, to the front door. He heard Kagome call for him, but he didn't answer and headed straight out into the rain, breaking the door chain without even noticing; plopping down on the front steps, his face in his hands.

x

Inu-Yasha wasn't one for much externalizing of his feelings, but for the first time in his life, he truly felt like crying. He was furious, and disgusted, and exhausted, and so, so guilty. His skin felt too hot and his head pounded with his heartbeat.

_They used me. They used me for this?!_

He bared his fangs and took in a deep, shaking breath. He almost instinctively got up to run when he heard even the first inkling that someone was coming through the door after him. Kagome's gentle voice greeted him, and before he could even look up, there was a warmth draped over his shoulders, and he quickly realized that it was a sweatshirt as Kagome made sure his shoulders fit inside and placed the hood gently over his ears.

"That's not like you to run out without covering up," she said, "What's wrong? What happened in there?"

He couldn't bring himself to move, really, and so, when he didn't answer, Kagome sighed and gently guided his arms into his sleeves and then lifted his face to meet hers as she knelt down in front of him. Inu-Yasha's heart thumped: with the rain pushing her hair down, she looked so much like when he had first seen her. He sighed and rubbed his brow, and he shook his head.

"Come on," she insisted, "What happened? What did you do? I felt you do a thing, and now Kemtau seems to _look_ a little less messed up, at least."

x

He gritted his teeth and when her worried eyes met his, he felt like collapsing.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Wh...? Inu-Yasha, please, just tell me what happened? What's going on?" she said.

She brushed her fingers through his hair gently and he cringed, unable to hold her gaze.

"It's my fault," he said.

"What? What is?"

She looked baffled and he drew back, rubbing his head and sighing deeply, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Kagome, I... I don't know how to say this," he admitted, gulped, and folding his arms to his chest tightly, "It's... It's my... Shit. Kagome, they used my aura to do this to him."

The girl stared back at him blankly for a while and her head tilted to the side as she asked a simple, "Huh?"

"Can't you feel it?" he asked anxiously, "In his aura. It's mine. It's mine that's twisting it. That's what they did with me when they caught me the first time. They used my aura to... Oh shit."

He had to take a deep breath. Kagome's stared back at him with wide eyes and for a moment was utterly silent. Slowly, she snuck a bit closer to him and quietly asked, "You sure?" He nodded.

"Yeah, it's... It's why I was so weird at the hospital thing, I found another that was-"

Kagome kissed him before he could finish. He looked at her with surprise and she quickly kissed his forehead as well before squeezing him into a tight hug.

"Shut up," she breathed, "Just... Just shut the hell up, okay?"

"But-"

She kissed him again and he let out an involuntary whine, but remained quiet reluctantly when she pulled back and pressed her forehead against his.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him.

She said nothing more and, after a little while of only the sound of rain, the hanyou tentatively asked, "How?"

"I don't know. But we can fix this," she said.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Kagome."

"I know. I know," she insisted, "But we'll figure this out. We'll figure it out and- and we'll fix him, and everyone else like him. Got it?"

She lifted his chin to get him to look at her again, and though the guilt he felt made him feel like being sick, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes that made him think that maybe she was right.

"O-Okay," he finally managed to choke out.

Kagome smiled a little and kissed his forehead again, and then squeezed him tight, which he finally reciprocated.

"And from now on," she said, "Stop running out into the rain to have your dramas, you idiot. It's too cold for this."

It surprised him when he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry. I'll try not to anymore."


End file.
